ID on a Lidl cactus

[Ernie]

Thanks Ray, interesting. I doubt there will be many plants that survive purchase by Mr Average.Certainly not long enough for them to grow their hats!

[RAYWOODBRIDGE]

Sad but very true Ernie.

[RJC]

I'm curious as to why many of the plants found in supermarkets are Melocacatus; is it because they are fast growers under nursery conditions, or continuously produce seeds as adults; is there an obvious reason why Melocactus seedlings are so readily sold wholesale?

[esp]

I'm curious as to why many of the plants found in supermarkets are Melocacatus; is it because they are fast growers under nursery conditions

I assume it's this, similarly why Pilosocereus are so widely available, and plants like Polaskia chichipe which don't tend to be sought after by more experienced growers in Northern Europe.
Also innovations like offering a potful of young Hylocereus seedlings - quick and easy to produce, and have appeal to casual houseplant buyers.

[David Neville]

Immature Melocactus seedlings are, by most people, viewed as boring, and potential mass sales outlets for these plants are very limited.
Much cheaper than the most well-known Dutch wholesalers would be the plant auctions at Aalsmeer near Amsterdam, where unpopular plants are frequently sold as clearance items for no more than a handful of eurocents. This is almost certainly where mass suppliers are likely to obtain their supplies, and explains why the plants can be offered so cheaply at some retail outlets. The health certification, importation and transportation costs from Europe to the UK now, since Brexit, have increased in cost by an unbelievable amount, and are probably considerably more than the actual wholesale cost of the plants.

[esp]

Immature Melocactus seedlings are, by most people, viewed as boring, and potential mass sales outlets for these plants are very limited.

Given the numbers of people posting on the BCSS and other Facebok groups eagerly showing off their Melocactus purchases (often asking for an id), it would seem that mass market sales of immature Melocacti are thriving at the moment.
Would massive volume sellers like LIDL, B&Q etc favour buying their stock through ad-hoc auction purchases rather than pre-planned extremely large wholesale orders direct with nurseries?

I'd assume that if you are importing plants by the HGV load, the documentation costs per plant are actually still quite minimal.

[el48tel]

I'm reliably informed that the next big hype ... must have by non cactus and succulents growers who want trendy plants in their kitchen when we can have friends around for dinner later in the year is .......... Lithops.

[Pattock]

I'm reliably informed that the next big hype ... must have by non cactus and succulents growers who want trendy plants in their kitchen when we can have friends around for dinner later in the year is .......... Lithops.

If only I were entrepreneurial I would start manufacturing clip-on magnifying glasses for putting on plant pots.

I would think that most people buy Melocactus as houseplants for a windowsill so they might keep them healthy for many years with relatively little effort. Most people have their central heating on the tropical setting nowadays.

[AndrewB]

The blue one on the left, Melocactus azureus ? Sure looks like it to me!

[EdMcKenna]

I got a Lidl purchase recently and I'm sure its a Melocactus broadwayi. It has a lot more ribs than my matanzanus, either way it is a good size and price