I do rescues too :)

Post by **iann** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 9:26 pm

The Oreocereus twins freshly liberated from tiny balls of peat, luckily very dry balls of peat. I parted with 99p so that they would have a chance at a better life. I know, but some things are just more important than money.
[img]http://www.thegardengalleries.org/d/200 ... ereus1.jpg[/img]

Post by **DaveW** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 10:08 pm

One looks like O. celsianus and the other like O. trollii if they were both planted togther?

DaveW

Post by **Roger** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 10:57 pm

They do indeed look like a celsianus and a trollii very nice plants 99p for both sounds like a bargain to me

Post by **iann** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:39 pm

No labels obviously, but I agree with the IDs.

Post by **Jez** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:34 pm

They look healthy enough!

Now, how fast will they grow - I have a 30 y/o trollii that has managed 3 stems, the biggest of which is just over a foot high...... not such great progress, but the poor thing had to tolerate some pretty poor treatment for about a third of this time in my dad's unheated, under-ventilated greenhouse. At least I know it is hardy!

I can never resist looking at the cacti etc. when I go to homebase/B&Q etc. as I never know what "treasures" will be there hidden among the ailing plants - last year I picked up a lophophora that was about 1+1/2 inches across.....

Good luck with these guys Iann,

Jez

Post by **Maria J** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:38 pm

They're great Ian!! What a bargain, especially like the trollii

Post by **iann** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:38 pm

Oreocereus seem to grow pretty fast if you treat them well. One of them never gets very tall, I think its E. trollii without hitting the books, and the other one will outgrow most greenhouses. I've seen some really fat E. trolii plants in collections, only a couple of feet tall and hardly looking like a columnar they are so wide.

I've never seen a Lophophora at B&Q but its hard to resist going and having a look whenever I see a little table of pokeys in a shop. Sometimes they have Lithops

Post by **Jez** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 7:00 pm

Hmmm... methinks a repot and better tlc for my Oreo are in order!

As long as the lithops are not long....

I often wonder about what regime commercial nurseries use that allows them to use the pearty composts. The plants are often a bit on the well fed side, but are usually healthy as long as they have not been in the garden centre for too long.

Jez

Post by **saxocactus** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 8:42 pm

Going to some shops is alwasy good for a laugh - you wouldn't believe some of the names that plants are given. I have a very nice 'Tigers Jaws' plant which was labelled 'Lithops'.

Post by **DaveW** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 9:10 pm

I remember a few years ago one of the well known plant firms decided the Latin names would not sell cacti to the general public so decided to give them popular names. However their newly dreamt up name "Mexican Firecracker" was assigned to a S. American cactus!

DaveW

I do rescues too :)

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