Specific Families and Genera > Cacti and Succulents

Other Alpine Cacti

(1/5) > >>

Kristl Walek:
There are a dozen or so other species and forms of other tiny barrel cactus I can grow here in the north- they fall predominantly in the genera of Escobaria, Echinocereus and Pediocactus.

Of these, Pediocactus is the most moisture tolerant (as it is native to the coast of western North America) and would probably be successful in the UK. It is my earliest flowering small cactus- often in bloom, like a typical alpine, as soon as the snow melts.

Here are some representative flowers.

Lesley Cox:
These are lovely flowers and with those little barrel or cushion shapes, are crying out to be grown as "alpines," but.......

iann:
Lovely plants you have there in the frozen north.  Contrary to your expectations, Pediocactus are considered amongst the most difficult cacti to grow in the UK.  They are usually seen grafted as they rot very easily on their own roots.  I am currently attempting to grow several of them on their own roots in various conditions starting with the easier species, as I have some ideas about why they are so picky.  Lack of light are humidity are usually given as the reasons, but don't entirely convince me that these plants which are so tolerant of sitting encased in ice or wallowing in snowmelt should die in England.  Few UK growers can give them the sort of cold they would get in habitat, most keep their entire cactus collection well above freezing all winter, and this may be part of the problem.  Standard cactus treatment in England is also not to water them until danger of frost is past, probably the opposite of what most Pediocactus want.  Then they are watered progressively more as summer heats up, while Pediocactus just want to sit out the summer high and dry.

Here is Pediocactus simpsonii var indraianus after a winter down to -7C.  It has been watered several times already and is in full growth but still far from flowering.

The Escobarias are a little more tolerant of our conditions although some are not so hardy.  The Echinocereus species you show are all tolerant of the cold and moisture we get in winter here, with suitable drainage obviously, and it is possible to grow them outside year round as I do with a few species.  Of course they are prone to marking from the constant winter wet, slow growth from the lack of summer heat (and perhaps more critically spring heat), and flower late or not at all.

Maggi Young:
Hi, iann! A warm welcome to you!
Great to hear from someone who is giving considered thought to the conditions needed by his plants. It'll be good to hear how your experiments progress.
 Whereabouts in England are you?

iann:
Hi,

I'm just south of Manchester.  I have a few alpines, I like Daphne and Meconopsis.  I have a lot of cacti and growing the hardy alpine types saves on winter heating :)

Here's a different sort of alpine succulent that I know appears at alpine shows, Delosperma sphalmanthoides.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page