More flowers

Night blooming cereus. For some reason ants like to congregate on the buds as they grow. So far they do not seem to harm the blooms.

So many flowers

I am so excited about all the flowers my plants have produced this year. My huernia has been blooming for months and still has more buds growing. They are such a deep red. Unfortunately they are hard to see since they are located at the base of the plant.

Lithops, aka living stones, stone faces ...

I have now officially killed my last lithop. I have tried to grow them several times with no success. I think I will now give up so as to spare any future victims. This partiular plant started off really well. I had it in a bright window and watered it only once a month. (They are very prone to rotting from over watering.) It grew and flourished through the winter. When the warm weather came I decided to try it outside. That is when the poor plant started its slow decline. A slug somehow got to it and scraped a large chunk out of it. So I brought it back inside but it never really recovered. For a short while I thought it had. A new set of leaves even grew out of it but they were so small and they shriveled as soon as the old leaves exposed it. That was the end. I can't help but wonder if I had kept it in the window if it would still be thriving. Maybe I will try them again someday down the road when I have more experience.

Drought

Houston is now under water restrictions because of the drought. Not too bad for my plants but I have to remember that I can only water on Sundays and Thursdays. This is definitely going to be harder on me than them.

In need of some support

One of my very first plants that I still have is a euphorbia. It has taken off since I moved to Texas and it has become very top heavy. There are not alot of branches on the lower half of the plant because I was very nieve about how to properly prune it. The other day we had some strong winds and my husband said it looked like it was going to blow over. Sure enough the next day I found it on its side. So far a plant stake from my local hardware store, for only a couple dollars, is holding it up well. One really helpful thing that I acquired at some point is a roll of velcro that is made for use on plants. I have had to add support to several plants and this stuff is very handy. You can cut off whatever length you need and the velcro holds strong. There are various versions such as plant ties. I recommend anyone growing plants get some.

Where do I get my cacti?

I get my cacti and succulents from wherever I find one I like. My first cacti came from a cacti show and sale put on by the cactus and succulent society in my hometown. This is a great place to get plants because you are buying them from the person who grew them. They can tell you what conditions they grew the plant in and give you tips for once you get it home. Many of these growers are local so the plants are more acclimated to your local weather. These show and sales are only once a year so where do you go to add to your collection the rest of the year? I am lucky enough to live in a city that has a local nursery that grows and sells a wide variety of cacti and succulents. However, I have bought some plants from the big name stores Home Depot and Lowe's but many of these plants have not suvived. Since these plants are mass produced I have come to the conclusion that they are grown in unrealistic conditions and they do not adjust well. The tags on the pots give very generic tips about lighting and watering and knowing where a plant originated doesn't really help either unless you majored in geography and climatology. Now I do have to say some of my plants have survived and are thriving.  I am not saying to avoid buying plants at a national chain. They recieve a great variety of plants. I do recommend leaving it in the store's pot for awhile, several weeks, after you bring it home so it can acclimate. If you repot it right away then it has to deal with root disturdance at the same time and this can add extra stress.  When you do repot make sure to lossen the roots. If there are dry, dead roots, carefully cut them off. Water the soil and place the plant in a well lit area but not direct light.

Lastly, if you have a local cactus and succulent society join it. They have plant exchanges where members bring in plants, plant cuttings, etc. for other members to take home. The majority of my plants have come from plant exchanges. You will also get lots of knowledgable advice. On my home page I have a link to the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. It lists all the society's affiliates and their contact info.