order: caryophyllales
family: cactaceae
genus: cleistocactus
species: samaipatanus
cultivar: f. cristata
This is a cleistocactus originating from Samaipata in Bolivia in crested form. It came into my possession over the winter 2011/2012. Since there was nothing to do in the garden and the tropical plants in the room were mostly dormant (my plants were still countable back then), I felt the need to go around hunting for some lovely plants. I found it amusing that different plants can develop crested form. I must have had the idea of expanding a collection of crested form plants for some time. Regrettably one cannot have an infinite amount of plants and an infinite amount of time to care for them.
Generally all of my cacti give me the impression that they never grow. With this one, it is especially true. It hasn't grown tall, it hasn't grown long, and it hasn't grown fat since the day it came home with me. So if there's one plant in my nursery that I cannot be proud of, this must be it. This year, the months of March, April and May turned out to be on the cold side. The plant is still being kept in its winter quarter besides on a couple of warm sunny days in April on which I brought it outside for sunning and watered it thoroughly. (It must be very thirsty after a long winter of aridity.)
I'm not really expecting it to give me a bloom this year, though I've seen lovely flowers on cacti, and they are to wish for on your own cacti. This year I'd like to slightly increase the amount of water and fertiliser on the cacti and I hope it helps them grow.
family: cactaceae
genus: cleistocactus
species: samaipatanus
cultivar: f. cristata
This is a cleistocactus originating from Samaipata in Bolivia in crested form. It came into my possession over the winter 2011/2012. Since there was nothing to do in the garden and the tropical plants in the room were mostly dormant (my plants were still countable back then), I felt the need to go around hunting for some lovely plants. I found it amusing that different plants can develop crested form. I must have had the idea of expanding a collection of crested form plants for some time. Regrettably one cannot have an infinite amount of plants and an infinite amount of time to care for them.
Generally all of my cacti give me the impression that they never grow. With this one, it is especially true. It hasn't grown tall, it hasn't grown long, and it hasn't grown fat since the day it came home with me. So if there's one plant in my nursery that I cannot be proud of, this must be it. This year, the months of March, April and May turned out to be on the cold side. The plant is still being kept in its winter quarter besides on a couple of warm sunny days in April on which I brought it outside for sunning and watered it thoroughly. (It must be very thirsty after a long winter of aridity.)
I'm not really expecting it to give me a bloom this year, though I've seen lovely flowers on cacti, and they are to wish for on your own cacti. This year I'd like to slightly increase the amount of water and fertiliser on the cacti and I hope it helps them grow.