Austrocylindropuntia subulata (Eve’s Needle) at 7 1/4″ tall, the offset on the left at 8 1/4″ tall on 10-23-23, #967-2.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. This is the second part of the 2023 Cactus & Succulent Update. This post is for the plants on the front porch that were photographed on Monday the 23rd until it became too dark to get good photos. As you can see, the leaves of the maple trees are falling…

The above photo is of the Austrocylindropuntia subulata (Eve’s Needle) I bought home from Wagler’s Greenhouse in 2019. The main plant is now 7 1/4″ tall and has many branches. It sprouted an offset in 2020 that is now 8 1/4″ tall. Another offset came up in 2021 that has barely grown. I have been intending to repot this plant, but you know how it is when you have other things to do. It has to be done because somehow there is only 2″ of soil in the pot…

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Crassula ovata ‘Gollum’ at 10 1/2″ tall x 12″ wide on 10-23-23, #967-6.

The Crassula ovata ‘Gollum’ I brought home in 2019 is doing well and is still 10 1/2″ tall but has grown a little wider to 12″. If a leaf or two from the outside falls off it will be narrower again. 🙂

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Espostoa melanostele subsp. nana (Peruvian Old Lady) at 9″ 1/2″ tall on 10-23-23, #967-10.

The Espostoa melanostele subsp. nana (Peruvian Old Lady) has steadily grown to 9 1/2″ tall since I bought it home in 2016. It has always been quite entertaining with its wild hair.

Espostoa melanostele subsp. nana (Peruvian Old Lady) on 10-23-24, #967-11.

I think she has been to the beauty shop…

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Euphorbia trigona ‘Rubra’ (African Milk Tree) at 30 3/4″ tall on 10-23-23, #967-13.

I have to scratch my head every time I look at the Euphorbia trigona ‘Rubra’ (African Milk Tree). It is now 30 3/4″ tall! It was only 6 1/4″ tall when I brought it home in 2021 so this one is a fast grower! If you want a cactus that grows hilariously fast, this is the one to get!

Euphorbia trigona ‘Rubra’ (African Milk Tree) branch at 9″ tall on 10-23-23, #967-14.

It grew a side branch last summer and it is even 9″ tall now…

I put it in a larger pot after I brought the plants inside last fall. They don’t have a very large root system but you need a pot that is less likely to fall over. The only thing that is keeping this plant from falling over is that it is pretty much balanced. You have to make sure that is as perfectly verticle as possible when it is repotted. I tied it to a stick so it wouldn’t jump out of its pot… I keep bricks around all the pots along the edge of the tables to keep them from falling over when they are outside. A couple of weeks ago when the wind started blowing harder, I found this plant on the floor. Pot and all… Luckily, the plant didn’t fall out of the pot and nothing broke. GEEZ!

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Gasteria ‘Little Warty’ at 6 1/2″ tall x 9″ wide on 10-23-23, #967-17.

I really like the Gasteria ‘Little Warty’. It has done very well since I bought it home in 2019 and is now 6 1/2″ tall x 9″ wide. It had tripled in height and has several offsets.

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Kalanchoe orgyalis (Copper Spoons) at 10″ tall on 10-23-23, #967-19.

Hmmm… When I look at these two Kalanchoe orgyalis (Copper Spoons) I always feel like I have some explaining to do. Not to anyone else, but to them. I feel somewhat guilty because I murdered their mother and they know it… I brought their mother home in 2018 when it was smaller than they are now. By the time I brought the plants inside in October 2020, it was 25″ tall and looking somewhat weird. In 2021, I decided to cut off its branches and a few leaves to see if they would root. I cut the main stem in half and figured the mother would grow more leaves and branches, but that didn’t happen. She completely died. Fortunately, two of the stem cuttings survived and now are 10″ tall. I hope they are happy now that I confessed publically.

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Opuntia monacantha var. variegata (Joseph’s Coat) at 14″ tall on 10-23-23, #967-31.

I really like the Opuntia monacantha var. variegata (Joseph’s Coat) even though I am usually reluctant to bring home variegated cacti. I always thought it would be hard to see parasites on a variegated plant. Fortunately, this plant hasn’t had any issues except for the small spiders that like to make webs on it… Actually, I think that is a good thing so I  leave them alone until I bring the plants inside for the winter. This plant has done well and is now 14″ tall. That is almost 10″ taller than when I brought it home in 2020.

Hmmm… I just deleted a whole paragraph of babbling about the scientific name. Reluctantly, I may have to change the name to Opuntia monacanthos, but I will still use var. variegata because it was legitimately mentioned in Gardener’s Dictionary in 1874. Nuff said… I need to rewrite the intro on the plant’s page because it even confuses me.

NEXT!

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Polaskia chichipe (Chichipe, ETC.), the tallest at 5″ tall and the shortest at 4 1/4″ tall on 10-23-23.

There were three plants in this pot of Polaskia chichipe (Chichipe, ETC.) when I brought it home in 2020. The tallest of the two remaining is 5″ tall and the shortest is 4 1/4″ tall. They are lighter green and have a few healed blemishes and growth marks.

Plants can get into trouble outside, and apparently, these two did a couple years ago. I have no idea what nibbled on them but it reminds me of what happened in 2018. The plants were around a shed under an elm tree and I noticed something had been snacking on some of the cactus. I first thought it was grasshoppers, but I never found any on them. I thought maybe it was happening at night, so I took the flashlight to have a look. Sure enough, it was crickets having a feast on the cactus! I had to start moving them into the shed at night… Since the plants have been on the front and back porch, I have had no issues…

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Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus (Paper Spine Cactus), tallest stem at almost 5″ tall on 10-23-23, #967-38.

The Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus (Paper Spine Cactus) is one of the most interesting plants in the collection. I found one segment on the shelf when I was plant shopping at Walmart in 2016, so I brought it home. I figured it would have been thrown in the trash anyway. Every time it would grow a new segment it would fall off and take root. Finally, they stopped falling off.

Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus (Paper Spine Cactus) on 10-23-23, #967-39.

The tallest stem or branch, whatever you choose to call them, is now almost 5″ tall. They have their own little colony in this pot… They need a bigger pot but that could prove tricky…

Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus (Paper Spine Cactus) on 10-23-23, #967-40.

In the wild, these segments come off easily and attach to the fur of passing critters then fall off and root in another location.

That’s it for this post. I will start working on part 3 for the plants photographed on Tuesday, October 24th. Most of the plants are inside now.

Hmmm… That’s why the plants are coming inside. On the bright side, we have received 1 1/2″ of rain this week. 🙂

Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful!