Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#26

Post by Gee.S »

If you want the authenticity Opuntiads lend xeric gardens without the sprawl, look toward Grusonia. I have invicta and clavata, and both do really well here, while remaining compact. I also have several Opuntia but quickly learned not to plant them in central or busy areas.
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#27

Post by Spination »

Some updated photos, and only because I'm so amazed at what's going on. Those last photos I posted were taken 4/30. That's less than 2 weeks ago! Other than that, this original pad of O. galapageia var Profusa has taught me quite a bit about growth rates and habit I would not have realized without the aggressive harvesting of new pads.
First, family photo. Original pad, cutting #2, and cutting #1 (from L to R)
2017 05 12 Opuntia galapageia var Profusa a X800.jpg
2017 05 12 Opuntia galapageia var Profusa a X800.jpg (192.32 KiB) Viewed 2817 times
That's not a trick photo. That's the same original pad after I cut off the pad in the pot on the right 4/24, and after the photo posted 4/30 showing 2 nubs growing in it's place. The 2 growths - the uppermost one is now MUCH larger than the pad cut off some 3 weeks ago, and the lower growth has taken a back seat to the one obviously the focus of the original pad's current energy expenditures. Cutting #2 on the right is obviously putting it's energy into root production, so has done little to nothing visible in the growth department. I'm now thinking I should cut off the newest pad on the original, name it "cutting #3", which should then allow the original pad to direct it's energy into growing the small pad started but currently languishing right below. Other than that, the flower growth behind is still very slowly doing it's thing. Would love to see it open up eventually, as I did read that they are self-pollinating, and it would be fun to try to grow the seeds too!
2017 05 12 Opuntia galapageia var Profusa b.jpg
2017 05 12 Opuntia galapageia var Profusa b.jpg (168.43 KiB) Viewed 2817 times
Cutting #1 is still being turned back and forth every few days to keep the pad atop growing straight up, rather than leaning towards predominant lighting. But, the cutting is now showing sign that there's another new pad in genesis (unless it's going to be an eventual flower? TBD eventually). Also, the pad on the top looks like it's got a clustering of spines on it's top which I'm guessing is the genesis of what will be the third level of this growing structure. :U In any case, they're are all moving right along at surprising speed!
2017 05 12 Opuntia galapageia var Profusa c.jpg
2017 05 12 Opuntia galapageia var Profusa c.jpg (85.4 KiB) Viewed 2817 times
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#28

Post by Azuleja »

Life on the Galapagos must be rough. Living in your greenhouse is like a tropical vacation.
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#29

Post by Stan »

Greenhouses are greatest things on Earth for gardeners. I worked in one and spring began in late January. Cycads flushed 4 times a year. You are constantly dividing plants outgrowing containers. Everything blooms. I was at Reagans in Fremont the other day,their greenhouse was about 90f on a 68f day and their Moringa were in leaf and flowering. I didn't have the camera- lost a good photo for A-villes caudiciform gallery.
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#30

Post by Spination »

Azuleja wrote:Life on the Galapagos must be rough. Living in your greenhouse is like a tropical vacation.
LOL, that's funny. Good one. :lol:
All I know is when the sun is shining at around noon, even on a mild 70 F day like today, it's over 100 inside there, and about 20 minutes messing around inside is about all I can handle at a time. I guess the plants like it though, as long as I water them enough. I think what they like most though is there's no hungry animals looking to make a snack out of them. ::wink::
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#31

Post by Spination »

And the miracle growing continues. Fast forward 12 days.
So, I failed to take that pad off, but that was about to be remedied. But it did double in size in 12 days!
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa b X800.jpg
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa b X800.jpg (222.32 KiB) Viewed 2799 times
The very first cutting - it's new pad has grown, and now we're working on the third story!
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa a a X800.jpg
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa a a X800.jpg (141.36 KiB) Viewed 2799 times
All the energy went into growing the replacement pad, that didn't even exist when I took cutting #2 from this original pad on 4/9. The other potential pad under this languished, and by merely touching it, fell off.
Anyway, here we go. Cutting #3 time.
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa c X800.jpg
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa c X800.jpg (273.66 KiB) Viewed 2799 times
And again, we're left with what looks to be an undeveloped flower structure, in seeming stasis.
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa d X800.jpg
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa d X800.jpg (268.19 KiB) Viewed 2799 times
More rooting hormone powder. Why mess with success? Now, wonder whether a new pad will arise once again from the same exact spot, has become expectation. But we shall see...
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa e X800.jpg
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa e X800.jpg (297.5 KiB) Viewed 2799 times
And there we are. On 9/1/2016, the very first cutting was removed from the plant. On 4/9/2017, cutting #2. 5/24 - cutting #3. And they just keep growing from the exact same spot. Is it just me, or does it seem like this process is speeding up? And, the first cutting from 9/1 in not 8 months since getting it's own separate pot, is now becoming it's own tower, with level 3 under construction. 1 plant, is now 4 separate ones...and all that fast!
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa f X800.jpg
2017 05 24 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa f X800.jpg (234.32 KiB) Viewed 2799 times
I don't think I've ever had this much fun with a single plant ever before. This has been, and continues to be amazing.
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#32

Post by Spination »

Viegener wrote:Opuntia echios var gigantea
Yup, that is such a nice looking plant.

I've got 2 more on the way now: O. galapageia var Galapageia, and O. echios var Echios. Can't wait for them to get here.

In the meantime, here we are on the Profusa since the last cutting was made only 2 weeks ago, and today I spy well under way pad #4 coming out of the same spot as all the others. I find it very interesting that the plant is so determined to grow a pad from right there... It doesn't waste any time at all. I cut off the pad, and immediately it gets to work making the new one. D))
2017 06 07 Sansevieria glapageia a.jpg
2017 06 07 Sansevieria glapageia a.jpg (217.81 KiB) Viewed 2774 times
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#33

Post by Spination »

My newest bits of Galapagos, right here in Sonoma.
2017 06 10 O galapageia var Galapageia d.jpg
2017 06 10 O galapageia var Galapageia d.jpg (276.7 KiB) Viewed 2758 times
2017 06 10 Opuntia echios var Echios a.jpg
2017 06 10 Opuntia echios var Echios a.jpg (239 KiB) Viewed 2758 times
2017 06 10 Opuntia megasperma var Megasperma a.jpg
2017 06 10 Opuntia megasperma var Megasperma a.jpg (258.21 KiB) Viewed 2758 times
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#34

Post by Spination »

Regarding post 32 with picture on 6/7, this plant continues to amaze... with new pics just 23 days later. Here is that "tiny" new growth, already a decent sized pad now, and harvested today - now Cutting #4.
2017 06 30 Opuntia galapageia v profusa a.jpg
2017 06 30 Opuntia galapageia v profusa a.jpg (253.43 KiB) Viewed 2717 times
2017 06 30 Opuntia galapageia v profusa b.jpg
2017 06 30 Opuntia galapageia v profusa b.jpg (97.47 KiB) Viewed 2717 times
What I find amazing is that I started with a single pad Sept 2015, and now I have 5 separate plants growing. The first sign of progress took nearly a year, but it's been on a rampage since. Cutting 1 taken 9/2016 now is a 3 pad structure mini-tree, and cutting 2 and 3 are both growing their own 2nd pads. Obviously, cutting #4 will begin today to root.

Also, of further interest to me, is that what I thought might be a flower structure, because of it's roundness, is now growing another pad out of the top, except that it's unlike any of the other pads, in that it appears to be cylindrical at this time. Weird.
2017 06 30 Opuntia galapageia v profusa a a.jpg
2017 06 30 Opuntia galapageia v profusa a a.jpg (184.13 KiB) Viewed 2717 times
So, now that the plant is putting energy into a growth coming out of that round structure, will it once again (for the 5th time) create another new pad from the exact same spot as before, or will it now just concentrate it's energy into the cylindrical growth coming out of the round one? To be determined...
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#35

Post by Spination »

Of my 3 latest Galapagos endemics, I cut off one of those two O. galapageia var Galapagia pads to root it...
2017 06 30 O galapageia var Galapageia Cutting #1 d.jpg
2017 06 30 O galapageia var Galapageia Cutting #1 d.jpg (145.17 KiB) Viewed 2704 times
but the big surprise is this echios var Echios pad which I noticed today a new development. I figured this pad was going to take a while to root - maybe not. It's already growing a new pad of it's own!
2017 07 08 Opuntia echios var Echios a.jpg
2017 07 08 Opuntia echios var Echios a.jpg (219.42 KiB) Viewed 2704 times
2017 07 08 Opuntia echios var Echios b.jpg
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#36

Post by Spination »

latest status - group which started as a single pad, and Sept of last year first started growing it's own pad. All these are propagates from that first pad in roughly one year's time. The first cutting removed is now a tower of 3 pads...
2017 09 29 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa group.jpg
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#37

Post by Spination »

Update on the Opuntia echios var. Echios cutting I got shown in posts #33, #35. The new pad, perfect condition, looks to be fully developed, or so it appears to me given my limited experience with this particular species. Using the template with what I figured out propagating the O. galapageia var. Profusa, I decided to cut off the new pad, and root it. I'm hoping as with the previous successful experiments with Profusa, that the new cutting will be forming a more perfect plant, unmarred as with the original pads I received of each, and that the pad with newly cut off pad and rooting hormone applied to the cut, will soon form another new pad. We shall see....
2017 10 04 Opuntia echios var Echios a.jpg
2017 10 04 Opuntia echios var Echios a.jpg (209.49 KiB) Viewed 2571 times
2017 10 04 Opuntia echios var Echios b.jpg
2017 10 04 Opuntia echios var Echios b.jpg (131.18 KiB) Viewed 2571 times
Although I'm told the newly cut pad must be air dried for several days, this appears not to be the case as with my own procedure trialed on Profusa. I apply rooting hormone powder to the fresh cut (sealing it), make a depression in dry cactus mix dusted with more rooting hormone powder (see above), and then fix the pad in place (using forceps!) with gravel to keep upright. I won't be watering for about a week. So far, I have not rotted a single cutting, and I don't expect to have any issue with this one either. The only blemish on the pad are the new marks from the forceps... oh well.
2017 10 04 Opuntia echios var Echios c.jpg
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#38

Post by Spination »

So, they've finally all taken a break from growing. Nothing much going on...
but, that little nub growing off the original pad shown in the first post now looks like this... !
"whiskers" getting pretty long...
2017 12 02 Opuntia galapageia v Profusa cutting #1.jpg
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#39

Post by Spination »

Spring has sprung for real, at least these Galapagos endemics are again showing new activity after winter.

Same plant as the above post, which is my first cutting from my original acquired pad...
2018 04 13 Opuntia galapageia V Profusa a.jpg
2018 04 13 Opuntia galapageia V Profusa a.jpg (203.5 KiB) Viewed 2402 times
But now working on Level #4, with the genesis of apparently two new pads on the 3rd one. Slowly but surely on it's way to becoming a tree. :U
2018 04 13 Opuntia galapageia V Profusa ba.jpg
2018 04 13 Opuntia galapageia V Profusa ba.jpg (144.56 KiB) Viewed 2402 times
And this is the original bunny eared acquisition of v. Galapageia which I cut off one of the two top pads and rooted it, but the original now working on Level #3. D))
2018 04 13 Opuntia galapageia var Galapageia _original cutting.jpg
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#40

Post by Spination »

Oh... Opuntia megasperma var Megasperma also made significant progress since I got it.
Tower of two now
2018 04 18 Opuntia megasperma var Megasperma a.jpg
2018 04 18 Opuntia megasperma var Megasperma a.jpg (94.13 KiB) Viewed 2369 times
And right there at the top is the genesis of pad #3
2018 04 18 Opuntia megasperma var Megasperma b.jpg
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#41

Post by Spination »

Cumulative progress of my Galapagos Experiment
galapageia var Profusa: First pad on left, and subsequent cuttings 1-5 moving right
2018 04 22 Opuntia galapageia var Profusa group.jpg
2018 04 22 Opuntia galapageia var Profusa group.jpg (186.29 KiB) Viewed 2364 times
galapageia var Galapageia
2018 04 22 Opuntia galapageia var Galapageia.jpg
2018 04 22 Opuntia galapageia var Galapageia.jpg (219.88 KiB) Viewed 2364 times
echios var Echios
2018 04 22 Opuntia echios var Echios .jpg
2018 04 22 Opuntia echios var Echios .jpg (262.92 KiB) Viewed 2364 times
The whole group
2018 04 22 Opuntia Galapagos Group.jpg
2018 04 22 Opuntia Galapagos Group.jpg (131.13 KiB) Viewed 2364 times
the bigs : galapageia var Galapageia, megasperma var Megasperma, echios var Echios, galapageia var Profusa L to R
2018 04 22 Opuntia Galapagos the bigs.jpg
2018 04 22 Opuntia Galapagos the bigs.jpg (176.38 KiB) Viewed 2364 times
Not Galapagos endemic - but rare and near extinction in the wild - Florida native Consolea corallicola - growing fast from the single small pad given to me
2018 04 22 Opuntia consolea corollicola.jpg
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#42

Post by Spination »

From that there when first obtained in post #33 to this here today, not yet two years later.

O. galapageia var. Galapageia
2019 05 09 Opuntia galapageia var Galapageia a.jpg
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Re: Opuntia showing signs of life, at last

#43

Post by Stan »

Good looking cactus. A few steps above a Nopales. It even has a more tropical aura to it.
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