Greetings from El Centro, CA

[Cactussnowman]

Stumbled upon this website after reading Agaves by Jeremy Spath and Jeff Moore. Seems to be a great little forum. I live in El Centro, CA, which is 1 1/2 hrs east of San Diego and about 45min west of Yuma, AZ. It’s a pretty challenging climate to grow cactus and succulents in, since it gets 115 degrees + in the summer. Some of my favorite cactus and succulents are: Boojum, Operculicarya Decaryi, Agave White Rhino, Saguaro, Variegated Agave, Peyote.

[Melt in the Sun]

Welcome! You're not too far from many of us, though perhaps a bit hotter as you've noted. Do you at least have the benefit of reliably frost-free winters there?

[Tom in Tucson]

Stumbled upon this website after reading Agaves by Jeremy Spath and Jeff Moore. Seems to be a great little forum. I live in El Centro, CA, which is 1 1/2 hrs east of San Diego and about 45min west of Yuma, AZ. It’s a pretty challenging climate to grow cactus and succulents in, since it gets 115 degrees + in the summer. Some of my favorite cactus and succulents are: Boojum, Operculicarya Decaryi, Agave White Rhino, Saguaro, Variegated Agave, Peyote.

As a former Yuma resident (3 times), I know what living in a "true desert" is like. When I attended Arizona Western College, I lived in a dormitory that was across the hall from 2 guys from Holtville (carrot capitol). They were into heavy metal music back in the '70s. I majored in horticulture at that time, and my instructor (George Brookbank) went on become a professor at the UofA. I learned the harsh reality of what plants can cope with in extreme heat. Here in Tucson, the weather is sublime in comparison.

Welcome to this awesome forum!

BTW, have you ever tried growing Agave moranii? It grows only around 200 miles south of El Centro, and might feel right at home where you live.

[Cactussnowman]

Hey Tom,

Thanks for the warm greeting. I have not tried growing Agave moranii. I’m gonna do some research on them. What are some of your favorite that you have out there in Tucson?

[Tom in Tucson]

Hey Tom,

Thanks for the warm greeting. I have not tried growing Agave moranii. I’m gonna do some research on them. What are some of your favorite that you have out there in Tucson?

1st off, I apologize for my late reply, Iv'e been busy ... Some of my favorites:

patonii
bovicornuta
zebra
stricta & striata etc.
titanota
utahensis
parrasana
'Azul Monterey'
parviflora and kin
maroacantha
ocahui

If you locate any Agave moranii. (seed or plants) let me know.

[Azuleja]

Welcome