Someone I know is emigrating and he decided to gift me his Lopophora williamsii aka Peyote plant. I have never seen such a big one and I'm wondering if it didn't grow really fast due to a lot of fertiliser. Whatever the reason for its size, this beauty flowers every year so it's no baby, he had it at least 7 years and I'm terrified that I will kill it.
In 2019, I collected some seeds that were in the pods it had made and sowed them but they didn't germinate, they must have been too old. This plant has already three little offsets at the base, also called buttons:
The other reason I'm worried I might kill it is because it has already bounced back from an unknown affliction, which left it looking sunken and collapsed in on itself at the end of 2019 but somehow it recovered and regained its turgor although now it has some healed tunnel holes, the largest one looking like this
It was growing outside at the time so perhaps some kind of worm went tunneling. Definitely a tough cookie but still... Any advice is welcome, @ewkaw and @ludmila.kyriakou, what do you think?
This evening, I went to visit the vegetable garden and found this sweetie under a cabbage leaf
A young Boadon capensis or Brown House Snake. They are common in my area and are known to hang around close to houses, eating mice, rats and other small reptiles. One of the smallest members of the python family they are harmless because they have no venom and suffocate their prey. They do have little teeth that can draw a little blood and they will bite in self-defence (been there, done that). This character was unusually chilled, didn't dart off but remained in place as I went to fetch my phone to take photographs and gracefully allowed me to take a couple of shots before going on its way. This is the second time I have encountered it in the vegetable patch, perhaps there are mice sneaking around when Peanut is dozing, or it is hunting geckos. The ones that Peanut didn't eat....
The lizards, geckos and skinks are having a hard time this year although I have seen many young ones so at least they are breeding successfully. It pains me to find their little mutilated corpses inside the house and out
It's a pity that someone tried to eat such a beautiful Lophophora ...
I have Lophophora Williamsii s - 2 pieces. I have had them for 3 years.
But before that, I killed a few ..
Lophophora Williamsii grows very slowly 5 mm. and very, very rarely up to 1 cm per year.
Therefore, you can calculate how old she is and draw conclusions.
Lophophora Williamsii has a dormant period in winter. During this period, the temperature should be from + 10 ° C to + 12 ° C.
The dormant period is from October to April.
But in Cyprus it starts later, due to our climate.
It is impossible to water Lophophora during this period. Otherwise, it will start to rot.
My Lophophora wrinkles during the rest period and lands (so to speak), as if burrowing a little.
This is normal.
When my Lophophora was in direct sunlight, I saw that in addition to changing its color, she began to lag behind in development. So I rearranged it where the scattered rays of the sun hit it, but a lot of light.
In the summer, the soil can be moistened only 2 days after the soil has completely dried out.
It is very good to add bone meal to the soil in a proportion of 10 g per volume of 10 liters.
But, unfortunately, I haven't added yet.
Since it is not in Cyprus, but I will definitely add it when I fly on vacation.
@nikv Hope I was able to help you. Good luck, may your beauty Lophophora Williamsii grow and bloom!
Thank you, that helps a lot!
I'm very glad that I could help you :-)
I, before the coronavirus epidemic, went to state paid courses in gardening :-)
Completed 1 course, received a certificate :-)
But on the second, because of the epidemic, I was afraid to go. If everything goes well, I will go this year.
Let's hope that you can. I have been at work in a shop right through the epidemic and it's been difficult but there's no way I could have stayed at home.
On Wednesday I'm going to the local succulent society meeting. I look forward to it
So do I.
It is perfectly! We still have all sorts of restrictions, you can leave the house only with permission and only 2 times a day if necessary.
They called me from the hospital offering to sign up for vaccinations, I refused.
Since I have no confidence in those vaccines that go to Cyprus.
My friend was vaccinated with the AstraZenec vaccine, she was very bad for more than a week, she thought she was going to die. And other 2 acquaintances also very hard tolerated the same vaccine.
I'm sorry to hear that. I will get vaccinated because of my work and I have been sick from rabies post-exposure treatment (from a cat bite 😸) and also from tetanus shots so I know how unpleasant it can be but my cousins were very sick in hospital for 3 weeks with covid so I'm just going to do it. We probably won't get vaccines until July anyway
Thanks a lot!
In Cyprus, all traders, medical and service personnel are tested every week.
And anyone can take a test for free near the entrance to the supermarket.
My son did the test, he is doing well. I didn't, because my son is fine.
Wow what a beauty!!
I have never seen holes like that, but my old one is kept at home and I am scared I will kill it too.
My first guess would be a snail/slug. They can munch a cactus in one night.
Hmm. Could it burst like that from too much water in short time? I have some small few years old seedlings that have strange cracks. But not holes like that.
They are definitely tough cookies!. I read some forum a while ago and a guy was making experiments on them. He had one potted in very dense clay-like mix. Almost the whole cactus was covered (or it just sunk on its own). The dude was watering it maybe twice a year. Literally flooding the pot so the cactus was under water until it all got absorbed. Between the watering it was completely dry.
The cactus was fine :)
Funny thing is, the visible holes and tunnels appeared long after so I don't know... I also wondered whether perhaps it got a little frozen one night over winter, it was living outside
Wound freezing make a hole and not rot the whole cactus? It looks pretty clean.
I have no idea...
That's true, Usually freezing just rots everything. How all that boring happened without killing it is a mystery....
Wow, very lucky of you to inherit a peyote! It's beautiful (so is the little python)! I wish i had one but I'd probably kill it. Maybe not though, my San Pedro seedlings haven't died.
San Pedros are easy in my climate, you just put them in the ground outside and they do their thing. Peyote do seem pretty tough so 🤞
I was not sure at first, what I was looking at. I never saw any plant that looks like that before. And the snake looks strong!
Nature always amazes us.
It's a kind of cactus and yes, nature has many wonderful forms
I am sure the Peyote plant will flourish under your tender care. :-)
Yikes! Snakes. But at least, this one is not venomous and it helps to clear the area of unwelcome pests.
That's kind of you to say so but I'm feeling rather like a mass murderer at the moment: the weatherhas been weird and I lost quite a few plants
Oh dear. Sorry to hear that. Let's hope the weather co-operates and don't turn you into a murderess. 😊
Enjoy your weekend!
Hi @nikv, your post has been upvoted by @bdcommunity courtesy of @rem-steem!
Support us by voting as a Hive Witness and/or by delegating HIVE POWER.
JOIN US ON
May I make a "Peanut Dozing" photo request.?
Thank You in advance of this much needed p-nut pic. LoL
Ok, give me some hours...
What a beauty! I have only seen artificial Peyote.At the moment,I only have leggy echeveria. Do you have any tips so they don't grow leggy?
Echeveria like direct sunlight and can get full morning sun without any problems. If it's leggy, don't put it in the sun straight away or it will be sunburned. Slowly increase the amount of light you expose it to and the growth will improve in time. We only grow echeveria outside here
Ah no wonder. I put them in our balcony and the sun is above us since it's facing east. Thank you for this wonderful tip. I'll let you know if that improves my echeveria situation. I also have many pups at the moment, quite excited.😄
My pleasure! let's see how they improve
A Peyote cactus, that is quite special. I hope you are able to take care of it. Best of luck with that special plant.