Flower Show 2009: cactus and Succulents

Confession: The only reason I went to the flower show was to have a look at their cactii.
Here are the pics:

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Cactus bloom

There's some pictures of my cactus(anyone got the ID???) blooming this year. It bloomed twice this year. The first attempt was right before a tropical depression(a.k.a cyclone) visits Mauritius. The cactus sent a bloom that started to open during the cyclone. Unfortunately, the winds broke the flower off. Notice the grey sky, it was a clear sign that the cyclone was near.

 

5th Feb 2009

7th Feb 2009

By the 8th February, there were no flower on the cactus, the wind wiped it off. I though that I would have to wait the following year for the next bloom.

Fortunately for me, my cactus was kind enough to bloom again in April 2009!! And this time, I had a better camera to shoot the flowers :-)

 

18th April 2009

  

19th April  2009

  

Same day. Look attentively, there are two flowers

  

The beautiful flower, open at last

This time, the flowers bloomed well and could be observed without any problem. The flower doesn't last long and dies(turns black) the following day. I didn't try to collect the seeds as this cactus is easily propagated. If you're interested in seed collection, I'll try it next year during the next bloom.

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How to graft a cactus

Grafting a cactus is quite simple. I don't know the name of the cactus but i've grafted a zygocactus(christmas cactus) to it. There are two main type of grfting for cactii:
First one is on the top: Cut the top of the cactus(with a sterile knife), make a small cut in the cactus' flesh and insert the christmas cactus in it. Wait some days for the cactus to callus.

The second method can be used if you don't want to chop the head off your beloved cactus. You need to take your sterile knife and cut a sideway 'V' in the cactus. tHe cut would look like a '>' in the cactus. Next step is to take your zygocactus and gently slide it in the '>'. Wait some days for the cactus to callus.

In a couple of months you should get lots of christmas cactus flowers.
Or is it an April's Fool post? :-)

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Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Dutchman's-Pipe Cactus

That's a nice and strange plants that blooms only at night.
a young plant coming from a piece of leaf. the propagation of Epiphyllum oxypetalum is easy.

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