by Jen Greene | Jun 24, 2021 | Cacti, Gymnocalycium
I unabashedly love gymnocalyciums. One of my top five favorite genera, fo. sho. In large part, it’s because once these reach a certain size, they’re extremely hardy and easy to care for. They thrive in the conditions I have here, notable the high heat and... 
by Jen Greene | Jun 7, 2021 | Aloes, Astrophytum, Cacti, Gymnocalycium, Mesembs, Pilosocereus
Growing cacti and succulents from seed is an exciting idea. For many growers, growing from seed may be the most inexpensive way to get a highly coveted species. In some cases, it can be an ideal way to get extremely rare or hard to grow species (very common for mesemb... 
by Jen Greene | May 12, 2021 | Astrophytum, Cacti, Gymnocalycium
We are well into spring here in San Diego, and it’s beautiful! Usually, there’s more rainfall and cooler weather, but this year has been warm and dry. It makes for easy growing for many cacti and succulents, as they strongly prefer having dry roots when... 
by Jen Greene | Mar 24, 2021 | Astrophytum, Cacti, Gymnocalycium
It’s one thing to bring a cactus home from the nursery or hardware store, and another to actually get it out of the pot and into a new one. For the absolute novice, figuring out how the navigate the spines can be daunting, as well as figuring out what... 
by Jen Greene | Nov 25, 2020 | Astrophytum, Cacti, Gymnocalycium
Preparing for Winter – Yes, It Gets Cold in San Diego Based on my Instagram feed, most of the US started preparing their plants for winter a couple months ago. The main indicator that it’s time to start winter prep is when the nights turn cold – once... 
by Jen Greene | Sep 22, 2020 | Cacti, Gymnocalycium
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii friedrichii – the Purple Moon Cactus These are the natural colored cousins to the neon pink, yellow, and orange cacti you see grafted on top of a green parent plant at big box stores. I don’t keep any of those as they lack the... 