General Care of Cactus & Succulents Light, water, soil, propagation and much more!

BY ROBERT SCOTT

Robert will be giving a presentation on cactus and succulent care. He will go over how much light each type needs, if full sun or shade. Even if cactus and succulents can be grown indoors. Then what soil do you use? He will discuss all the different types of soil and advantages of each. Also how often your plants should be watered and any pest issues. Finally, once we are able to keep our plants alive, we will get to the topic of propagation. How to make more of these addicting plants. Robert gives informative presentations that are great for the novice or advance growers combined. Please bring your questions and any plants you might have that aren’t growing correctly. We

will work together to solve the issues.

Robert is currently a Board Member and our Club Show and Sales Chair. He coordinates the Fresno Home and Garden Show, as well as our Annual Show and Sale that happens the first weekend in June. Robert joined the Club a few years ago after his best friend Nick Deinhart introduced him to aloes and other succulents. He attended Fresno State and has a degree in Plant Science. He has always had a passion for plants that he thanks his Grandmother for. She introduced him to growing plants at an early age and the knowledge has grown from there. After school Robert worked at local plant nurseries and helped them grow their drought tolerant selections. After the last nursery went out of business Robert decided to start his own cactus and succulent nursery. That’s how Desert Roots Nursery was formed. Robert sold around town at local Farmers Markets offering new, rare, and healthy plants. The Nursery was slowly growing till he had to go get a “real” job. Now Robert works for the County of Fresno in the Agriculture Department. He works with regulating the growers who sell at the local Farmers Markets. He hopes to start working more on his nursery soon but for now enjoys selling at local events like our Club Sales. His hope is to one day have a small nursery in town where he can offer rare and unusual plants to the public. Robert’s “specialty” is aloes and now grows

over 100 species and varieties. His collection has grown through the years to include many other types of both cactus and succulents. He always willing to share what he’s learned and help any of our Club members. Even though he’s at every meeting. Please welcome back Robert Scott as a speaker.

Robert is going to be doing a demo on plant care and potting.

Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society

CACTUS CORNER NEWS http: www.fresnocss.org

Affiliated with the Cactus & Succulent Society of America Vol. 36, No. 4 April 2018

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, April 5th, 7:00 p.m. (Doors open 6:30 p.m.) Deaf & Hard of Hearing Service Center (DHHSC), 5340 North Fresno Street, Fresno

FROM THE PREZ … Hi, all, The Spring Home & Garden Show is now history. Everything went smoothly, I believe. Friday, however, was something of a washout, due to nasty weather. Saturday and Sunday partially made up for it and the building was full of visitors. Vendors will get their checks at this meeting. We want to thank Rob Scott, who organized our effort, and all the other members who turned out to help; it is much appreciated.

Now we need to turn our attention to the Annual Show & Sale, June 2-3, at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District. This is our biggest event of the year. The proceeds of the sale provide a great part of our annual budget: programs, room rent, library, bus trips, etc, etc. It’s important that we do well. Please do what you can to publicize the event by distributing the information far and wide: notice boards at churches, staff rooms, libraries, other public spaces. Vendors: if you are selling any time between now and the first of June, be sure to include notice of the show and sale.

In regard to the above: if any of you have contacts in the local media or are working or have worked in advertising or a similar venue, please step forward and offer your advice. We would be extremely grateful for any suggestions.

Marilyn Carter and I represented the club at the “Spring into your garden” event at the Clovis Botanical Garden on March 24th. It started off cold but then warmed up in the sun as we greeted the public, gave away cuttings, and provided information about our club and the upcoming Show & Sale. The cactus garden looks to be filling in and will soon feature a lot of poppies. Two big plants of Agave bovicornuta are pushing up bloomstalks and a yucca was in bloom. Ruth Saludes was on hand to answer any questions about the Garden. The day was kind of fun, as usual. Thanks to Marilyn for helping.

Our next outreach event is the water-wise plant give & take at the CSUF greenhouse area. See the flyer elsewhere in the newsletter. We’ll have a table there to give away cuttings and club information.

We had a great program last month from Ernesto Sandoval, one of our very favorite speakers. We expect an outstanding program from our own Rob Scott this time. Hope to see you all there. Sue

Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News April 2018, Page 2

~~ DINNER ~~ Begins promptly at 5:00 p.m. Reservations under Fresno Cactus Club. Members are invited to attend.

Contact Rosanna by Wednesday, April 4th, to make reservations: Phone: (559) 999-0017

BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouse 715 East Shaw Avenue Fresno, (559) 570-1900 Menu: bjsrestaurants.com

Club access: President, Sue Haffner, 292-5624, sueh@mail.fresnostate.edu; Programs, Rosanna Rojas, 999-

0017, rfrojas96@gmail.com; Treasurer, Michele Roberts, robertshowse@comcast.net, Editor, Sue Haffner, 292-5624, sueh@mail.fresnostate.edu; Refreshments, Marian Orvis, 226-0145, mforvet@comcast.net;

Librarian, Madeleine Mitchell, 638-2784, madeleine43@comcast.net; Webmaster, Vickie Veen, vickieveen@gmail.com Sunshine, Carole Grosch, 323-8602, cgg266@comcast.net .

Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Board Meeting Minutes 3/12/18

Meeting was called to order by President Sue Haffner at 6:00 p.m. Those present were: Sue Haffner, Cindy Duwe, Rob Scott, Fred Gaumer, Michele & Craig Roberts, Roz Tampone, Marilyn Carter, Jim Brummel, Polly Dunklin, Mary Drumheller and myself, Karen Willoughby. Absent was Bill Gale.

OFFICER REPORTS

President: IRS letter regarding further info from club was read.

Vice-President: New hands free mike was purchased for $60 and worked well. Rob Scott will be speaker in April. Treasurer: Report presented by Michele Roberts with H&G show totals.

Affiliate Rep: Fred had the current copy of the CSAA journal which is being published quarterly now.

OLD BUSINESS

Home & Garden show wrap-up

Sales & Expenses

New Member sign-ups

What worked and what didn’t

Clovis Botanical Garden “Spring into your garden” event, March 24th.

Picnic: Patty Miller has asked about hosting it again. Bus Trip: Cindy reports that no dates or locations have been selected as yet.

NEW BUSINESS

Clovis Botanical Garden Cactus garden sign to honor Herb Thorne was discussed. 2018 Show & Sale, Publicity, Vendors, Judges

Next board meeting will be April 9th. If you would like further details, please speak to any officer or board member.

Respectfully submitted, Karen Willoughby, Secretary

BOARD MEETING:

Monday, April 9, 6:00 p.m., 3733 N. Sierra Vista, Fresno.

All members are invited to attend; board members should attend or give notice.

REFRESHMENTS: If your surname begins with D - F, you are invited to bring goodies for the refreshment table. ~ ~ ~

TWO OPPORTUNITIES FOR VENDORS:

The River Park Farmer's Market is looking to expand the number of vendors at their evening events. The Market is held each Tuesday evening, 5-9, at River Park. Contact Jennifer Waite if you wish more information: 559-313-5180, jwaite5369@gmail.com. The Terrace Avenue Block Sale is a long-running Tower District Event held on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. This year it will be held May 26th. This is a very popular event, and customers arrive very early; late-comers will have to park many blocks away (ask me how I know). Jeremy Clar and Laura Ward, who live at the NW corner of Van Ness and Terrace are offering lawn space to anyone in our club who would like to sell plants or pots. Contact Jeremy: 559-681-0517, or jclar440@gmail.com.

Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News April 2018, Page 3

Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News April 2018, Page 4

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Pat Schreyer (4th); Robert Scott (11th); Viv Shinkawa (13th); Barbara Brown, Bruce Hargreaves(18th).

NEW (RETURNING) MEMBERS:

Ashley Ouimet, Fresno Jason Kabeary, Janet Moos, Visalia

Jason made an amusing video of the club’s sale area at the March Home & Garden Show. Look for it on our club Facebook page. In addition, Janet and Jason have organized a Visalia Succulent Club which seems quite lively. Check them out on Facebook, also. Welcome back, all!

.

COMING EVENTS

April 7-8, South Coast C&S Society Show & Sale, South Coast Botanical Gardens, 26300 Crenshaw

Blvd, Palos Verdes; hours 9-4; www.southcoastcss.org

April 28, Water-Wise Plant Exchange, CSUF greenhouse area (see further info in this newsletter)

April 28-29, Cactus & Succulent Society of San

Jose Spring Show & Sale, Peterson Middle School, 1380 Rosalia Ave, Sunnyvale; hours: 9-4.

May 5-6, Sacramento C&S Society Show & Sale, Shepherd Garden Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd.

MARCH BRAG TABLE: Fred Gaumer brought a pot of Haworthia truncata seedlings, Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus elephantidens and Tylecodon dinteri (deceased); Rudy Rulloda showed four aloes: A. distans, humilis, harlanii and ‘Quicksilver’; Brian Nagles displayed two unusual plants: Kalanchoe katapifa ‘Tarantula’ and an ant plant, Myrmecodia beccarii; Bruce Hargreaves brought in a very nice Aloe (Tulista) variegata; Eddie Etheridge showed two double pink adeniums and Eulychnia castanea; Bill Gale brought two blooming specimens of Dorstenia gigas. (No photos submitted.)

We thank them all for sharing these specimens with the membership, and encourage all of you to consider bringing in a plant for the table. And thanks, as always, to Fred for navigating the table for our edification. (And we have a new hands-free PA system which makes it easier for him.)

~~~ MARCH WORKSHOP: a small group of the regulars braved a rainy evening for the meeting. Plants were brought by Dennis Anderson, Bill Gale, Tom Meyer, Sue Haffner, Doris Hooton, Mary Drumheller and Dan Gale. We looked at examples of the following genera: Echinopsis, Euphorbia, Eulychnia, Echinofossulocactus, Ferocactus and Fouquieria. Also brought were Pachypodium, Cintia, Sansevieria Puna and Myrtillocalycium. We talked about how our plants have been reacting to the odd weather; how to water in this time of up and down temps and drenching rains. It was agreed that watering can be the hardest part of growing. Tom keeps his greenhouse at 55 degrees and has a fan stirring the air. Dan brought 3 year old plants of Aloe marlothii to give away. The April workshop will be Wednesday, April 18th, 6 p.m., at 3733 N. Sierra Vista. The subject genera will be G-H. All members are welcome to attend.

Photos by: Cindy Duwe

ECHINOCEREUS RAYOENSIS

By Elton Roberts

I have to say that I have a special liking for Echinocereus rayoensis and always have since I got several plants 30 some years ago. I have watched my plants grow from a single stem to clumps that have many heads. The two original plants are now clumps that are to 58 cm in diameter. The stems are to 30 cm tall. I am including three photos of the plant stems to show the wonderful spine color and formation. There are the darker horn-colored spines that tone down the white of the rest of the spines. As you can see, the long central spines go from being upright to spreading and then to facing downward. This gives the plant a really interesting look to the stems. Then there are the spines on the flower remains that add color also. It can make the stem look like it is sunburned but it is the light horn-to-cream colored spines.

When E. rayoensis blooms it really puts on a show. At first it opens only a few flowers and in a few days there can be close to if not more than 100 flowers open. The book says that the flowers are 3 to 6 cm in diameter. I have not seen any flower on my plants that has ever reached 6 cm in diameter. I have to say that 4 cm is a lot closer to what my plants put out. Even when there are only several flowers open they are only to 4 cm and when there are lots open they are only about 3 cm at the most. With the

color and number of the flowers the plant sure holds it own with the plants with much larger flowers. I have the plants in my regular soil mix. I will at times give the plants a light watering about mid- winter. They have taken all the cold that we endured here without any damage to the plant. The lowest temperature was several nights at 9 F. In those days I did not water in mid winter so it could have made a difference. You might want to keep the temperatures at 25 degrees or above.

~~~~~~

ANT PLANT An Australian ant-plant: Brian Nagles brought a very unusual plant last month for the Brag Table, Myrmecodia beccarii. Ant-plants are epiphytes that have developed a mutual relationship with ants, providing them with homes within hollow stems or leaves. The

ants, in turn, defend the plants against predators and also provide nutrients by filling plant cavities with organic debris. Myrmecodia is a genus of about 26 species, mostly from New Guinea and neighboring islands. The species beccarii in Australia is native to Queensland, found mostly on Malaleuca trees on low coastal floodplains, on neighboring mangroves, in partial shade or

in outer more exposed parts of tall canopies. They are seldom found in tree forks or crevices where they might be out-competed by other epiphytes. The Apollo Jewel Butterfly is dependent on M. beccarii for its survival, as the larvae of the butterfly feed exclusively on various parts of the plant and shelter within. The ants also protect the butterfly larvae in exchange for a sugary secretion from glands on the larvae.

What an amazing example of insect-plant mutualism! Cultivation of this plant is said to be fairly straightforward: humidity and protection from cold; dry in winter. Propagation is by seed. (Photo: “Australian ant-plants,’ by A. Kapitany and D. Rowe, 2012)

Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News April 2018, Page 5

The Fresno Cactus & Succulent Annual Show & Sale June 2 & 3, 2018

June is right around the corner and that means our Annual Show and Sale is coming up fast! After the

huge success last year we are back at the Clovis Veterans Memorial Building in Clovis. This beautiful facility provides us with the needed room to put on an amazing show and ever bigger sale. We have vendors coming from around the state as well as local favorite vendors returning to sell their plants. This year is shaping up to be even bigger and better then last year! Last year we had over 250 plants in the show section and we hope to have even more this June. We will be contacting members who entered plants last year to bring even more to the coming show. If you didn’t enter plants in the last sale I encourage you to do so! It’s a fun competition for all levels! If you’re new to the hobby or been growing for decades this is the time to show off. Don’t be scared to enter your plants in the show, as all are welcome. At the April meeting we will be talking about how to start getting your plants ready for the show. As always we can’t put on these events without the help of volunteers from the club. Donating your time is a great way to give back to the club and help this event take place. We have room for everyone and hope all of our members can donate even just a few hours. We all get a lot from the club and volunteering at events helps bring in the funds to keep the club going. We will have sign ups for volunteers at the next meeting. You may always contact Robert to sign up as well. Advertising is a huge part on drawing people to the Show and Sale. If you know of someone or have contacts in paper, radio or television please talk to them about the club advertising the Show and Sale. You can even send the information to Robert or Karen. We will also have flyers available at the April meeting to be dispensed out. Post them at work or give to friends. Have them printed out in your church or group’s newsletter or event boards. Any form of advertising to get the word out about the Show and Sale will help the club. We hope that everyone can participate and make this a wonderful event for all. We have some great ideas that will make this event even better then last year and put Fresno on the map for having an outstanding Show and Sale. Thank you, Robert Scott

~ ~ ~ Tips on cleaning plants:

Small, soft brushes for removing dust and spider webs; ½” paint brushes are good, or even smaller for plants with closer-set spines.

Tweezers are good for:

• Getting out leaves and those pollen packets that have been blowing around;

• Removing spent blooms—but only if they come off easily—otherwise this can scar the plant;

• Picking perlite out of your top dressing. Spray bottle filled with distilled water (it doesn’t spot the plants as regular tap water does.) For hard water spots, dip a Q-tip in white vinegar and rub gently, then spray with distilled water. Cleaning pots with plants in them:

• Plastic/ceramic pots can often just be wiped off with water. If they have mineral/salt deposits, you can spray a cloth with Pam, dab it on, wait a bit and then scrape off.

• Smooth and terra cotta/clay pots: wipe with wet cloth (leached salt usually wipes off easily if you keep up with it [don’t let it build up]); scrub gently with a brush.

• Rough pottery: use a brush.

(Thanks to the Carmichael Club newsletter for the above)

Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus Corner News April 2018, Page 6

Saturday, April 21st, 2018, 10:00 to 3:00 Skillin Ranch, 8910 Camino Cielo, Arroyo Grande

Enjoy food and refreshments while touring Rob’s personal collection of cacti and succulents, and viewing our recently planted private botanical garden. Of course we’ll be selling plants; everything from smaller affordable collectables to larger show-ready specimens. This year we will also be raffling a beautiful Fockea edulis in an 11” pot at noon – a ticket is free to each attendee - no purchase necessary, but must be present!

For information please call Rob or Terry at (805) 709-3033

Come and enjoy plants, food and friends

at the Skillin

OPEN GREENHOUSE DAY