Dan's Plants

Dan, 22, cactus and succulent collector/obsessor based in Northern England.

[cactusmandan]

Hi Dan! I was hoping you could help me ID this cutie!

Hi,

I reckon that’s Euphorbia caerulescens.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Hi Dan, My jade plant fell off of my shelf today, and it broke a lot of its leaves/stems in the fall. Is there a way I can save what broke off? If so, how?

Hi,

You should be able to root most of the broken off bits of stem. Just plant them in a dry, well-aerated mix and give them a good watering roughly every 3-4 weeks until they’re rooted. The same applies to the leaves, although just plant the stem-end of the leaf. They should root quite readily.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

I bought this last night, and looked up the name, but the cactus that the name is looks nothing like the plant I have. It looks nice, but I’m wondering if I need to replant it since it is spilling over. If you can find out what type and if I could propagate it as well, I would be grateful!

Hi,

That’s Cereus peruvianus f. monstrosus, possibly the cultivar called ‘Ming Thing’.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

My aloe plant is dying and idk what to do! Any suggestions?

Hi,

It looks like it’s probably not getting enough light and it may have been overwatered recently. Try moving it to a much bright spot and withhold all water for at least a month. If it survives, then you can start giving it water as normal, although it isn’t looking too hopeful at the moment.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Hey Dan, this is the first winter I've had cacti, they've wintered over well, I'm curious about when I should look for growth and start watering them more. Is it all just dependent on the temp in my area?

Hi,

Depends on the species, local temperatures and whether you’re keeping them indoors or outdoors. I wouldn’t consider watering any of my summer growers until at least mid March. Some of the early growers like Rebutia, Sulcorebutia, some Gymnocalycium can start being watered around mid April if the weather permits, but the heat-loving species get left until late May/ early June to begin watering. I grow my plants in an unheated greenhouse though. If you keep an eye on your plants, then you may notice some visual queues to begin watering (flower bud formation for example) when the time is right. If you’re keeping them indoors, then you can start watering them in early-mid April without any problems. 

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Hey Dan! I recently got these cute plants from my aunt and I was wondering if you happen to know what they are? Thank you!

Hi,

Top left is Haworthia attenuata, top right is Haworthia radula, bottom left is Haworthia limifolia and I’m not sure what the bottom right is, maybe a Gasteria of some kind.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

hii, i just wanna say that i love your blog and i love your cacti <3

Hi,

Thank you so much! :) I’m glad you enjoy my blog.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Hello! I need a little bit of advise, I got this cactus as a gift, and I have a few questions. 1) what type of cactus is this? 2) what is the best procedure for removing the fake glued on flowers? 3) how should it be repotted and watered, especially now in the winter?

Thank you so much for being such a helpful and trustworthy source for information!

Hi,

1. Haageocereus versicolor. 2. As carefully as possible, using a small pair of scissors or a craft knife to cut off as much glue as possible. 3. Now is a good time of year to repot it, just remove all the old soil and pot it up in a dry, well-aerated soil mix (such as 50/50 perlite/potting soil) and keep it dry for at least a week afterwards. You could leave it dry until the growing season starts or give it a bit of water every 3-4 weeks to encourage some root growth before the growing season starts properly.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Hey Dan! I hope you and your plants are well. I was wondering how to know which succulents can be planted together for the best growth. Right now I have aloe Vera, two ghost plants, and an echeveria Lola in one pot, and a chocolate soldier, an echeveria elegans, and a haworthia cooperi in another pot. Is this a good arrangement, or might I do better to move some around? The first pot is about a foot wide, and the second is about five inches wide. Thanks!!

Hi,

For the best growth, there needs to be the least competition between the plants being grown together. If a plant’s growth habit causes it to shade another, then the plant in the shade won’t grow as optimally. Succulents that are the same or similar, will be in competition for the same resources, so if those resources (water, nutrients, soil space, light etc.) are limited, then they won’t grow as well as they otherwise could. They would all probably grow better if they were potted up individually, however if you have to group them up to save on space, then try to put dissimilar plants together, like putting the Chocolate Soldier with the Echeveria. Try to arrange them within the pot so the taller growing plants are towards the background, so they aren’t shading out their pot mates and try to provide as much distance between plants as possible. I have no experience of mixed succulent plantings, so I can’t be of more help, but maybe some of my followers have some tips from their experiences.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Is it wrong to steal a cactus that's been left out in the snow?

Hi,

That would come down to your own morals, but it’s probably wrong. Without knowing what species it is, it might be one of the numerous cactus species that can survive snow. It’s likely to be someone’s property, in which case the owner might be upset if it were stolen. Best to leave it alone in my opinion.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Hii, happy new year!! I’ve had my jade plant for over two years and she’s always been doing well, but right now she’s looking a little bit sad and her leaves are looking weird, could you tell me what’s going on please? it’s also looking brown on some leaves.. thank you and have a nice day x 

Hi,

It’s just a little bit thirsty, you can give it a bit of water if you want the leaves to remain engorged.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Hey Dan! I was hoping you could ID both of these guys and help me with a problem for the 1st one. So the one of the left has begun to turn white at the top *or lighter i guess* is this a problem? Also do you have an tips to keep these guys healthy i’ve had them since the summer but have had no clue how to help they growth

Hi,

They are Mammillaria spinosissima and Echinocactus grusonii. They’re both showing symptoms of etiolation (pale, spindly growth), which is caused by a lack of light. Ensure they’re kept in the brightest spot available. Other than that, they’re easy to care for, just water them well roughly once every two weeks during the growing season (roughly April-October in the northern hemisphere).

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

I know air plants aren’t your specialty but by chance do you know the species of this plant? Thank you!

Hi,

Some kind of Tillandsia, but I have no idea what species. Do any of my followers know?

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Hi Dan, I’m just wondering if you know if this is a mite or mold or something else? I have dozens of plants and only 2 decent windows, if I need to move this plant away from the rest it’ll probably end up light starved. Is there anything I can do for it? Thanks for all your help!!

Hi,

They look like mealybug nests, although it’s strange there are no visible bugs nearby, so it might not be that. I’d probably leave it be and see what happens. If you can find any mealybugs on the plant, then treat it with a systemic insecticide or another treatment.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Hello! I’m sorry that this is going to be so long, but I keep asking people what’s going on and following their advice doesn’t work (and my local greenery has just closed for the winter)

The first two pictures are air plants that are browning at the tips

The second row is a succulent that hasn’t turned color, but had been shriveling up recently

The third row is another plant that is extremely close to death (only 2 vines are left from a couple dozen) that was completely fine until around two months ago when the leaves on the tips of the vines started to get white spots on the bottom, browning at the tips, then dying until it went to the top of the plant

The 4th row is a jade plant, where some of the roots are shriveling up and turning brown, and others are turning dark green and flopping over

The past picture is of a plant which I don’t know what it is, but it was going fine, but then had white powdery substance growing on it and the leaves just started to fall off (no browning or shriveling) just wondering if you knew how it died/ what to do if other plants start to have the same thing happen

Again, I’m so sorry this post is so long, but I have no idea what’s going on and I don’t know if im overwatering my plants, not giving them enough water, not getting them enough sunlight, having them be too cold, etc. thank you!

Hi,

Tillandsia tend to do poorly in my care, as I’m probably too negligent. The one I keep on my windowsill started to grow better once I started splashing it with water whenever I watered my Pachypodium, so I guess they’re probably just thirsty. The Crassula on the second row is just a little thirsty, a good watering will help it perk up again. The third row looks like Ivy? It grows as a weed outdoors here where it’s wet all the time, so try watering it a lot more, keeping it moist all the time. The Crassula in the fourth row looks fine to me, perhaps a little bit thirsty. I have no idea what the last plant is, probably not a succulent. It looks like it might have some life left in it though, so give it a deep watering to thoroughly soak the soil and see what happens.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

I’m not sure what this is but I dig it! I’d also like to be sure what it is, it has orange flowers usually in the summer so far as I remember

Hi,

That’s some kind of Epiphyllum, probably a hybrid or cultivar, since there are hundreds of different kinds in cultivation. Without seeing a flower it’s impossible to tell exactly what kind it is.

Happy growing!

[cactusmandan]

Do you know what these are? The tag says non medicinal aloe but I haven’t found anything by searching that

Hi,

They look like xAlworthia cv. ‘Black Gem’. 

Happy growing!