TT do you root any of the cuttings? If so, what girth works best for you and at what time of the year? I find my Opi's do a lot of linear growth. Do yours branch more with the pruning as most other trees do?

I haven't rooted any Oppie cuttings myself, so I don't really know. I suspect the thicker the better for cuttings, as well.

From my experience they seem to have a bit of a mind of their own as it relates to branching and pruning. That is, when pruned back to a node, there is no guarantee of a bud forming there to continue the branch in a new direction. Most of the time, I find the branch just stops at the cut from that point. Basically, I take what I can get with branches forming. Not very helpful, but that's what I see on mine.

Tom

TT very curious to hear how you prevent a severe bug infestation when you bring them back indoors. My real concern is that everytime I bring stuff indoors the soil is crawling with bugs and they will spread indoors really quick.

Imidacloprid...applied while they're still drinking. That does it for me. Then, during the winter they're completely leafless...pretty boring for scale and its ilk. Never had much of a problem with these.

Amazing, I found imidacloprid is quite effective and helps with mealie bugs but its banned in EU which is sad. I hope to have a large setup like your's someday.

Banned? Yikes! It has been invaluable in helping eradicate some nasty outbreaks for me...

Tom,

Thanks for the update! As always, your plants look amazing! I have a small Bursera and an O. Decaryi. I only hope I live long enough to see them grow to the size you have.

Hi Tom! I really like your O. pachypus! I recently acquired a nice plant and would like your suggestion as to how I can prune mine to look similar to yours. The picture without the leaves is how the plant looked before I bought it. The picture in leaf is the growth this year.

Here is a photo after I did a little pruning. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Pachy · More Info

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Hi Pachy-nd...

Nice pachy! If you're really interested in developing as a 'bonsai' - just be ready for a bit of unpredictability - then I would lose the thick branches on the left, and give it a bit of a tilt. Those thick, long branches on the left aren't going to give you the fine, flexible branching like you appear to be getting on the right side...

Then, you can keep developing those branches on the right side...make sense?

Tom

Thanks Tom!! How would I go about removing the left branch? Use a hand tree saw? Also, do you think I should do this now or wait until next year as I just repotted it 1.5 weeks ago.

Do do you recommend treating the cut?

How how thick are they? Using a bonsai tool - either a knobcutter or a concave pruning tool - you could chop away at the thick branches until they're gone. But, if they are really thick, a sharp hand saw would do it. I don't know where you live so it is hard to know how much growing season you have left...but it is probably a good idea to let it finish out this season, go dormant, then start working on it when it starts to pop again in the spring.

If you don't have any, get some bonsai wire for those branches on the right...

good luck!

The growing season is just about over but I keep it under lights. Might have been a stupid mistake, but I already sawed them off. Hope this wasn't a mistake!!

Uh oh!

Just kidding, it should probably be fine. I keep mine under lights in the winter, too...but I let mine go into a dry dormancy. Mine is in my greenhouse now, and will probably be in my sunroom by mid to late October, unless it starts getting really cold before that. Then, I cut back severely on water. Only once a month until they start showing signs of waking towards spring.

What kind of lights are you running?

got any cut paste, btw?

I'm running the platinum led 300 watt. No, I don't have any cut paste. I am going to pick up some tomorrow. This is an expensive plant so hopefully it will be fine. Should be ok as the caudex is about the same diameter of a softball.

I have been into cacti prior to the pachy.

A few more...

Nice...that a decaryi?

operculicarya sp. nova

No, but it's next on my list :)

I really like your pachy Tom!!

Tom, have you seen cracks after pruning?

Hi Tom,

I recently acquired a O. decaryi and was wondering how tall you let the main trunk grow before pruning it? Thanks!

Slowly And over time; they need deep pots without the risk of lot of media that rots roots. In ground is best ;)

Also some of these are probably ex habitat plants and you will never be able to get hours to look like this by growing it in a pot; not in another 30-40 years.

Sigh. This is one of those "too late" plants. Although on the side of optimism I do have a six-inch O. decaryi sapling in case I live to be 90!

What are you referring to when you say "too late" plant? Here is a picture...

Pagan, "too late" in that you'd have to had acquired it when you were 3 years old in order to still be around when it developed into something spectacular? I have one that is 3-4 years old...I think. Love the way it looks but I'm in my early 50s and I just acquired it this past Winter.

Yeah, we'll see.

Tyler

Gotcha. Neat plants...I love the super tiny red leaves when they start to leaf out. The shape of the buds as it's going into leaf reminds me of ferns.

Pagan&Tyler- talk about "too late" plants. I just purchased a 6inch Saguaro. The whole time I was at the nursery I thought "you know you will be long gone before this reaches maturity". Oh well:). Maybe it will keep me goin well in to 100's;). It starts getting a new arm once it reaches about 75 years old. I'm 36 and I'd say the cactus is between 5-10 years old. Could be my headstone. Ok this is getting too dark for me. Not a big fan thinking about my mortality;).

Pagan, my 6" sapling is now about 2' tall with an inch plus diameter trunk with lots of knobs. I think it has been in a raised bed for about 5 years. There is hope.

There is hope! I like the optimism. Kara, I have three saguaros and they all have grown nicely since I purchased them. They do well being cared for...as opposed to the ruthless desert of the SW.

Anyone interested in the Pachy above? Due to an unexpected expense, I need to thin out my collection. If you are interested in purchasing this plant please PM me.

This is one of GW's classic's. Still going good after 8 years.

Yes indeed! This plant grew like crazy this summer with the above average temps.

Anyone?

Hey guys,

Does anyone one know how I can acquire one of these beauties? I live in Sydney Australia. I would absolutely love one of these!

thanks

eBay is your best bet or grow from seed depending on how young you are

There should be a Cactus and Succulent Society in Sydney- their shows and sales will have the best of the best Avelina. Or put you in touch with the best vendors online.

Hello to old and new forum members.

Back in 2013, I decide -after being inspired by some of the excellent fat-plant growers found on this forum- to take on growing Operculicarya pachypus. I already was growing Bursera fagaroides, and Operculicarya decaryi...btw, two of the easiest plants to grow...and now I needed an Operc. pachy for my collection.

So, I bought one, at Botanic Wonders. A small, skinny, twig of a thing....about 1/4" diameter. I potted it into the the Tapla classic gritty mix, and it's been there since. I live in 7b/NYC. A climate that is lousy for growing any respectable-looking fat plants. It's definitely NOT like and deserts in Yemen, Madagascar, or Baja California. My plants go out onto my broiling, back deck, grow in full sun, get watered when it rains, and then they go dormant by mid-October. I have a very, very, short growing season, then a long, dark-dreary winter-spring. Over the winter, I occasionally mist the gritty mix, just to keep it humidified, and not bone dry, but never moist. The plants are quiescent at this point. Then plants go back into full sun, and when green buds start to pop out. If nights are still too cold or frosty, the plants come in to spend the night on my kitchen table. This usually starts around late-March/early-April. I start to water as plants push out new leaves, and as soon as weather warms up, the plants go back out onto my sunny, back deck, and roast in full sun until Autumn puts them back to sleep, again. I've grown my plants as described since 2013, and had no failures...yet.

So far, easy-peasy. The plants thrive, and get fatter each year. Remember me mentioning that the O. pachypus started out as a twiggy, 1/4" runt? Now, the trunk is about 1-3/4" in diameter, and has a rack of branches at the very top. i trained it to look like a Baobab, and when the trunk really thickens, it will look like one of these strange trees. Know this:...the training process is a work-in-progress. I use the grow-and-clip method. Pinching back does little. Dormant buds sprout usually only at the pinched back branch tips, and back budding is not the general rule. So I let the plants grow wild , with very little clipping, until I prune them back when plants break dormancy. I wire-train branches into desired positions, and remove wire when branches fatten up. Rewire if necessary.

Bursera fagaroides is just as easy. Same culture, wiring, mix, watering, dormancy treatment. Ditto: for the Operculicarya decaryi.

I once had a nice, large Cyphostemma juttae growing on my back porch. I paid good money for it too. It was probably the most boring fat-plant that I ever grew! Dormancy lasted almost 10 months....then it quickly sprouted and grew, thick, plastic-textured leaves, flowered (ugly flowers, too), set seeds, and then, back into dormancy the plant went again, for another 10 months. If you try to "force" the plant break dormancy, the caudex/roots usually rot out. :((( The pineapple-size caudex never increased in girth, and the only two top branches, grew maybe a total of an inch longer, each season, but died back after each dormancy period began, so the plant's branches never elongated, but instead, lost any length that was gained. B O R I N G! The plant is gone now. It took up too much valuable real estate, so I gave it away....and good riddance to it! If you enjoy watching paint dry, grow a Chypho.

Next, Adeniums. Again, I am going to attempt to grow some of these PITA plants. Dormancy issues, aphid infestations, caudex rot, spider mites, collapsing flowers, difficult to train, poor branch placement, yellowing leaves, etc, etc, turn me off. There are easier fish to fry. But, oh... those beautiful flowers! So my back deck has a few Adeniums growing on it too.

So, now you guys are up to speed. Took a hiatus from all the forums to take care of two ailing parents, who have now, both passed on. I'll check in from time to time and let you know how my chlorophyllic blobs are doing.

Frank

NYC/7b

Welcome back Frank. Sorry about the loss of your parents.

Whip:

Thanks for the kind words.

A few minutes ago I read that Operc d. can be propagated by cuttings (twigs) and also from sections of the tuberous roots. Instructions call for drying out the severed tissue for callus forming and then planting the cuts into a gritty mix for rooting.

Good to know this. I can't tell you how many potential Operc. trees went into the garbage because I didn't know cuttings will root. I just trimmed some branches off my O. pachypus, and I'll try to root these cuttings. I'll let the forum members know if it's yay, or, nay.

I'll peek in from time to time, or if and when I have something interesting to share.

Frank

NYC/7b

Winter will soon be here in NYC....heat mat and LED grow-lights are on order. Plants come into my warm house in early October, especially the Adenium(s).

I have seeds of operculicarya pachypus please help me to germinate them what is

Is Tom still out there? Aloebot? Good guys.

I cant help on seedlings..but I notice today my dwarfed (too many years in a small pot) Opy that has been the ground many years now- is getting a fat trunk vs its height. I thought that would never change much..but did.