Author: Rob

Sometimes we get asked if succulents are safe for pets. That is, if a dog or cat eats part of a succulent (or even a whole plant), will they get sick, or – worst case scenario – die? The short answer is that some succulents, like all plants, are safe if ingested by pets while some are not.

The important thing to do is research the type of plant you have (a simple Google search to start with) to determine it’s toxicity. If you don’t know the name of your plant, the safe thing to do is keep it out of reach of pets, or give it away to a pet-less friend. Luckily, most dogs – unless they’re large – can’t reach high places, so a high table or shelf may suffice if you want to keep that special 50 year old Aloe you were given. Cats, on the other hand, are climbers and will usually figure out a way to access any plant. Often they will want to nibble on it, either out of boredom or just curiosity.

Some common succulents that are toxic to cats and dogs include the aforementioned Aloes, as well as Jade plants, Sansevierias (“Snake Plant”) and most Kalanchoes and Euphorbias.

The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has a good online guide to plant toxicities, both succulents and non-succulents. Because there are so many varieties of succulents, you won’t find them all in the guide. When unsure, it’s best to play it safe and either keep the succulent out of pet reach or not own it at all.

There are lots of plants out there that are safe for the stomach, all it requires is a little research to check!

Fourteen gymnocalycium seedlings all got moved to their own living quarters today. The one room apartment (pot) they were all living in was becoming a bit crowded, so it was time to break up the family. But, it was time they all went out on their own, so all is good.

Our cacti and other succulents are still in the process of waking up here in the northland (aka Canada.) They’re spending their days out in the greenhouse, but most have to still come back in the house at the end of the day due to low nighttime temperatures. That should change over the next little bit though…which I’m looking forward to, as it’s a lot of work to carry them back and forth every day.

Our pachypodiums and adeniums are growing new leaves as they exit the winter dormancy stage, and our Echinopsis “flambeau” is budded out with flowers.

In the last blog entry, I mentioned we’d be shipping plants soon. That’s been delayed due to various reasons, but we will be at some farmer’s markets in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia on occasional dates over the summer. Our first being June 17 at the picturesque North Mountain Farmer’s market overlooking the Bay of Fundy. We’ll have a big stock of plants – see you there!

We’re still here, even though we’ve been hibernating the last few months!

Today is the first day of spring, and even though most of us in Canada won’t really see signs of the season till mid April or so, we’re gearing up for another great succulent summer.

Our gasterias and some of our haworthias are sending up flower stalks (as you can see in the photo) and we’ve got new seedlings of various kinds and rooted cuttings as well.

The pachypodiums and adeniums should be coming out of dormancy by May also.

Most excitingly, we will begin to ship select plants anywhere in Canada, beginning later in the spring. Our new online store is under development and will make ordering a breeze. We’re looking forward to it and hope you are too!

Most succulents actively grow and flower in the summer. However, there are some from the southern hemisphere which are winter growers. This can be a bit confusing for us in the northern hemisphere, as those plants will generally go dormant during the warm months when the rest of our succulents are springing into action.

The reason some grow between October and March/April is due to the fact that in their native habitats, conditions are so hot and dry the rest of the year that going dormant then is their only chance at survival. When fall comes and things cool down, these climates generally also get more precipitation – and temperatures are still warm enough to support growth. Confusing things, some species of succulents have the ability to “flip” their growing seasons – they may grow in a southern hemisphere between April and Oct. but in a northern hemisphere habitat between October and April.

[Chart of winter growing succulents]

It helps to research these things, as I spent most of this last summer trying in vain to get some Dioscorea elephantipes (aka “Elephant’s Foot”) seedlings to do something! D. elephantipes are very unusual looking plants when they get older and develop their large pineapple-esque / turtle shell-esque bulbous stem. Mine just looked dead, with no leaves. So, I put them in a hotter, sunnier location and more water – not what they wanted! In actuality, these succulents like some dappled shade and like to be kept somewhat moist…moist in the winter, not so much in the summer. They’re growing well, with deep green vines of leaves, now that it’s November and most of the rest of my succulents are sleeping.

Another example of a winter growing succulent is the Aeonium, native to the Canary Islands. In my experience, they’ll do okay being treated as a summer grower in a greenhouse in my Canadian climate. But they won’t really grow much or get new leaves during this time. Once late September comes though, growth begins again!

We have a small amount of Melocactus broadwayii seed packets remaining. Starting today, we’re offering them on a two-for-the-price-of-one sale. So, buy one packet of 10 seeds for $5.00 and get a second packet free!

Cactus seeds are fun to grow and not too difficult to get started. Read our guide to succulent seed growing for tips.

I’ve grown many varieties of Pachypodium from seed over the years, but until now I’ve never grown Pachypodium sofiense. I bought 5 seeds at the Toronto Cactus and Succulent Show in August and, of the 4 that germinated, they’re already huge! Well, huge in comparison to the size and growth rate of other Pachypodium seedlings in my experience. They’re a bit over a month old at this point.

P. sofiense is sometimes classified as a subspecies of Pachypodium rutenbergianum but I’ve also read that it is now considered it’s own species. Either way, it has longer and wider leaves, fewer spines and thicker fruit than P. rutenbergianum. It also has scented white flowers (photo of flowering specimen.)

From two areas in Madagascar, P. sofiense is fairly rare in the wild and classified as a “species of concern.” It gets it’s name from the Sofia River, which flows through part of the habitat where it can be found.

There are some cacti native to Canada, most in the western half of the country (excluding the damp west coast) where the winters are generally drier. However there is also a species of prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa) native to extreme southern Ontario. With the right conditions (good drainage, full sun exposure), opuntia can theoretically survive on the east coast of the country, where I’m located.

Though I prepared an area last spring for some opuntia cuttings in my yard, I’m a little leery of leaving them out in the full brunt of the wet and cold fall/winter/early spring season cycle this year. Especially at their relatively small size.

With “an overabundance of caution” (a common phrase these days), I dug them up a few days ago and transferred them to a couple of pots full of gravel/perlite and some cactus soil. They’ll be stored in a partially shaded unheated greenhouse till April or so and should be fine. The increasingly cold temps will make them go dormant and lose most of their moisture content over the next couple of months. This drying enables them to hold on till the next warm growing season, when they begin to be able to absorb moisture again.

Recently I was gifted a very large barrel cactus, approximately 30 years old. It’s a healthy specimen of what I believe is Ferocactus emoryi, which is native to Arizona and Mexico. Once it flowers, I should be able to get a more definite confirmation of what it is.

When I received it, it was in a wide shallow pot and leaning to the side due to it’s weight (it’s a heavy one!) The pot, on first look, almost appears too shallow for the size of plant but the plant was obviously healthy – proof that cacti usually like their roots confined. I wanted to stand it up straighter and perhaps move it to a slightly deeper pot. After much fruitless searching for a pot just the right size (not too deep), I thought I had found one but it ended up being not wide enough. So, I decided to see if I could straighten it while keeping it in the original pot.

I wanted to clean up the pot and give it a coat of white paint as well, so that it would fit in with the other pots in the sunroom where the cactus will be residing. How do you unpot a two foot high cactus with 2 inch long spines? Very carefully. With an old towel and the help of my wife, we were able to gently uproot the cactus (did I mention how heavy it is?)

A cleaning of the pot was next, and then a thorough covering of white spray paint. Carefully we lowered the cactus back into it’s pot and after a fair amount of struggling to get it positioned correctly in the centre (long cactus spines not being helpful!), new soil mix (commercial cactus soil mixed with equal parts perlite and pumice) was added as well as gravel topping.

It will be interesting to see how the repotting of this Ferocactus, which has been in the same pot for decades, will affect it long-term. I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t flower next summer, due to the relative shock of the transplant, but it will hopefully continue to thrive in it’s new pot home.

Due to some lucky timing in August, we managed to catch the annual Toronto Cactus & Succulent Show and Sale, as well as the first annual Quebec Cactus & Succulent Show and Sale.

The Toronto event is run by the Toronto Cactus & Succulent Club and is held at the Toronto Botanical Garden, while the new Quebec show and sale – the ‘Salon Quebecois des Cactus et Succulentes’ – is run by the Serres Lavoie Garden Centre in Laval, near Montreal.

The Quebec show had more of a party atmosphere and was super busy – they like their succulents in Quebec!

Many impressive plants were on display and many hobbyist sellers had rare and unusual succulents for sale – most at reasonable prices.

Below are some photos from both events. First, Toronto:

A sampling from the Quebec show/sale: