CactGuy

While checking out the after effects of the cold weather that closed out 2012 and brought in 2013, I was surprised at how “plump” my oldest Oreocereus celsianus appeared.  Well, when I looked back to six months ago, I noticed it isn’t necessarily more plump than this summer, but rather, more plump and much taller!

I finally planted the other Oreocereus celsianus to the left of the once identical specimen that I planted in the ground last fall. While the one on the left is starting to get more hairy coverage, it still has a long way to go. Another striking difference is how much stockier the plant in the right is - all in all much better adjusted to the Texas heat and brief winter cold.

This winter I left one Oreocereus celsianus, Old Man of the Andes, in it’s pot and brought it indoors near an east facing window, while the other I planted outdoors and provided minimal protection on a few chilly nights. They have illustrated an interesting point: In the wild, O. species become more woolly in response to both intense light and cold, and you can clearly see the difference in these two plants (which came from the same nursery stock). These woolly hairs are actually spines, too. While we didn’t have near the amount of nights in the teens as last year, I am very pleased with how it did outdoors. The other one will join it in the ground very soon.

This Old Man of the Andes, Oreocereus celcianus, is a tough cacti - but Dallas may be pushing its hardiness a bit. It will take some winter care, but since the Crazy Bunny made it last winter, I thought it was worth a shot. This columnar cacti can reach heights of up to 10 feet and is more hairy when it is growing in full sun. Oreocereus comes from the Greek for “mountain candle” and is found up to altitudes of 3,000 meters in Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.