Ghostwater Garden

Agave Snout Weevil

Lost my first agave to these pests today.  I've been watching this plant do strange things, so I knew something was up.  Today I pulled on a leaf and the whole plant toppled over.  

No pics - I wasn't in the mood to do anything but eradicate grubs.  GRUBS.  Little writhing monsters.  Many where tossed onto the lawn for the mockingbirds to harvest.

So now I have to keep a guarded eye on the rest of my agaves.  I suspect the weevils target the plants that are ready to bloom and are building up reserves to send up that stalk.  

Humans know this is the best time to harvest agave, and do so to make tequila - among other uses - so why would the weevils be less savvy?  


So I'm posting this for reference:  

Agave Snout Weevil

Game on.  

Pure Land Mountain

"Gardens of light are better than gardens of darkness, rows of nourishment better than sloughs of toxicity. How much nicer to turn the deep and living soil, watch it gleam in the sunlight, alive with tomorrow, than to foster shadows of past illusion... When you till your garden you till yourself; when you seed the earth, you grow; when you nurture life, you live the more."

Robert Brady 

Pure Land Mountain

I have no idea why all my pics are sideways...

...but it's very annoying.  

Click to view right ways up.  They are large photos, and may be slow to load.  

Picked up at the CACSS* meeting today:

 

What I got: Opuntia cochnillifera, Sarcostemma viminale', a gasteria, a stepellia/orbea type, an unknown 'pickle' cactus, two small unknown agave, and a hot pink echinopsis.

Also includes a baby Agave isthmesis 'ohi raijin shiro nakatu.'  Isn't it cute?  It was cuter before I broke one of it's leaves.  Oops.  







*Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society

Took a class at the Desert Botanical Garden

And made this lovely thing.  The centerpiece is the skeleton of a cholla cactus plant.  Pretty cool stuff.  

Agave marginata hybrid.

Adenium obesum (white flowered)

I got brave and hard pruned this one earlier this year.  Hoping I didn't destroy its form.  Looks good to me, but I'm no expert.  

Adenia?

 

This one is not much more than a stick with some leaves, but it will eventually be a fat-bodied plant.  I have purchased and applied iron chelate.  Sad leaves at the moment.  Hoping they will become happier.  

Ibervillea sonorea

This plant is very different from the plant listed below.  One of them is not Ibervillea sonorea.  

Ibervillea sonorae? Ibervillea something...

 

In dormancy.

 

And looking down at the leaves.