Cactus Nursery

From Bud to Fruit in 46 Days

July 29, 2021 /

No, this is not some unusual variety of dwarf watermelon we’re growing at Cactus Island. That little black cactus bud I shared on June 8th? It flowered, fruited and grew into by far the largest fruit I’ve ever seen on any species of Pilosocereus. This eight foot plus Brazilian P. azureus took about 12 years to flower from germination and I’ve had it since 2012 when I bought it as an 8-10 inch potted pair. This biggie has to be an anomaly, because the seed count after cleaning was 5374 – way more than the normal, roughly 1800 I’ve been seeing in this genus. Maybe, just maybe, the two winters that have nipped the tips and caused new pups (and maybe the huge fruit) to form will yield seedlings that lean toward a cold-hardier land race than this one already is.

James V. Freeman is an established visual artist (oil painting) with a deep interest in natural history, plants and farming. He has had numerous solo shows, a solo museum show, an upcoming museum show and his work has been featured in many publications to date. He currently has a studio in Williston, Fl at the family farm and homestead, "Cactus Island", and as a farmer, specializes in growing columnar cacti of the Caribbean and Gulf countries as well as the aquatic Madegascar Lace Plant. James and his mom Sharon manage and develop the permaculture homestead.

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