By 9 this morning, it was nearly ninety degrees. The largest bud now measures eight inches. Seems they’re growing almost an inch a day in this intense heat. At this rate we could have blooming as early as the weekend. Ray is preparing some fresh smoked fish for us. Friends are eager to see Blanca bloom before they leave town on various trips. Could you make it bloomer sooner? they asked expectantly. We haven’t done a thing but keep watch, and with not a little trepidation. Blanca has apparently heard their call. She’s pouring out whatever she’s got that makes her fertile. Is she getting too much sun? I worry. Will the heat abate, or exhaust us all? What’s become more obvious is that one bud, at just 5 inches, is slowing down, lagging behind the others. It’s color is off. Gone to that reddish-yellowish we saw in the smaller buds that dropped off earlier. Interestingly, this smaller bud shares a host leaf with the whopping 8-incher. Can that one leaf sustain the two? We’ll have to wait and see. Which is what we do: wait and watch carefully. And maybe think about what snacks we’ll put out to celebrate Blanca’s first bloom of the season. First bloom. Will there be more come fall? We always want more…a sign of an obsession.
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Late Night Bloomer 
Congratulations on starting a blog! Ray put the fish for your cereus party in the marinade tonight. With roses, to get an exhibition rose, one “disbuds”, by removing all buds other than the main bud on a branch, so that all of the rose’s energy goes to the remaining bud. I don’t know if that theory would apply to your cereus.
Thanks, Karen. It’s an interesting concept about the roses, but I think the cereus inflorescence is different, much more infrequent for one. Some of the buds drop off naturally for various reasons. I’m not sure the flower size and shape would change much as they seem fairly consistent. Nevertheless, they are miraculous!