101 Reasons you really should be growing at least some Gymnocalycium

July 12, 2025: 9am to 11am

Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix, AZ 85008: Dorrance Hall

July is just around the corner, so that means the start of preparation for another PEG meeting. The July PEG meeting will be an awesome one: we will be learning all about the cactus genus, Gymnocalycium.

Gymnocalycium is a large genus restricted to the south-central parts of South America. Although there are many species, very few species make it to general cultivation – which is a shame because there are astounding forms that include a multitude of flower colors, spine shapes, and epidermis color. Regardless of the variety, however, Gymnocalycium are actually fairly easy to identify to at least genus because the flowers and fruits are fairly uniform in shape and form.

We’ll chat about this genus and the variety of species included in it and cover things like:

• What *is* a Gymnocalycium?
• What are Gymnocalycium related to?
• What types of characteristics are used to call something a Gymnocalycium?
• How easy/hard are they to care for?
• Will these survive in the valley?
• Can I plant these in the ground in the valley?
• How are these plants propagated?
• Are these plants easy to grow from seed?

We’ll have some plants for show-and-tell that exhibit the variety of forms that are included in the genus. We’ll talk about what it takes to grow these from folks with firsthand experience, and we’ll go over some of the struggles with growing them (Hint: there aren’t many struggles!). We’ll also identify the forms that are easier and the forms that are more difficult to grow.

Additionally, as always, we will have some really cool giveaways of Gymnocalycium for the PEG raffle, which is available to all paid-up CACSS members (must be paid up through 2025!). These specialty raffles are a benefit of being a paid member of the CACSS, so be sure you have renewed your 2025 CACSS membership before the meeting (we will be verifying member status). Please remember to bring your CACSS Membership name tag (or proof of payment for 2025 dues).

As usual with PEG meetings, we encourage free discussion and contribution by attendees, so please come with any questions you may have. And if you grow Gymnocalycium, we highly encourage you to bring your plants to show off for others.

Of course, we always welcome any guests/non-members of the society, and they are welcome to participate in the giveaways, but those guests won’t be eligible for the specialty raffles.

Remember: we are NOT able to take new memberships or renewals at any PEG meeting; however, you can sign up/renew here and pay via PayPal and just show me your electronic receipt on your phone!

As always, please feel free to bring along any show-and-tell plants applicable to the topic at hand from your own collection! And, if you have any seedlings or plants related to the topic that you would like to donate to the free giveaways and/or raffles, please be sure to bring them too; feel free to contact me ahead of time if you are wondering if the plants you have would be a good addition.

If you have any questions in the interim, please contact me.