We Propagate Cacti!

Trees That Please Nursery is located south of the Albuquerque in Los Lunas, New Mexico. We propagate many native cactus species that do well in our area. We propagate the following:

Tree Cholla

Desert Christmas Cholla

Pencil Cholla

Club Cholla

Engelmann Prickly Pear

Black-Spined Prickly Pear

Spineless Prickly Pear

Sotol

Red Flowering Yucca

Yellow Flowering Yucca

Soaptree Yucca

New Mexico Agave

Lecheguilla Agave

This weeks featured cacti is the Desert Christmas Cholla. The Desert Christmas Cholla (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis) produces small fruits which turn red or red-orange during winter, typically in December. To some these colored fruits resemble small Christmas ornaments.

The Desert Christmas Cholla, a New Mexico Native, has slender stems and grows to about 2’ to 3’ tall and wide. This cholla is best grown in full sun on well-drained soils with only occasional watering. It produces cream colored flowers and is Hardy to USDA zone 6.

If you are considering something new for your low water – low maintenance landscape then visit Trees That Please Nursery. We have other plants also if a cactus does not fit your plan.

Photos and Narrative By:

Steve Sain

Staff Plant Physiologist

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Weed Identification: Goatheads or Stickers

Goatheads ( Tribulus terrestris ) are native to Southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Goatheads are also called stickers, sticker weed, bullhead, devil’s weed, and puncturevine. Goatheads are easily recognized by their prostrate growth form, leaves with leaflets, yellow flowers, and stickers (Goatheads). If you miss’em visually then they will stab you painfully in the fingers as you work your garden, or stick to your clothing and shoes. Goatheads are the primary reason local bicyclists must get “thorn proof” tires for riding on area trails and streets. Goatheads have prostrate stems that radiate outward from one central point. Leaves are compound with smaller leaflets. Lemon yellow flowers form along the stems and fertilized flowers form fruits. Fruits consist of several attached structures called nutlets (Goatheads). Each nutlet is a single seed that becomes hard or woody when mature. Each seed has two sharp spines that easily penetrat

Weed Identification: Sand Bur

Sand Bur ( Cenchrus longispinus ) is native to North America. It has other names like sand spur, long-spined sand bur, hedgehog grass, and bur grass . Sand Bur is an annual grass usually growing with a prostrate growth form. It is similar in appearance to other grasses prior to seed formation. Individual plants may be 3’ in diameter, sometimes larger. Sand Bur is a common weed of sandy soils but also grows well elsewhere. Sand Bur will often root at stem nodes that are touching the ground. The root system of Sand Bur is shallow and fibrous making them easily pulled (when immature). Sand Bur produces a flowering spike. As seeds begin to form Sand Bur is easily recognized by its numerous sharp or burred seeds or long spines. As the burred seeds mature they are easily separated from the mother plant and their sharp spines stick to virtually anything. Sand Bur can disseminate its seeds long distances because its sharp spines will hitch a ride on skin, animal hides,

Western Soapberry Tree

The Western Soapberry tree ( Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii ) is native to New Mexico. It grows wild from Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana westward through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, and Mexico. The fruit of the Western Soapberry tree is a drupe. Mature fruits are translucent, amber colored, and contain a black seed. The mature fruit without the seed will produce a good lather with water and has been used as a soap substitute. Fruits persist on the trees through winter. T he Western Soapberry tree can grow 1′-2′ annually reaching 25′-30′ tall and wide making it a good sized shade tree. Fall leaf color is an attractive golden yellow. Currently, there are no improved varieties of the Western Soapberry Tree. It grows well on the alkaline soils of New Mexico and is very tolerant of heat and drought once established. This tree is rarely affected by disease or insect pests making it an ideal specimen tree for your yard or landscape. S

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