Photo 1. March 26, 1967 / Easter Sunday at the Lamberton Conservatory in
Highland Park
Polaroid Land Camera model Automatic 103
Photo 2. Maui, Hawaii / Easter vacation / 1973 / Kodak 110 Instamatic
Photo 3. Flowering Chickens and Hens (Succulents) / July 10, 2014 / Nikon Coolpix 990
Photo 4. Flowering Chickens and Hens / July 10, 2014 / Nikon Coolpix 990
Photo 5. Newly arrived San Pedro cactus - a.k.a. "Spike" / LG cell
phone camera
Ordered from
The Succulent Source / July 5, 2014 / Arrived
July 12, 2014.
Measured 8 ½" and 14 ½". They are supposed to grow a foot per year.
Photo 6. San Pedro cactus with other cacti and plants / July 12, 2014 / LG cell phone camera
In July 2014, the San Pedro measured 8 ½" and 14 ½". They are allegedly capable of growing a foot (12") per year. So, in July 2016 they could have potentially reached 34 ½" and 38 ½". However, in March 2016 (20 months later) they only made it to 16½" and 21½". So, the shorter section grew 0.4" per month, or 4.8" per year, and the taller one grew 0.25" per month or 3" per year. At that rate, one or the other could pass my height (6' 1") by 2027!
In October 2025, "Spike" – the San Pedro – measured 7' 10"! Old Spike wouldn't fit back into his winter home, so we cut the top off the tallest segment, and re-potted it, The newly potted cacti is the same height as the original back in 2014.
Let's do the math. The tallest segment of the cacti was 14 ½" in July 2014. In October 2025, it was 7' 10" or 94", so it grew 79 ½" in 11 years, or 7.2" per year. Not as much as the advertised growth of a foot per year, but still impressive.
| Cacti and Succulents |
| Provide a bright and sunny window |
| Water only when dry (1-2 weeks) |
| Allow soil to dry between waterings |
| Repot when roots and plant have filled out pot only |
Table 1. Cacti and Succulent Care / Palmiter's Nursery / Avon, New York
Photo 11. Palmiter's Nursery / cacti and succulent greenhouse / Avon, New York / May 17, 2015 / iPhone 6
Photo 12. Palmiter's Nursery / cacti and succulent greenhouse / Avon, New York / May
17, 2015 / iPhone 6
