April Speaker | Peter Walkawiak

April 10th, doors open at 6:00 pm PST
Redlands Church of the Nazarene
1307 East Citrus Avenue
Redlands, CA 92374

Peter Walkowiak has been fascinated by plants his whole life, but his interest in succulent plants really began in college. By the time he graduated, he had well over 100 plants in his collection.

The succulent bug started up again when his two sons were teenagers. This is when he discovered the world of cactus and succulent clubs, after hearing there was a succulent show in Balboa Park, He joined the San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society on the spot. The following year, he joined the Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society and the CSSA. 

He is now a member of all the Southern California Cactus & Succulent Societies, as well as past president of the Palomar Cactus & Succulent Society and the San Diego North County Club. He served on the board of directors of the San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society and the CSSA. 

He was the Show Chair for San Diego’s two shows and Palomar’s show and co-chair for the Intercity Show, the largest succulent show in the world.

His collection now numbers well over two thousand plants. About half are cacti, with the remaining consisting of Euphorbias and caudiciforms. Some of the plants he has owned for over 40 years. 

Program Description: “How to Grow Succulents: Tips from a Grower”

The talk I will be giving starts with soil, a good soil mix is the foundation of success in growing succulents well. I will be talking about the many do’s and don’ts when growing your succulents. This will be a hands-on demonstration starting with soil mix, transplanting and care of your succulent plants. This will be a Q & A program, so bring all your questions you have about growing your succulents.

I have been growing plants my whole life. My interest in plants goes back to when I was 5-6 years old. The purpose of this talk is to educate people on all aspects of growing succulent plants. I have a very large and diverse collection of succulent plants and many of you have seen some of them in shows. I grow hard and big. I also have a wholesale nursery.

Topics will include all stages and materials that go into growing succulent plants successfully. During this talk questions will be encouraged, I will have gift plants for great questions. This will be a learning, information talk. 

Topics to be covered:

Soil – Fast draining, easy to wet soil. Materials to use and stay away from.

Water – PH, acidity vs alkalinity. Fertilizer. When to water.

Exposure – sun vs shade, air movement.

Growing techniques – pruning, size of pots, saucers

I will be bringing display plants to help demonstrate the points in my talk and for your enjoyment. There are many things that we do, myths that are detrimental to plant growth and vigor and these will be discussed.