That effing Stone Eaters article. Whatever it contributes to furthering our collective understanding of how cacti grow in situ, it's done just as much towards hindering our collective understanding of nutrient management for cacti in cultivation. Dweebs of the highest order, ones who just got their ...

Updates I've come across the first instance of fungal issues in the Astrophytum myriostigma pot. One of the seedlings was keeled over, noticeably covered in a white fuzz that was more concentrated on the seed coat, directly adjacent to the seedling. Upon closer examination of the pot, I noticed that...

Then I would just try my luck with one of the Czech seed sellers. They offer basically all you want, and for much more reasonable prices. Yeah, that's pretty much my plan once I get all the seeds I currently have all sown and once I get around to filling out the Small Lots of Seed Permit. Aiko, wer...

Keith, That's good to know as I'm always in the same boat. Only so much space before decisions have to be made. I know a lot of the more sought after Mammillarias have a reputation for being a bit stubborn to germinate or popping up 2-3 at a time over multiple wet/dry cycles but I've never tried to ...

SDK1 My MannaPro did not have any probiotics or oil. I noticed that while shopping online and was planning to wash the oil off with dish detergent and then rinse. Can you compare the color of the Cherrystone with MannaPro? I sure don't like it for a top dressing. I'd use it in the potting mix thoug...

More sprouts as of the check tonight. Lobivia famatimensis var. sanjuanensis - Sown 02/04/23 - # sprouts: 2 - # sown : ~10 Trichocereus 'Flying Saucer' - Sown 02/04/23 - # sprouts: 4 ‐ # sown: ~10 Mammillaria lasiacantha ssp. wohlschlageri - Sown 02/04/23 - # sprouts: 0 - # sown: ~10 Echinocereus pe...

I just bought crushed granite Poultry Grit from Tractor Supply out here. The brand is MannaPro. I sifted it through a window screen and hardly got any fines. I brought a sample into the house and rinsed it. It was not very dirty at all. Makes me think it has been washed already. It is drying in the...

Do you use a heat mat ? Two weeks that's about right . I do. Unfortunately I don't have a thermometer or temp gun on hand but it's a few years old and a generic brand so I doubt it gets the pots much higher than mid 80s even once it's fully warmed up. Seems to be alright so far. I've got a reptile ...

The other day I found an old kitchen sieve at the thrift store that is the size I've been looking for. I resifted my normal soil mix to get it properly between 1/8" and 1/4". I saved the stuff that was smaller than 1/8" and sent that through a fine mesh (>1/16"). Once the dust ha...

Mike, I've read that too and then seen poas with a nice glaucous coloring in cultivation as well. I agree with Dave, I think it's mostly a matter of light intensity. Since we know that epicuticular wax shows up on new growth as a sort of sunscreen to prevent excessive damage on the new tissue, I thi...

SDK1. Thanks for these article links. I went to the first link by Park S. Nobel which you posted and found the download pdf link at the bottom and went to it. I was still behind a paywall and would need to pay $42.00 to download it. Viewing online for 48 hours was ONLY $10.00. I hate this. Seems to...

Mike, Thanks so much for that, always love to have another book to add to the queue and I've not read that one yet. It's interesting that the percentage of K is listed as 5.2% in the table from the post of yours Steve linked to as I've always seen it much closer to 2%. This has usually segued into m...

I believe the proper way of naming it would be to call it Mammillaria sheldonii f. brevispina . A form/forma modifier is typically used to denote characteristics that show up sporadically within populations of plants. Sometimes these traits can be more predictably transferred from parent to offsprin...

Steve, Thanks for the links but I'm afraid I still don't see where the "1.0 : 0.4 : 1.1-1.7" value is originating from. Since this ratio is what all of the discussions about ferts and pH are built upon, I'm very curious what the source of the ideal ratio for NPK is. Mike, Thanks for that, ...

I found some old pictures of my Haworthia maughanii x truncata so it's time for a good before and after. January 3, 2022, shortly after I got it from a friend who was moving out of town. 20230131_212608.jpg And on January 8th, 2023. Not bad for a year of growth. 20230131_212358.jpg 20230131_212459.j...