Congrats!! I’m super inspired by the turn around you’re seeing in those afflicted pots! I’ve had very bad/sporadic luck recovering from a fungal/mold infection. If you get a chance, I’d love to hear exactly what you did to get this turnaround.

I am due a proper update for February and March (though tbh, very little went on except a new cutting from my music teacher, lithops continued shedding their leaves, and my M. plumosa continued budding), but one new addition I wanted to share was my acquisition of pereskiopsis cuttings! I got a grea...

It’s been 3 days since I sowed seeds in 18 new pots using the method I outlined in my last post, and I’m happy to say that 5 of the 18 pots are already showing signs of growth! :P Perhaps it’s related, but I ran out of space under the grow lights, so I placed the pots in the incubation chamber under...

Thanks for weighing in @Tom in Tucson and @keith! @Tom in Tucson - I know I’m overdoing it at this point, but I reached such a high frustration point after month after month of near zero germination rates and constantly fighting off fungal/mold infestations. Fwiw, I have had very little success with...

I’ve been holding off on starting a new topic to track my seedling journey now that I’m 7 months in, I’m still tinkering with my method, and aside from the psychic pain caused by the idea of cropping all the pictures, I’m not quite sure the best way to show progress across the over 40 pots I have go...

Even though we’ve had a bit more rain in SoCal than normal this winter, I’ve been experimenting with options to effectuate a running water cleanse without actually having to run water from the tap for hours on end. Using a magnetic stirrer, I’ve been placing the seeds in mesh bags, and then suspendi...

Thanks @Nino_G and @jerrytheplater for the grow light suggestions! As it were, the two options I’ve been looking at are the Spider Farmer SF1000D and the Viparspectra XS1500. I’ve been out of work since November and so given my budget, I purchased these two options instead: Bavihor - https://www.ama...

Thanks for the info! I’m in Cali and I’m struggling to keep the temps below 78F (the ones within the inner perimeter of the propagation box are in the mid to high 80s), and that’s after turning off the heat mats 😅. I may just have to try putting them outside once temps get regularly above the 60s du...

Great work with the seedlings! As someone who just started 6 months ago, I’m in awe and inspired! I haven't found them to to be to picky, cooler temps and I don't cover the seeds. Seems to be working, but I'm no expert and I'm learning along the way. With Copiapoa, when you say “cooler temps”, can y...

Good question, Jerry! I’d characterize my full thinking as follows: 1) Coming from the Myco world, I will normally sterilize something like grain water, whenever I plan to store it for some extended period of time and I don’t want anything growing in it while stored, but still want to retain the ele...

Realizing we may not see rain again in LA for some time, I stepped up my rain water collection and managed to bank 27L the last two days. After straining the water for debris and bottling it all up, I’m now looking forward to a day full of pressure cooking

No problem, hope it helps. The running water soak is just one part of the equation but maybe it makes a big difference for some people. Good luck with resolving your germination issues. Once I realized that the smallest stream coming out of my sink would waste about 3 gallons an hour, and that it w...

Thanks so much for sharing this! After a promising start with my first seedlings, I have been barely able to get anything to germinate for the last few months, and when I do get germination, the containers are mold-ridden. I’ve been soaking seeds in 1% H2O2 for up to 48hrs before sowing, but I’m goi...

G'morning Lolavy, I think the cacti on your photo are Lophcereus marginatus. I have never tried this species as grafting stock. I have an old book in relation to cactus grafting but this species is not included in possible grafting stocks. I believe any cacti can be grafting stocks but this species...

January Collection Updates - The Not So Good I mutilated three of my cacti this past Fall when I thought they’d been beset with scale (it was more than likely just mechanical damage or a sign of healing from prior edema). It turns out that when you actually have scale, it’s pretty easy to determine...