Thanks for your thoughtful response. I gave them a little squirt of seaweed extract yesterday, and watered them good today for the first time in three or four weeks. They look really good. I don't know if it's just my outlook, but they do look beautiful.

I like your signature. I know the feeling!

super duper bump

super bump

bump

Thanks for the tips everyone. As Einstein said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So, here's where I'd like to get your input: Since they have never gone more than two weeks without water (most of the time, except maybe during the...

ok...

No, I just cut Fox Farm ocean forest potting soil with 50% perlite. This is the soil mix they were sown in and have been in for their entire lives. No fertilizing. So, they've had the same nutrient availability their entire lives. As I just mentioned, they are in, and have been in full sun for the p...

My seedlings are now over 1.5 years old, have been in full sun for a year, and most are over 30cm tall, but still have, as I previously stated, tops that are at least twice as thick as where the stem meets the soil. You're telling me that those bases will thicken up? I'm not so sure, because I used ...

It seems like all columnar cacti seedlings inevitably have small bases and tops that are at least twice as thick as where the stem meets the soil. In the wild, do the columnar cacti seedlings flop over onto their sides, and then send down roots and send up shoots?

I recommend you get one of those water pitchers with the cheap carbon filter. I've done pH tests of the water before and after when I was living in Reno, and 7.9 dropped to 6.2. I'm guessing this is due to the filtering out of calcium and magnesium.

Lately it seems the batch has gone through a growth spurt. I will be potting these up this week. Total count: 190 specimens. Please tell me what you call each type of growth. http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/userpix/3349_DSCN0675_1.jpg http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/userpix/3349_DSCN0673_1.jpg This ...

Just curious are you going to be making selections for fruiting qualities from this batch? I have been collecting cereus and stenocereus for their fruit. I think Cereus has a lot of potential with some breeding effort. Nullzero from Mission Viejo, you're on this website too!? I'm interested in maki...

Well I haven't updated in a while. Here they are as of today. Out of the 1,000 seeds only about 150 plants made it to this point, which is probably to be expected. I transplanted all of these out of the seed trays into the 4-inch pots in March, a little bit before the spring equinox...from March unt...

They are only 1-inch tall. It seems inevitable that the true growth will far supersede the girth of the cotyledon. Do they fatten up somehow?

When the baby columnar cacti start growing on top of the cotyledon and the new growth gets way thicker than the base of the cotyledon, should you bury the cotyledon part of the plant to give the top part of the cacti more support/balance when you transplant? Or will this rot the whole plant?