Too warm for Lophophoras?

[iann]

Looking a bit droopy

koehresii-0804.jpg (69.94 KiB) Viewed 1805 times

Apparently not too warm for Matucana madisoniorum, although It is looking a little less green than usual so maybe getting too much sun.

madisoniorum-0804.jpg (48.63 KiB) Viewed 1805 times

[adetheproducer]

That loph is looking great. Its good when the heat makes the petals curl backwards. Your m.madisoniorum is looking good much better than my scabby thing.

[Onzuka]

My Lohos have gone mad with flowering this year and I should be in for a big seed harvest. I have been giving them a good bit more water than in previous years so that may have something to do with it.

I have found that, with some experience, you can tell the state of hydration of the plants by gently squeezing the body with your thumb and forefinger. Well hydrated plants are very firm whilst thirsty plants are much more softer bodied.

I have over 100 L. williamsii plants and still plant seeds, but I have no idea why!

Steve

[adetheproducer]

Thats cus they are ther best cacti out there. Just sown my first batch of the season from my first 3 seed pods. Yeah I use the gentle squeze technique too they surprisingly will drink a lot and considering they are noted as slow growers they grown pretty quick.

[Onzuka]

Thats cus they are ther best cacti out there. Just sown my first batch of the season from my first 3 seed pods. Yeah I use the gentle squeze technique too they surprisingly will drink a lot and considering they are noted as slow growers they grown pretty quick.

Yes, they are not as slow as they are reputed to be. Mine also don't attract the mealies, unlike my Astrophytums. About the only problem I get is a bit of mouse nibbling in the winter.

Some years ago, a Belgian collector traded me a v. caespitosa. It's starting to form a really nice clump now, but has never flowered. Is this usual? I keep getting tempted to remove a couple of small heads and graft them onto Harissia to see if I can speed things up a bit.

Steve

[adetheproducer]

yeah they take years to flower I think they just dont mature until they get big.

[DaveW]

Lophophora's are not as slow growing as people think. I have had one an inch diameter split almost to the crown last year but the split is now well towards soil level this year, plus one Lophophora "nibbled" on the crown by a snail last year and the marks are now halfway down the plant. They grow fairly fast but the body does concertina at the base as with many globular cacti, so the body size does not increase at the same rate as the epidermis grows.

Many very proliferous plants tend to grow offsets at the expense of flowers, Matucana polzii is another, some recommend taking a few offsets of to grow at least one head large enough to flower before letting them cluster, but I have never bothered.

http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/MATUCA ... polzii.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cactidan]

My biggest Lophophora williamsii has been producing at least one flower every 8-10 days since may. Definitely faster growing than they're reputed to be. Mine had a couple of small marks that were about 2/3 of the way up its side at the start of the year, they're nearly disappearing into the grit at the base now.

[iann]

Look closely at the photo. You can just see a split right at the base just below the tuft of wool. Here it is exactly two years ago when the split happened.

lophophora-270712.jpg (59.07 KiB) Viewed 1758 times

[Onzuka]

I, in common with virtually all collectors of cacti, have had plants split in the manner that you show. What amazes me is that a living organism will gorge on something until it bursts! Do they ever get prolonged wet spells in habitat during the growth period that cause this phenomenon?

I was always told as a kid that giving my goldfish more than a couple of ant eggs a day would cause this to happen. Incidentally, it won't!

Steve

[cantharis]

yeah they take years to flower I think they just dont mature until they get big.

Depends a lot on their growing conditions. They love it here in sunny Spain.



The peyote on the left is two years old - and will flower the next season. The other one is 3 and has spent the summer in flower.

I read so much nonsense about growing peyote - for no other reason than it has a notorious reputation. I find peyote no slower than most other globular or tuberculate species and a whole lot faster than many. If you want slow, try Aztekium.

[Onzuka]

Mr. Cantharis, Adethe producer was specifically talking about flowering the v. caespitosa. Do you grow these awell down on the Costa Blanca?

I have given up on Aztekiums, I don't have enough years left on this earth to get interested.

Steve

[cantharis]

Mr. Cantharis, Adethe producer was specifically talking about flowering the v. caespitosa. Do you grow these awell down on the Costa Blanca?

I have given up on Aztekiums, I don't have enough years left on this earth to get interested.

Steve

Although the ICSG do not recognise any variety of L. williamsii - maybe they should - I have never really got on well with caespitosa, despite having raised hundreds of peyote from seed over the last fifteen years or so.

Agree with Aztekiums - I have a couple that will easily outlive me !!!!

[Onzuka]

Mr. Cantharis, Adethe producer was specifically talking about flowering the v. caespitosa. Do you grow these awell down on the Costa Blanca?

I have given up on Aztekiums, I don't have enough years left on this earth to get interested.

Steve

Although the ICSG do not recognise any variety of L. williamsii - maybe they should - I have never really got on well with caespitosa, despite having raised hundreds of peyote from seed over the last fifteen years or so.

Agree with Aztekiums - I have a couple that will easily outlive me !!!!

I'm certainly not a taxonomist (bores me to tears) but I appreciate that we must have them. The v. caespitosa is very different to the standard williamsii, even a blind man could see that.

Last night I went in my cacti greenhouse and, for the first time in a long time, I just looked at the plants. I really enjoyed it. I'll try and get a couple of pics of the Lophos and post them here for critical comment.

Steve

[cantharis]

Mr. Cantharis, Adethe producer was specifically talking about flowering the v. caespitosa. Do you grow these awell down on the Costa Blanca?

I have given up on Aztekiums, I don't have enough years left on this earth to get interested.

Steve

Although the ICSG do not recognise any variety of L. williamsii - maybe they should - I have never really got on well with caespitosa, despite having raised hundreds of peyote from seed over the last fifteen years or so.

Agree with Aztekiums - I have a couple that will easily outlive me !!!!

I'm certainly not a taxonomist (bores me to tears) but I appreciate that we must have them. The v. caespitosa is very different to the standard williamsii, even a blind man could see that.

Last night I went in my cacti greenhouse and, for the first time in a long time, I just looked at the plants. I really enjoyed it. I'll try and get a couple of pics of the Lophos and post them here for critical comment.

Steve

I often go up on my roof in the still of the night and talk to my plants - they live outside all year round - a lot warmer here than in bloody Yorkshire !!!

Always look forward to seeing any cactus pics.