Not cactus related but had to post it in anyways.
Seems my 6foot ponytail palm is somewhat confused as to what season it is. Just noticed it's put on near another foots worth of growth in the way of a flowerspike since I looked at it last, just days ago.
Another smaller 2 headed one flowered in the yard early spring and is now amass with new heads forming, going to be interesting to see what will happen with the bigger one now!
Snowfella's cactus trials
Looks like I'll be getting into seeing if I can grow from seed here aswell. 
Was repotting a small unidentified Rebutia today and found 2 large seedpods sitting loosely connected to the body just where the top dressing is. Gently pried them loose and they turned out to be full off seeds.
So even though the season is wrong they have been sown, "stole" one of the wife's tupperware containers and covered it over with clingwrap.
Here's the Rebutia they came from.
PS. Have to add that even though they look like friendly chaps Oreocereus celcianus and Espostoa lanata pack some nasty spines under all that fluff!
Was repotting a small unidentified Rebutia today and found 2 large seedpods sitting loosely connected to the body just where the top dressing is. Gently pried them loose and they turned out to be full off seeds.
So even though the season is wrong they have been sown, "stole" one of the wife's tupperware containers and covered it over with clingwrap.
Here's the Rebutia they came from.
PS. Have to add that even though they look like friendly chaps Oreocereus celcianus and Espostoa lanata pack some nasty spines under all that fluff!
Back from the supply store, getting cooler here during the nights so I figured I'd once again try to get one of those small 4 tier greenhouses, after coming up empty (apart from even more cactii ) at the local store I today headed for the second closest one. And found them there at half prize 
Plan on heading back tomorrow and pick up another one after the wife gave me the go ahead.
And among a small but horrid display of cactii, with mostly everything either rotted to bits or severely eoliated, I also picked up the 2 that looked the best. Ofcource they both came with a tag that just said cactus so I have no idea what they could be.
And lastly, after 7 or so weeks of trying to root some Opuntia pads I got through ebay I was starting to get alittle worried they just weren't doing anything. Had no new pads starting or even visible growth so I desided to pull them out of the pot to see what was going on. Turns out the power of the Opuntias shoulnd't be doubted! Both pads had some serious roots growing out of them, near 10 inches long from the bigger pad.
Glad to see it as Opuntias other than microdaysis are classed as noxious weeds and you'll have a hard time finding them in cultivation.
) at the local store I today headed for the second closest one. And found them there at half prize Plan on heading back tomorrow and pick up another one after the wife gave me the go ahead. And among a small but horrid display of cactii, with mostly everything either rotted to bits or severely eoliated, I also picked up the 2 that looked the best. Ofcource they both came with a tag that just said cactus so I have no idea what they could be.
And lastly, after 7 or so weeks of trying to root some Opuntia pads I got through ebay I was starting to get alittle worried they just weren't doing anything. Had no new pads starting or even visible growth so I desided to pull them out of the pot to see what was going on. Turns out the power of the Opuntias shoulnd't be doubted! Both pads had some serious roots growing out of them, near 10 inches long from the bigger pad.
Glad to see it as Opuntias other than microdaysis are classed as noxious weeds and you'll have a hard time finding them in cultivation.
Not that they're far wrong with that one!SnowFella wrote: ...as Opuntias other than microdaysis are classed as noxious weeds...
I've been enjoying your posts. It reminds me of back when I was out scouting for "cactus!" I wasn't too picky, it mainly had to be different from something I already had.
Congrats on the green house! I hope your wife doesn't realize that this means you are well and truly hooked. From now on vacations and outings are merely transport stages between cactus hunts!
Disclaimer: I'm in sunny Arizona, so any advice I give may not apply in your circumstances.
Tim
Tim
Cheers
Somehow think she's already realised that I'm hooked, especially since I keep on eyeing off a 1.8m by 3m "temporary" greenhouse and giving her hints that it could be a suitable gift for our 10 year wedding anniversary that's coming up soon.
Have to say though that if the Australian Federal Attorney General gets it's wishes through it could potentially turn out to be a somewhat illegal hobby. They are looking at reviewing some current laws regarding restricted plants and what they are proposing is among others a blanket ban on everything containing mescaline nomatter the concentration.
http://www.gardenfreedom.com/the-proposed-legislation/
Somehow think she's already realised that I'm hooked, especially since I keep on eyeing off a 1.8m by 3m "temporary" greenhouse and giving her hints that it could be a suitable gift for our 10 year wedding anniversary that's coming up soon.
Have to say though that if the Australian Federal Attorney General gets it's wishes through it could potentially turn out to be a somewhat illegal hobby. They are looking at reviewing some current laws regarding restricted plants and what they are proposing is among others a blanket ban on everything containing mescaline nomatter the concentration.
http://www.gardenfreedom.com/the-proposed-legislation/
Looks like the new outdoors gardenbed is about to get it's first real test for drainage, massive thunderstorm looming on the horizon right now and heading straight for us.
Got the second mini greenhouse today and put it up, likely sit empty for a while as everything fitted in the first one. Likely use this one to see if I can grow from seed, lots available on ebay down here that looks interesting.
Got the second mini greenhouse today and put it up, likely sit empty for a while as everything fitted in the first one. Likely use this one to see if I can grow from seed, lots available on ebay down here that looks interesting.
Back from a third visit to the local cactus nursery and once again I blew my whole budget...well, ended up with a dollar to spare to be honest
Mostly everything had either the generic "cactus" label on them or just a genus so most of them will be tossed up in the ID section aswell.
Back row, left to right according to labels: "cactus", "cactus", Cleistocactus strausii
Middle row: Melocactus ?, Echinocereus ?, "cactus", Echinocereus ?.
Front row: Notocactus leninghausii, Gymnocalycium ?, Mammillaria prolifera, Astrophytum ornatum.
And a lone madly offsetting Echinopsis ? at the very front.
And walking out of there I spotted something through the corner of my eye in their outdoors display garden that I just had to take a photo off.
Got to be the biggest Golden barrel I've ever seen. Judging by the milk crate sitting right behind it I'd guesstimate the diameter of it to be near 80cm's.
Got to come back there in spring with a proper camera and ask if could take some photos of both the outdoors garden and the under roof display garden.
Mostly everything had either the generic "cactus" label on them or just a genus so most of them will be tossed up in the ID section aswell.
Back row, left to right according to labels: "cactus", "cactus", Cleistocactus strausii
Middle row: Melocactus ?, Echinocereus ?, "cactus", Echinocereus ?.
Front row: Notocactus leninghausii, Gymnocalycium ?, Mammillaria prolifera, Astrophytum ornatum.
And a lone madly offsetting Echinopsis ? at the very front.
And walking out of there I spotted something through the corner of my eye in their outdoors display garden that I just had to take a photo off.
Got to be the biggest Golden barrel I've ever seen. Judging by the milk crate sitting right behind it I'd guesstimate the diameter of it to be near 80cm's.
Got to come back there in spring with a proper camera and ask if could take some photos of both the outdoors garden and the under roof display garden.
Tell me about it!
Keep on hinting to the wife that I have a perfect spot out in the yard for a small greenhouse, even cursing myself for not starting this hobby sooner as 2 years ago the father-inlaw had a great big glass greenhouse he needed to get rid of and no one wanted. As he was selling the house at the time and the new owners wanted it removed before settling he ended up having to junk it as a last resort
I keep on checking ebay though for someone that want's to get rid of a greenhouse cheap in my local area.
Currently the 2 4 shelf mini things I have will have to make do, lots will go out in the garden come spring but in the long run I suspect I'll have to invest in a proper greenhouse.
Crap mobilephone photo with the setting sun hitting the shelves.
Keep on hinting to the wife that I have a perfect spot out in the yard for a small greenhouse, even cursing myself for not starting this hobby sooner as 2 years ago the father-inlaw had a great big glass greenhouse he needed to get rid of and no one wanted. As he was selling the house at the time and the new owners wanted it removed before settling he ended up having to junk it as a last resort
I keep on checking ebay though for someone that want's to get rid of a greenhouse cheap in my local area.
Currently the 2 4 shelf mini things I have will have to make do, lots will go out in the garden come spring but in the long run I suspect I'll have to invest in a proper greenhouse.
Crap mobilephone photo with the setting sun hitting the shelves.
Guess that would be one way to go too, just put up an awning next to the shed rather than a greenhouse.
Might be cheaper in the long run but either way I'd have to whipe out the grass and likely make some form of concrete base to suppress any grass growing back underneath it.
Small greenhouse with some shadecloth sounds more appealing in a way though, and would at the same time protect the plants more from all the birds we have in the area.
Might be cheaper in the long run but either way I'd have to whipe out the grass and likely make some form of concrete base to suppress any grass growing back underneath it.
Small greenhouse with some shadecloth sounds more appealing in a way though, and would at the same time protect the plants more from all the birds we have in the area.
With the deluge going on here right now (parts of Sydney has got in excess of 250mm of rain today) I desided to "rescue" 2 of the cactuses in the winebarrel. Just wasn't sure how one nice unidentified Ferocactus and a tiny Mammillaria sheldonii would hold up with that amount of water.
The M. sheldonii was a tiy pup that fell off when I planted it's mother and I just pushed it into the ground in the hopes it would root, still small but it rooted just fine and has been swapping it's baby spines for bigboy hooked spines lately.
So being totally without potting mix I went past the usual big box store to pick some up, at the same time picking up yet 2 more little prickly friends and finding what I recon is a major score...shallow terracotta pots at a steal!
11cm pots at a mere $1.24, 16cm at just $1.95 and 20 something cm pots at just over $2.
Just grabbed a handful today but I'm heading back tomorrow to clean them out
Other than that I think I've both solved my shelving/lighting problem and had my first seedling pop up.
Rather than go down the greenhouse/shadehouse route, although a shadehouse with poly roofing would be very nice I just can't warrant it yet. Instead I'll be building some shelving underneath the awning we already have, should give me 1 2.4x0.3m shelf and 1 2.4x0.6m shelf with protection from rain and wind. And with swapping out some of the corrugated steel roofing for Laserlite roofing I should still get ample light.
As for the seedling, repotted my recently procured M. prolifera and found one ripe seedpod hiding at the soil level. Cutting it open and finding it was full of seeds prompted me to check the little tupperware propagator I set up a few weeks ago with unknown Rebutia seeds. And to my supprise there's a tiny little green dot growing away in there!
The M. sheldonii was a tiy pup that fell off when I planted it's mother and I just pushed it into the ground in the hopes it would root, still small but it rooted just fine and has been swapping it's baby spines for bigboy hooked spines lately.
So being totally without potting mix I went past the usual big box store to pick some up, at the same time picking up yet 2 more little prickly friends and finding what I recon is a major score...shallow terracotta pots at a steal!
11cm pots at a mere $1.24, 16cm at just $1.95 and 20 something cm pots at just over $2.
Just grabbed a handful today but I'm heading back tomorrow to clean them out
Other than that I think I've both solved my shelving/lighting problem and had my first seedling pop up.
Rather than go down the greenhouse/shadehouse route, although a shadehouse with poly roofing would be very nice I just can't warrant it yet. Instead I'll be building some shelving underneath the awning we already have, should give me 1 2.4x0.3m shelf and 1 2.4x0.6m shelf with protection from rain and wind. And with swapping out some of the corrugated steel roofing for Laserlite roofing I should still get ample light.
As for the seedling, repotted my recently procured M. prolifera and found one ripe seedpod hiding at the soil level. Cutting it open and finding it was full of seeds prompted me to check the little tupperware propagator I set up a few weeks ago with unknown Rebutia seeds. And to my supprise there's a tiny little green dot growing away in there!
Last buds and flowers of the season, just hoping I'll have enough sunny days left for these to come out properly. Went from pouring rain and 20degrees yesterday to sunshine and 32degrees today. lol
Notocactus lenninghausii...or whatever genus they have tossed into nowadays.
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii, I think.
Notocactus ottonis
And my grafted little mystery Gymno.
All bar the last one has been bought with buds or flowers so I can't take the credit for them. It's all up to me to make it happen again next season
Notocactus lenninghausii...or whatever genus they have tossed into nowadays.
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii, I think.
Notocactus ottonis
And my grafted little mystery Gymno.
All bar the last one has been bought with buds or flowers so I can't take the credit for them. It's all up to me to make it happen again next season
The N. ottonis is getting close now, both flowers opened partially earlier on this morning but then clouds hit and they quickly closed up again. Hoping for better luck tomorrow even though I have to work and won't see it for most of the day 
But darn the poor little thing is taking a beating from me trying to get those buds open, it's getting the maximum amount of direct sun it can get under the awning and it's really starting to show some sunburn.
And I showed amazing restraint today when the wife dragged me off to a gardening centre to pick up some indoor plants, I only came home with one cactus.
Just couldn't walk past this little O. rufida, glochnids are just about ruby red in sunlight.
And non cactii related, looks like I've managed to save the wife's Chinese happy plant (Dracaena Fragrans Massangeana) from the brink of death.
It rotted out totally from the bottom, ending up with no roots and even the wooden stump rotten to mush. In a hail mary attempt at rescuing it I broke out the saw and chopped 3 inches off the stump. That was about 2 months ago now so I figured it was time to see if it's rooted or not, to my supprise I found it with more roots than what it had when we bought it.
But darn the poor little thing is taking a beating from me trying to get those buds open, it's getting the maximum amount of direct sun it can get under the awning and it's really starting to show some sunburn.
And I showed amazing restraint today when the wife dragged me off to a gardening centre to pick up some indoor plants, I only came home with one cactus.
Just couldn't walk past this little O. rufida, glochnids are just about ruby red in sunlight.
And non cactii related, looks like I've managed to save the wife's Chinese happy plant (Dracaena Fragrans Massangeana) from the brink of death.
It rotted out totally from the bottom, ending up with no roots and even the wooden stump rotten to mush. In a hail mary attempt at rescuing it I broke out the saw and chopped 3 inches off the stump. That was about 2 months ago now so I figured it was time to see if it's rooted or not, to my supprise I found it with more roots than what it had when we bought it.