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Wait what? They'll grow that big? And the flowers are that big compared to your plant? Oh my, this is exciting. Mine is going to drown in those flowers, aww. The flower size is stable regardless the size of the plant itself? In any case, can't wait to see it in full bloom. Maxx is good name too. I'm not sure if the plant is a male or female yet, but will add that one in the list too.WayneByerly wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:49 pm P. S. My M. hahniana is now 7" tall and 5.5" wide (approx 17,8x14cm). Its wider now than the pot it originally came in August of 2013
And as far as a name goes... considering the very great number of short, very stiff spines, how about... Maxx???
You know what, it's such a pain being not able to touch my echeverias since the protection layer wipes off. And I do pet the melos spines, they feel like cats nails and are so strong and smooth. At the very first I wanted to touch the skin of the plant, feel how it feels like. Shouldn't have. I got my finger in but couldn't get it out since the spines have slightly curved tips. Didn't want to injure the plant so it was painful to get my finger out in one piece. Same happened once with karwinskiana... I just don't learn once.ElieEstephane wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:26 pm Oh yeah i remember that scene it's in return of the jedi! Didn't think about that. It's a good name too!
Concerning touching cacti, i seem have an obsession with touching mine. I love doing that wirh everything but specially with mammillarias and parodias! It wouldn't hurt because the pressure is distributed like a bed of nails
Speaking of parodias, you should get one or a gymnocalycium baldianum. They have very amazing flowers and they are not full sun cacti so they don't need as much light
Have to be certainly sure about the species before buying next time.This one is still way too small for holding between ribs from anywhere. Have to wait couple of years to get to that.ElieEstephane wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:39 pm With the stenocereus i usually hold them at the base between ribs. Thats the safest approach. I handle everything bare handed except opuntia and pilosocereus. I've had crazy amounts of ghlochids embedded in me but you can soldier through it. Piloscereus on the other hand are the biggest pricks of all cacti. They will hurt like hell and they will go in really deep
The should be a sign next to you cacti labelled proceed with caution
I usually go to the nursery and take photos of all cacti and then come back home and do my research to see what they are and what i want then i go the next day to buy the cacti.
Ha, ha, ha
I wouldn't want you to think I was exaggerating, so here's a picture I took just a few minutes ago.
I don't know about the flower size being stable regardless the size of the plant. I suspect that the flower is just about this same size regardless the size of the cactus itself. And Mammillaria are self-fertile by the way. You don't need two or more to fertilize each other. And the name Max was it was a joke
... I don't name my plants. Not to suggest that you shouldn't, but it just never occurred to me to do so.I think getting the spines in fingers is just inevitable. As careful as I am, I'm always getting one stuck in me somewhere. And I don't always notice it until after it becomes inflamed. And then it's quite painful. So I've developed a special little kii to take care of the spines. It's a pair of lighted 15x Jewelers loupes, two pair of tweezers, one of which has a light built in, and a very large needle. I rubbed the sharp end of the needle on a piece of very fine sandpaper until it developed a bevel on one end. Which is the second picture below. That way it's kind of like it's a sharp knife, only microscopic. You can use it to lift up the dead skin around the insertion point of a spine if it has broken off below the skin. The outer layers of the skin are dead and have no sensation .It's quite effective and I highly recommend it.
The spines of many Cactus are just pointy sticks. They're painful, but that's all they are. Others are actually toxic, and have fragile barbed points so that they break off and embed their toxic tips underneath the surface of the skin where they will cause painful localized infections. I've considered putting up a sign around some of my cacti on several occasions. Seriously... some of them are actually quite dangerous. Glochids can sometimes be taken care of with heavy-duty adhesive tape, like duct tape. Some brands have a strong enough adhesive that if you press the tape tightly against the skin it will remove the glochids when the tape is removed.ElieEstephane wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:39 pm With the stenocereus i usually hold them at the base between ribs. Thats the safest approach. I handle everything bare handed except opuntia and pilosocereus. I've had crazy amounts of ghlochids embedded in me but you can soldier through it. Piloscereus on the other hand are the biggest pricks of all cacti. They will hurt like hell and they will go in really deep
The should be a sign next to you cacti labelled proceed with caution
We'll see the flowers soon so then we can evaluate if the flower size is stable. I've read about most mammillarias being self-fertile, and being male or female I meant about assuming it's gender. All the other named ones are male for me, but maybe this one turns out to be a first female. Can't be sure yet. About saving the pollen... I think I'm just too curious to see how hybrids turn out to look like especially hybrids between to different subspecies. You see... I'm so new with this hobby, everything is exciting and new and fascinating.WayneByerly wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:44 pm I don't know about the flower size being stable regardless the size of the plant. I suspect that the flower is just about this same size regardless the size of the cactus itself. And Mammillaria are self-fertile by the way. You don't need two or more to fertilize each other. And the name Max was it was a joke
Thank you!
I think I'll seriously have to move into a bigger apartment if I want to get more plants... I only have 10 different species, 20 individual plants if babies counted too, two pots of seeds and already lacking of space. I cannot even begin to list all of the Mammillarias, much less say for certain whether they are all self-fertile or not. But the ones I have are, as their flowers have produced seeds for the last 2 years. And I have planted some of those and they are growing. So yes, some of Mammillarias are self-fertile
I started growing my first cactus in 2009. So I am new to this Fascination also. I assure you, you are in for a long and interesting education! The new, exciting and fascinating part of this Hobby never wears off.
Ha, ha, ha
!!! I knew it... you are hooked, just like the rest of us... and I have bad news for you. There is no 12-step program available for those of us addicted to cacti. Do you have any idea how few people in the world would give the first thought of moving to a new apartment simply to have more room to grow cacti? I think most everyone here at this forum would do so... without hesitation... but I also think that we are in the minority.Lol, didn't even think that was weird... But when you said that loud... gotta admit it: I'm hooked.WayneByerly wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2018 12:44 pmHa, ha, ha
Better this kind of addiction since it isn't that dangerous as many others It would be easier if I preferred columnar cacti since they don't need that much space in diameter, but I adore the spherical ones which need more space in diameter. I want to get at least couple of gymnos, parodias, a bunch of different kind of astros, rebutias, echinocacti and the list goes on. I want all the rounded ones I don't need two of the same subspecies but many from the same genus. There was an echinocactus grusonii in the place I got the mammillaria hahniana, but I know they are quite common here so I can get one later. Don't know how long I can keep on living here but if I live here long enough I definitely don't have space for any larger e. grusonii even if I bought it when small. There's simply no space for that. In fact, there is no space for all my plants if they were mature sized. So... I must move Gotta catch 'em all, gotta catch 'em aaaalll, CACTIDesertSun wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2018 1:56 pm You certainly must move! Since the addiction is probably here to stay, ha ha. As you said, it's a pretty good addiction, it only needs space and...money, lol. I do prefer columnar cacti but I'm afraid I am not limited to those either. You can always go vertical. That's my way to go in the space I will devote to my succs and cacti. Oh, the barrel ones, they are sooo wonderful, you are right! We MUST have them all.
