My small collection

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Pompom
Posts: 421
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:59 pm
Location: Northern Finland

My small collection

Post by Pompom »

I have to grow all my plants inside in room temperature during winter, since I have no cool place for them. They have a growing lamp and I try to keep them as dry as possible. When spring comes and temperature rises above zero, I try to trick some of my plants to go into short dormancy (up to 1 month) if I could get some flowers. I have only 6 plants, but here they are!

This thanksgiving cactus is my very first plant ever. These cuttings are from my mothers over 20 years old plant. I rooted them in summer, hopefully they'll grow a nice plant someday. I don't know what color the flowers will be, since my mother haven't tried to get hers to flower. Actually she kinda wants the motherplant to die so I wanted to save some of it.
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The second cactus I got was mammillaria karwinskiana beiselii, I suppose. It was sold with "nejapensis" on name tag, but according to llife, nejapensis shouldn't have any central spines and my cactus sure has. Not all over, but on the newest growth. It has 5-6 radial spines. It's now 8cm in diameter and about 7-8cm tall. It's hard to measure because of the spines. :D It has to be in deep pot, since tubular root it has is as long as the plant growing above or maybe even longer. This one is doing fine too, a little bit boring but I love the spiral-kind way it's growing.
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ElieEstephane
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Location: Lebanon (zone 11a)

Re: My small collection

Post by ElieEstephane »

Hope to see your collection grow! That mammillaria will eventually do a dichotomous split which is kind of exciting. And it will have small yellow flowers all over the crown.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
Pompom
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Location: Northern Finland

Re: My small collection

Post by Pompom »

After these two I got my echeveria pulidonis. I've written its story in other topic. It sure has had a hard time with me. The other picture is from the time when I got it, the other is now.
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Third cactus I have is stenocereus griseus. I liked it, because it wasn't perfect shaped and had beautiful color. I love to have some story for my cacti and succulents, and hope this one has some story on the way. Not a bad one, of course. [-X It's about 7cm tall without spines.
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Pompom
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Re: My small collection

Post by Pompom »

Fourth cactus is opuntia monacantha. It's my sisters plant, which she somehow hated. It got etiolated with her, but is doing fine now under the lamp. I'm waiting for the summer, 'cause I loved the pink spiny-things it had last summer. Sure don't know how to call them. They then grew to be new branches. Sister named it Boris, but it looks more like Bacon to me :D I noticed, there is actually two individual plants growing side by side. This one is about 18cm tall.
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The last plant is some kind of aloe or a aloe hybrid. I really don't know if it survives or not but it sure is part of my collection at the moment.
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Oh I forgot. I also had aloe juvenna, but it died. I think due overwatering. I'd like to expand my collection in the future but we'll see. My husband doesn't want me to have any more cacti (we have small apartment), but I'm sure I can't keep myself from buying more if I find a good one. There are so much more cacti I'd like to have!
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ElieEstephane
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Location: Lebanon (zone 11a)

Re: My small collection

Post by ElieEstephane »

Pompom wrote:My husband doesn't want me to have any more cacti
Well he needs to change his mind soon! [-(
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
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stefan m.
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Location: Skopje MK

Re: My small collection

Post by stefan m. »

Pompom-question. Has your mother ever re-rooted / re propagated the schlumbergera truncata? We had a thread about its lifespan.
Pompom
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Re: My small collection

Post by Pompom »

Stefan I have no idea. I only know this plant has been around almost all of my life. It is very possible she had done something for it at some point, but certainly not in last 5-6 years. She has only watered it, not changed it's soil or anything else. She wants it dead, but doesn't have a heart to throw it away. Now if I remember right, she actually had another one. This one she purposely left outside over winter 'cause she didn't want to kill it. Winter killed it...
When I was a kid we had a very big ball cactus. My mother didn't like it at all, but didn't have heart to kill it, so it lived a year-1.5 years over closet. It didn't die and only grew aerial roots. My mom then threw it on the snow... Poor plants. My mom surely don't like succulents/cacti
Pompom
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Location: Northern Finland

Re: My small collection

Post by Pompom »

I was wondering if anyone can determine about how old is my mammillaria? It would be really nice to know if it stays with me long time. So after 10 years I could tell everybody how old it is. It has flowered at some point of its life, since I can see one ring of dried flower bases near the soil level. Is there any certain ways to determine mammillarias age? Thinkin about the future when I surely am going to buy at least one mammillaria more, because I'd like to try crosspollinating with them.
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stefan m.
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Re: My small collection

Post by stefan m. »

Nursery plants age are a mystery even to me. I see ferocactus (emoryii?) plants in 2 sizes -small(4cm wide pots) and medium (in 10 cm wide pots). My ferocactus first plant(small), at two years after purchase was at the development stage like a medium sized one, even though now( in its sixth year) its at the medium's size.
Also had gymnocalicium baldaniums flower at very small, even though theyd sell mid sized gymnos already in flower.(and theyd been at the same age.
Guess has something to do with roiding out plants.
Pompom
Posts: 421
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Location: Northern Finland

Re: My small collection

Post by Pompom »

Thanks stefan! Quess I really have to buy another mammillaria and try get seeds so I could tell the real age of my plants. Of course I can try to pollinate it only by itself, but it would be more exciting to get hybrid with another plant.
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stefan m.
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Re: My small collection

Post by stefan m. »

Most mammilaria are self pollinated and so are a lot of popular seed grown plants(setiechinopis , lophophora , frailea etc) that are self fertile, with the exception of echinopsis(hybrids and whatnot) , ephihpytes and others.
But id reccomend getting a plant called a tradescanthia spatheacea variegate(plant in my avatar) if you wanna "wow" people(or a colorful crypthantus would do if you are into bromeliads).
Pompom
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Location: Northern Finland

Re: My small collection

Post by Pompom »

Thanks again for the recommendations! Well it's not the other people I'd like to wow, only me. I really love to see the plants growing and developing. For me they are not only decorations wich I throw away if they aren't looking great in general or compared to surroundigs. The crypthantus looks great! Im not sure if colorful plants do great in my environment since there is not that much intence light they prefer. Maybe one day I try. The other plant would do better and would be easier to get. Have to read about it more.
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ElieEstephane
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Re: My small collection

Post by ElieEstephane »

Why not get a mammillaria mix and see them grow year by year? It is much more rewarding.
Other suggestions are M. Zeilmanniana, M. Perezdelarosae, M. Elongata, M. Gracilis, M. Prolifera, M longimamma, M. Haageana, M. Senilis, M. Plumosa, M. Wrightii (my favorite) and many more. Some are harder than others but all are very rewarding.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
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stefan m.
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Re: My small collection

Post by stefan m. »

Its a trandescatia. Does well in light shade to full sun, water normally, normal soil. One of the easier plants to grow(should have gotten it when i started instead of neoraimondias or gymnocalicums ...)
if you want cheap and available flowers( and easy fun) i recommend gasteria bicolor, ruffled echeverias, haworthia retusa types, coral aloe, opuntia humifusa(hardy), and hardy sedums(and relatives)
Pompom
Posts: 421
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:59 pm
Location: Northern Finland

Re: My small collection

Post by Pompom »

Trying again

My collection grew by 2 (three if individual plants counted) few days ago. My husband came from store and surprisingly had these two plants with him!
If I got the IDs right I now have Echeveria Perle Von Nurnberg and Crassula Hobbit or Crassula Gollum or both.

The Echeveria was in bad shape. It was watered, the lover leaves were mushy and rotted and some did have mold growing. I removed the bad leaves, checked roots and stem - they were fine and changed soil. The plant looks sad right now, but I'm sure it'll survive like Kurt did. I'm planning to give it water next week.
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I was so happy to get the crassula! I was thinking to get some plant which I grow to be a bonsai or bonsai look-a-like. I'm sure my husband didn't know this alien looking plant will eventually grow to be a bonsai-looking little tree. I'm not sure if the plant is healthy or not, its leaves are not smooth, they resemble more like cucumbers skin. It had this salt sweating white stuff on the leaves which I swiped off. According to llifle, crassula gollums leaves have a suction cup on the tips of the leaves and the hobbit has leaves curled back around. I got two individual plants in the same pot, other plant has suction cups and other has curled leaves. It can be they both are Hobbit, but the other hasn't developed curled leaves yet. Time will tell.
I'm not sure if it was a good idea to leave them both in same pot since I read this plant will grow fast when young. Hope they get along for a while :lol:
Upper picture left is assumed crassula gollum, right crassula hobbit. Lover picture vice versa.
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