Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room(Update: Week 3)

Share info and Pictures about gardens, parks, nurseries, and other locations with cacti.
Post Reply
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room(Update: Week 3)

Post by coltonschultz »

Just thought I'd share some photos from the Cal Poly(where I go to school) plant conservatory desert room. I'm lucky enough to have the privilege to work there every week, and I've even gotten my own grafting project started!
An overview of some of the cacti we have:
pc1.jpeg
pc1.jpeg (143.7 KiB) Viewed 3032 times
Now, some flowers and buds:
First, a stenocactus sp. starting to form buds:
pc2.jpeg
pc2.jpeg (138.08 KiB) Viewed 3032 times
Another stenocactus budding:
pc3.jpeg
pc3.jpeg (124.41 KiB) Viewed 3032 times
And some mammillaria flowers:
pc4.jpeg
pc4.jpeg (116.67 KiB) Viewed 3032 times
pc5.jpeg
pc5.jpeg (122.4 KiB) Viewed 3032 times
Nice to see these ones flowering in our California "winter" season. If anyone would like me to post more pictures, or even make a weekly post type thing where I update what we're working on, let me know!
Last edited by coltonschultz on Wed Feb 19, 2014 1:25 am, edited 2 times in total.
bluetexasbonnie
Posts: 221
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:43 am
Location: Geronimo, Texas (near San Antonio) Edge of zone 8a - 8b.

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room

Post by bluetexasbonnie »

A weekly photo update of what is interesting and what specifically you (or perhaps others with interesting projects/results) are doing would be fun.

What is your major?
My cactus must be gods. They demand blood sacrifice.
User avatar
BobbyZ
Posts: 301
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:10 pm
Location: Saint Augustine Florida

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room

Post by BobbyZ »

Many moons ago I got my BS in soil science (1975). It was a great school, for a city boy I was able to ride a tractoir participate in a vegtable growing project, and yes I started my first cactus collection. Enjoy your studies and your work at the conservatory Bobby Z
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room

Post by coltonschultz »

My major is actually environmental management, but the work at the plant conservatory is open to anyone. I just really like plants(cacti) and its more of a hobby for me than actually wanting to study botany or horticulture. I definitely enjoy watching plants grow and propagating them more than I enjoy studying them, although successful growth and propagation can require some sort of education. That's what I have this forum for :D
I'll do an update every week, which will hopefully have something to do with cacti/succulents, although I do not specifically get to work in the desert room every week. I can always just take pictures every week in the desert room to show flowers or just cool looking succulents while updating everyone on what we've been doing. I'll update you guys on my grafting project every week too. As for this week, I made 4 cuttings of hylocereus which are now drying, and may be ready to pot up next week. As for my scions, I'll use some of my seedlings and maybe also offsets from any slow growing cacti in the desert room, permitting I'm allowed to do that. Until next week!
Cheers!
-Colton
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room

Post by coltonschultz »

Another great day at the plant conservatory, here's what we worked on this week:
To start, we took some measurements of what Dr. Matt Ritter believes to be the largest eucalyptus of its kind in California. Truly massive tree, right outside the conservatory.
Because I've ran out of space in my dorm room, I decided to donate a collection of mesembs that I won in a raffle at last sunday's Central Coast Cactus and Succulent Society meeting. When I arrived with the plants, one of my aloinopsis was starting to open its flower:
pc6.jpeg
pc6.jpeg (142.7 KiB) Viewed 2972 times
Next, I took a look at the cuttings of hylocereus that I took last week:
pc7.jpeg
pc7.jpeg (122.16 KiB) Viewed 2972 times
The areas of the cuts weren't too big, so they all calloused over within a week, and were ready to pot up.
So, I mixed some cactus soil, and put each cutting in an individual pot:
pc9.jpeg
pc9.jpeg (141.37 KiB) Viewed 2972 times
Hopefully they'll root up soon, so I can start my grafting project!
Something I forgot to mention last week:
I took some ripened fruits off of this echinocactus sp. and sowed them over the weekend, hopefully I'll get some germination soon:
pc8.jpeg
pc8.jpeg (150.84 KiB) Viewed 2972 times
Finally, as I was about to leave, I noticed that the flower on my aloinopsis was nearly opened all the way, and I had to go back to take a picture:
pc10.jpeg
pc10.jpeg (162.81 KiB) Viewed 2972 times
That about sums up the work at the plant conservatory this week! Until next week!
Cheers,
Colton
User avatar
oldcat61
Posts: 932
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:48 pm
Location: Southern NJ

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room(Update: Week 2)

Post by oldcat61 »

pc8 looks like a melo. How about a close up? Sue
User avatar
Snowcat
Posts: 476
Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2013 8:01 pm
Location: Moscow, Russia
Contact:

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room(Update: Week 2)

Post by Snowcat »

Yep pc8 is a Melo ernestii :)

Can you please rotate the pictures before uploading them?
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room(Update: Week 2)

Post by coltonschultz »

Oh, I better correct that next week. I will try to figure out how to make my pictures the right way up :)
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room(Update: Week 2)

Post by coltonschultz »

Week 3!
To start off this week, we sowed some pachypodium seeds that had been lying around in a flat:
pc11.jpeg
pc11.jpeg (138.87 KiB) Viewed 2909 times
We put a label in, not knowing the species name. I'm not sure if these seeds will germinate since the temperature in the greenhouse may not be high enough. We'll see next week!
Next, I potted up a cactus cutting(not sure the name) that had been drying for about 2 weeks. The cutting looked dry enough and fully calloused over, so I put it in some succulent mix with some grit on top:
pc12.jpeg
pc12.jpeg (97.63 KiB) Viewed 2909 times
Hopefully it will root up!
Finally, I transplanted some other succulents that had outgrown their pots:
pc13.jpeg
pc13.jpeg (187.9 KiB) Viewed 2909 times
Before I left, I checked the desert room one last time and noticed that my Aloinopsis that I donated was still opening its flower:
pc14.jpeg
pc14.jpeg (145.1 KiB) Viewed 2909 times
Can't get enough of this one. As far as my Hylocereus cuttings go, they feel like they are beginning to root, so I may be able to try a graft or two next week. This Friday, as a field trip, we are going down to the Huntington Botanical Gardens. I should come back with purchase or two!
Until next week,
Colton
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room(Update: Week 3)

Post by coltonschultz »

Sorry about the wait.. But lately I have been having trouble getting pictures up on the forum :-k
Anyways, as for week 4, we brought back so many cacti and succulents from the Huntington that I had no time to take pictures as we were repotting them the whole time. Quite an addition to the collection here at Cal Poly, though!
As for week 5, we started by staking up some baby eucalyptus that needed support. This didn't seem awfully interesting to cacti lovers, but here's something that is:
I brought in a graft of gymnocalcium bruchii on hylocereus that I did during week 3, and Dr. Ritter was quite impressed with it, so he told me to pick an offset from the desert room for another graft! As my scion, I chose what I believe to be some sort of coryphantha, but I'm not sure since the plant had no tag.
The scion:
pcscion.jpeg
pcscion.jpeg (120.89 KiB) Viewed 2850 times
I also brought in some pereskiopsis cuttings that I don't have pots for, courtesy of Tony:
pcpere.jpeg
pcpere.jpeg (113.52 KiB) Viewed 2850 times
Here's the stock I'm using for my newest graft, hylocereus undatus I believe:
pchylo.jpeg
pchylo.jpeg (113.61 KiB) Viewed 2850 times
Here's the graft I did when I got back to my room:
pcgraft.jpeg
pcgraft.jpeg (102.23 KiB) Viewed 2850 times
I'll be taking the tape off tomorrow and bringing the graft in!
Cheers,
Colton
User avatar
Saxicola
Posts: 1759
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:31 pm
Location: Los Angeles area, California

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room(Update: Week 3)

Post by Saxicola »

Nice pics! I got my B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture there (they changed it to Environmental Horticultural Science soon after I left because some idiot thought it sounded more scholarly). I loved working in the greenhouses though at the time I was more interested in tropicals than xerics. One thing I don't miss is the walk or bike ride up and down that stupid hill to the horticulture unit multiple times per day!
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Cal Poly Plant Conservatory-Desert Room(Update: Week 3)

Post by coltonschultz »

Oh man... Yeah the walk to the Horticulture Unit is soooo far. Some of my friends even drive up there. They have a plant shop which has some succulents now!
Post Reply