A Wish has been Granted

[savant]

I have not been collecting Cacti & Succulents for very long( about 8 months) but I have built up quite a lot of plants in that short time. The Cactus I have always wanted was the Solisia pectinata. I don't usually like to pay much for plants but last night I went over the top, I paid over £21(almost $33) for my dream cactus. I know you think that isn't a lot but when you're a pensioner it's a tidy sum to fork out in one go.
When it arrives it will take pride of place in my collection.

[adetheproducer]

Yes, I have a similar situation. I have been looking for a reasonably priced aztekium ritteri for 2 years now, a few times I have bid over the odds for one on ebay and still every-time get out bid by what can only be very desperate customers, more so than me. I think when my birthday comes round I will have enough spare cash to make such a stupidly priced buy. Then after than a few more ariocarpus species and my dream collection will be complete. Then I can focus on the not so highly prized features on my want list.

[cefalophone]

Congratulations. It feels great finally getting that cactus at the top of you list. But soon you'll find another cactus you'll find yourself pining after. I know I always do.

[savant]

I missed out on a Pachypodium namaquanum, in fact I even won the plant but unfortunately the seller sent my plant to a buyer in Italy and I got a Euphorbia of some sort. I couldn't ask for another one because that was the last Pachypodium the seller had. As compensation she gave me two Euphorbia suzannae-marnierae which is something different I suppose. I've got a Pachypodium namaquanum on my wish list now.

[DaveW]

I would expect a very large Solisia for £21, where did you get it from EBAY? It's always best to search the EU Nurseries on Cactus Mall for plants first rather than pay EBAY inflated prices I find as specialist nurseries are often more reasonable and being in the EU you can import plants from other EU countries with no problems, or ask on Forums like this if anybody knows of a cheap source first. Cactus Mall also lists nurseries by country for those not in the EU who want to search their own countries nurseries online:-

http://www.cactus-mall.com/nursery.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you want a grafted Aztekium ritteri Ade David Rushforth often sells them reasonably cheap, though it's probably a bit late this year for grafting. If you PM me I can give you his email address.

I will be trying to root some offsets down in the growing season next year as I acquired a large clump on an old grafting stock from a member who died, but it remains to be seen if they root OK. The clump is 3 inches across x 2 inches deep and the main head 2 inches in diameter with many offsets, but on a tall stock that no longer provides any photosynthesising tissue. It has been left on the stock far too long so the main aim is to eventually de-graft it, but I will try and root down the hanging heads before trying that as a belt and braces safety measure, though I do have another grafted one from David Rushforth anyway.

ritteri1.jpg (65.53 KiB) Viewed 2569 times

ritteri2.jpg (62.82 KiB) Viewed 2569 times

[DaveW]

Interested to see a picture of your Solisia pectinata when you get it Savant? I should have said they are now considered a Mammillaria and you can often also find them for sale under their new name Mammillaria pectinifera:-

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

A close relation is Mammillaria solisioides, but with a different flower colour:-

solisioides.jpg (98.42 KiB) Viewed 2526 times

[savant]

'll have a look out for the Mammillaria solisioides that you mention.
I have looked at some of the euro nurseries as you have suggested but I find the sites some times quite confusing whereas Ebay is very straight forward. I'll have to study them a bit closer.

[adetheproducer]

I

If you want a grafted Aztekium ritteri Ade David Rushforth often sells them reasonably cheap, though it's probably a bit late this year for grafting. If you PM me I can give you his email address.

thanks for the offer there DaveW, I might consider getting a grafted one if after my birthday I have failed to find one on its own roots. Not a big fan of the grafted aztekiums they seem to offset in an un-natural way, also the expense is a big factor could end up ruining the aesthetics of a good plant just to have failed attempts of rooting cuttings. I would prefer to get one on its own roots first.

But thanks anyway, I may well ask if I get to the point of giving up on getting a seedling.

[adetheproducer]

'll have a look out for the Mammillaria solisioides that you mention.
I have looked at some of the euro nurseries as you have suggested but I find the sites some times quite confusing whereas Ebay is very straight forward. I'll have to study them a bit closer.

Yes, I found cactus mall the worst. I get completely lost with that site. The joys of dyslexia and a general ignorance to matters of the web.

[Saxicola]

One of the best ways to find out about nurseries is to hang around here for a while. There is a thread about good C&S nurseries, plus people will mention different ones in various threads from time to time. Whenever I hear about one I haven't seen before I go to the website and if it looks good I save it as a bookmark to come back to when I'm searching for a particular plant.

[DaveW]

I will see if I get any offsets off the A. ritteri to root next year Ade, if so you can have one, or maybe try and root one yourself if you remind me in the Spring? My friend is in line for one first, but he usually grafts stuff himself. Anyway I have to remove all those low hanging offsets if I ever want to de-graft and root down the central head. He saved a Geohintonia not much bigger than a pea by grafting it recently.

As an example in the 1960's my friend bought just one seed (yes 1 seed!) of A. ritteri since they were expensive in those days. It came selotaped to a letter. He set it and germinated it, then grafted it and later gave me a rooted offset from it, which I grew and flowered for many years until I lost it in a very bad UK winter when he also lost his original one.

Some people always want massive what they consider are mature plants, but as you say grafted plants can be too large and proliferous. Like Blosfeldia A. ritteri is a choice miniature, the NCL gives their maximum size as 5cm x 5cm and most in habitat are very much smaller than that, therefore a 2.5cm (1 inch diameter) plant is fully mature and flowering. The other Aztekium's like hintonii and valdezii are much larger growing in habitat, as you can see from these videos:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6_vAaIUW84" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb3ZXLQG2NA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[adetheproducer]

Thanks DaveW, that's a great offer I will keep in contact, if there is anything you want in exchange I will try and help, I don't have a massive collection(yet) but do have a few repeats and should have a lot of seeds next year too. Have a nose through my members topic thread to see what I have.

[iann]

I grew M. solisioides and M. pectinifera from seed, but then I'll grow almost anything from seed whether it is sensible or not. These two were pretty sensible and will flower in 3-4 years.

[DaveW]

There seems to be a great reluctance to set cactus seed Ian, everybody wants mature plants but by the time they get one they could have raised it from seed.

No your welcome Ade if I can successfully get offsets off next year. I have had countless plants and seeds given to me by friends in the hobby over the years, so I do the same for others if I can. Apart from dealers I get quite a lot of cheap plants speakers bring to our British Cactus & Succulent Society, Nottingham Branch meetings. And I am sure the same must apply to the cactus clubs affiliated to the American Society too?

The BCSS used to have a President whose motto was "if you want to keep a plant give it away", meaning if you gave somebody a cutting or spare seedling if you lost yours there was always the chance of begging a bit back. If only you had it and it died, it was lost forever.

There are cactus clubs and societies around the world and most are worth joining for information and obtaining plants and seeds:-

http://www.cactus-mall.com/clubs.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[KittieKAT]

I paid 80$ for a loph Williamsii Plant only a baby because it's illegal to buy plants where i live, that was all my savings so far soo i haven't ha much plant buys after that but atleast it got where i live safe and sound so can't complain other then my wallet is Empty lol, But the guy who sent me the loph also sent me hundreds and hundreds of different species loph seeds including loph Decipiens that I've been wanting to own for soooooooo long! So it was worth it to me, now if I'd only not be so chicken to screw up the sowing process So Then i can plant the seeds already!!!