Thanks for the pictures. They are very collectable!

I never spray cacti because they aren't orchids neither bromeliads, no practical use at all. I water them when they are moved to greenhouse and temps are high enough, never give them "some drops" but good amount of water. Better later and much than earlier and little. I spray my cacti alm...

Must have been about 30 to 40 years old as my plants don't grow very quickly. Alas it decided it had lived long enough and with no discernible change in growing conditions died two years ago. A species that does not show much visible signs if rotting since it does not go soft but you find out it is...

DaveW wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:44 am


Pelecyphora.jpg

Pretty much my all time favourite cactus. How old is this one Dave?

which species can absorb calcium from limestone vs. the species which can't. Just to clarify Steve, all pants can absorb Ca from any source as long as it is in solution. The problem arises with Calcium carbonate raising the pH and interfering with uptake of the metals like Fe, Mn, Cu etc, by plants...

We used to use a pre emergent herbicide (Oxadiazon granulas) for pots in the nursery. It's designed to kill germinating seeds only and did not affect the trees. As for the grass in the beds, you can safely spray glyphosate around the cacti as long as you don't wet the plants too much. Their waxy coa...

I've ad this plant for many years. During the last few it produced almost no growth and very few flowers. So I bit the bullet and cut off all the shoots (maybe 8 or 10 of them). Then I decided to cut even deeper and leave just a couple of stubs from the original shoots. After repotting into a fresh ...

The title of the post kinda says it all. For my North American calciphile plants I don't think I'm at a point in my cultivation skill where I should be adding limestone to the substrate itself, but would a few large-ish pieces of limestone (1/2" to 1") on top just to give a nod to the pla...

Great pics. Thanks for posting. More if you have them....

Looks a bit like Notocatus ottonis.

The main problem is what to do when they are too big! True story! I've gotta repot my medium-sized one this year and it's gonna be a pain. I just repotted mine today. I've been eyeing it for months always putting it off. It was in an 8 inch hanging pot and I put it into 12 in hanging basket. It was...

I have grown many of these (over 50) from seed to flowering size. You will not do better than the following potting mix these. 2 parts compost (dried and sieved to remove the particles less than 1-2mm) or 2 parts seedling grade orchid bark or similar, 2 parts gravel or course sand, 1 part fine scori...

You might be able to remove it with your bare hand. If not, sterilize a sharp knife with alcohol and do the cut right on the attachment point indicated by the red line. Steve, It would be much better to take the cutting here. Cutting into old parts is much more slow to root and the resulting roots ...

Thanks Tom. I have moved my plants to slightly more shady conditions recently. One has 3 flower buds on it but that one was already in more shade than the others. I've learned that there are at least 2 forms. One being var multiplex. That makes sense with mine. One is very prolific offsetting and th...

The whitish discoloration is sunburn. It might recover. Place the plant in a situation under an open tree canopy where it get strong but chequered light - if you can. Purple in plants is produced under stress as a protective response. It might be from high temps, sudden high light or cold temps. It ...