CactiGuide.com

Hi everyone!

As a child, I was fond of cacti. These were mainly Echinopsises and Mammillarias. I didn't have internet and access to good books so I was making some mistakes in cultivation. For example some of my cacti were growing in pots with peat that I purchased in. Once I even got seeds of some Rebutia and sowed. But I sowed its on sand with too small fraction. So the soil crusted. It was about 17 years ago.

Around one year ago, in November 2019, I have bought a few cacti, this was the start of the new collection. This spring I made topic with some photos (https://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44316). Currenly I have 49 specimens. Mostly its from hypermarkets. A have Mammillarias, Gymnocalyciums, Parodias, some Astrophytums, Echinopsises and some another not really rare genuses. Now I have thought to seed. I have bought seeds mix for learning and I'm preparing for this process.

Currently it is really cold outdoors (-10°) so it is rest period for the collection.

But I have a photo for first topic which i did on September 8.

Welcome to discussion! I will be glad to communicate!

Greetings from the USA, Alessandro! That's a handsome collection you have. And I see one familiar specimen which I also have in my collection. At least I think it's the same. The Gymnocalcium baldianum, right? The blooming one. Mine has been very faithful with flowers all year and has come indoors for the winter.

best,
Steve

Steve-0 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:11 pm Greetings from the USA, Alessandro! That's a handsome collection you have. And I see one familiar specimen which I also have in my collection. At least I think it's the same. The Gymnocalcium baldianum, right? The blooming one. Mine has been very faithful with flowers all year and has come indoors for the winter.

best,
Steve

Hi Steve. Thanks!
You are right, this is G.baldianum. I bought this cactus in May and it was blooming a few times during the summer. Also in October I got two offsets which rooting now (almost done). In future I hope to get seeds from this plants. But I should wait blooming of these offsets (at least one of them) and I'm not sure that it will be next summer.

Best regards,
Alexander

Very happy healthy young plants, nice to see, thank you for sharing, A1essandro!
I don't remember, do you hold them outdoors in greenhouse in summer or grow them all year round indoors?

anttisepp wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:22 am Very happy healthy young plants, nice to see, thank you for sharing, A1essandro!
I don't remember, do you hold them outdoors in greenhouse in summer or grow them all year round indoors?

Thank you!

Unfortunately I don't have a greenhouse so I grow them indoors. Where it is more then 0 degrees outdoors I hold balcony window open and only mosquito net separates cacti from fresh air. I have southwestern windows so in the summer it's about 8 hours sun exposition.

You said balcony door? Why not to build summer greenhouse there?

anttisepp wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:30 am You said balcony door? Why not to build summer greenhouse there?

Sorry, maybe I put it wrong. Maybe not balcony but loggia (it is unusual word for me). So I have windows in this place. But this place is not really heat in winter because, for example, now it is -7° outdoors and 10° indoors. It's about 5° indoors where -15-18° outdoors.

Hi, A1essandro,
Yours loggia seems to be perfect place for winter dormancy.

... And more valuable for summer awakening. ))

Tomek B. wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:02 pm Hi, A1essandro,
Yours loggia seems to be perfect place for winter dormancy.

anttisepp wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:28 pm ... And more valuable for summer awakening. ))

Thanks! I hope

But I'm not sure that temperature in loggia will be OK if it will be -35° outdoors)
Last winter minimum was -18° as I remember. But -25° it's usually temperature for January in Samara. Sometimes may be -30 or -35 degrees.

Post regarding Gymnocalycium schickendantzii repotting.

This cactus has #10 in my own catalogue and this is my first Gymnocalycium.
Also the species of this plant identified by ElieEstephane in this topic: https://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 38#p371067

In October pot with this cactus fall and broke and I put it to box and "forgot" due to lack of time.

I have bought it in January. So this plant was growing full season and I can estimate this growing like not really rapid. Besides cactus has not bloomed yet. But I really like this spines and deep green color of stem.

I prefer organic free (100% mineral) mixtures for soil and you can see that roots are really clean.
It's really easy to repot cactuses from mineral mixtures
Also I have bought some new cacti to my collection. I will prepare photos and share it with you!

Now it looks more like some eriosyce &co IMHO.
PS I talk about balcony only as a summer place, not for winter, I know what does your winter mean. ))

anttisepp wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:36 pm Now it looks more like some eriosyce &co IMHO.

I'm confused. It's unexpected for me. I have rechecked G.schickendantzii and checked Eriosyce species photos. I continue to lean towards G.schickendantzii but E.curvispina is really similar.

A1essandro wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 9:00 pm

anttisepp wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:36 pm Now it looks more like some eriosyce &co IMHO.

I'm confused. It's unexpected for me. I have rechecked G.schickendantzii and checked Eriosyce species photos. I continue to lean towards G.schickendantzii but E.curvispina is really similar.

This image suggests to me that G. shick. is correct. Although the spine count is different. But perhaps it could be the subspecies delaetii?

Steve-0 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 9:20 pm This image suggests to me that G. shick. is correct. Although the spine count is different. But perhaps it could be the subspecies delaetii?

Thank you Steve.

I think you are right. Besides ElieEstephane mentioned this subspecies in ID topic. Also I have seedling of G.schickendantzii with field number L473 and it's grayish brown (but seedling is about 1cm diameter). So, I believe that this species is various and maybe it can have more or less spines.