Glaukus

Not a subulata, but this is the sort of monstrose growth I'd expect from an Opuntia.

I would expect that the monstrose is just a form of the species. Same species but with monstrose growth tendencies. Neither photo looks like the plants are showing monstrose growth, but this can be deceptive. Plenty of monstrose plants alternate between regular and monstrose growth. You could take a punt I suppose, depending on how much you want to gamble.

Better hope defqon gets the Gladys tick of approval bro. It's one on her hit list.

We need to consider why people are seeking such anxiolysis and feed their spirit to a place where they can have calm loving self-acceptance and compassion, not allow them to run away with another vice. Modern Life is the cause. So much pressure to fit into a shape, do this, don't do that...modern workplaces are increasingly stressful. Pressure to do more with less. And a lot of us see the futility, but can't do much to resist these forces. By Friday night, many of us seek the void.

Love a good semi...

I love a good cup of Irish breakfast tea, and I also love a good Earl Grey. Making tea is a nice ritual too. I aerate the water as much as possible by pouring from a height into the cup, I don't get much occasion to make a whole pot of tea often. Then gently slide in the bag, it has to stay upright, not lay on it's side. I avoid any disturbance at all for a few minutes, no swirling or jiggling allowed! The tea infusion usually stays in the bottom of the cup separate to the clear hot water. It's quite relaxing watching it seep out slowly. Only then when the bag is removed does the tea mix. I have it black without sugar thanks.

Doh, me not read good. Even better.

What's in a name? My cactus will be doing exactly the same thing regardless of whether they're trichocereus or echinopsis. We humans are weird.

It should be a "good Friday" haha. Followed up by 420

Catch you there this time Flux

That's a very cool idea DubyaB

Edit: taken by moi I'll offer: 1 x 30+cm mid cut Ecuadorian Pachanoi with a small pup A few "sage" cuttings (unrooted) A 30 pack of my tricho cross seeds from last summer (-psycho0 x big plym -big plym x psycho0 - psych0 op (there was pollen from various trichos floating around at the time could be more big plym, Yowie, Dawson's banana terschy, Delia's yellow echinopsis or fields macro) - Yowie x psycho0 -yowie x fields macro - helon x big plym -helon x psycho0) I'll add some extra seeds as a surprise.

Hey Mu! Do you happen to have any of the pachanoi that seems to be named after you (ie Mu!)? Love a bit if so...

Here's one of my favourite poppy seed treats! https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germkn%C3%B6del&ved=2ahUKEwillZLdraHhAhWIYysKHVH5DUwQFjAlegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw08YNZrqrvr6o6K-1LtR0mw

Once petals have fallen, wait for the crowns to point upwards, then you can start giving the pods a squeeze. If they are reasonably firm, they're probably in the stage where they are ready to Lance (in countries where that is the practice). However, seeds wont be developed at this stage. You really need to let them mature and dry until the pods open up just under the crown. Then they turn into little seeds shakers that spread seeds everywhere when the wind blows them. You can give pods a shake before they actually open up. If you hear them rattle like a snake then the seeds are probably ready. Shake out seeds into a container for sprinkling on top of your bagels and cakes.

I can see I'm not going to win any arguments here! Just my personal experience. Take it or leave it!

I see them growing in pure gravel, on the sides of roads...they will grow anywhere. Not to say they won't appreciate some nutrients.

This is all theoretical advice. Not an encouragement. But the information is out there already anyway... Sow your poppy seeds when ambient temperature hovers around 15°C. Sprinkle very lightly on top of raked soil, don't cover. Rows are easy to manage. You want to aim for at least 30cm spacing of plants. If more pop up and they get too crowded, thin out before they get too large. They are weeds. They will grow in the poorest soil imaginable, however nitrogen in the cabbage stage will make for bigger plants, and potassium at flowering encourages blooms. Sowing in autumn will result in bigger healthier plants and faster flowers in spring. Wet weather once petals fall will dilute alkaloids. Sooty mildew and poppies go hand in hand so be prepared. Once poppies have set seed, they will come up everywhere for ever and ever, the seeds spread far and wide. Seriously this plant is a weed, and the phrase "treat em mean" comes to mind. Now for a lecture. Please be careful. I would hate for anyone to fall onto a slippery slope that can end in misery and tragedy before you realise you're even heading down. Not to mention this is a prohibited plant to begin with. It ain't no joke.

I think nothinghead has already said what needs to be said. We could have a global population of one million people total and they could still cause global warming.

No, I tend to kill variegates!

I've had pretty good success with wedges. They're especially good for unusual shaped pieces of crests.

You can make even more from a piece you'd like to propagate by doing wedges rather than flat slabs. If you slice a section longitudinally into 4 quarters rather than in half you end up with a wedge. Cut a v shaped piece from your stock with matching angles (say both pieces have a 90° angle) and fit them together with pressure. This actually increases the surface area for the union of the vascular bundles too so you often get fast growth sooner. Good technique if you have a super rare but small piece of a plant you'd like to increase quickly.

Why do kangaroos breed out of control? Because we fucked the system up. Then we try to correct it and probably fuck up more things in the process. I often wonder if this is actually our purpose. Maybe we have it all wrong. Maybe we are supposed to transform base elements into complex technology as part of some macroecosystem process. Are we an abberration? It's hugely depressing to contemplate that you are apart from the natural order of things, so maybe we aren't, and we just can't see the end game. Maybe I'm clutching at straws because it's too horrible to think about...

Here's hoping for a wet autumn down south (after 420 of course!), So that the forests come alive again! Been so dry last few years I didn't even bother venturing out on a sub hunt.