MerryPrankster Posted November 22, 2012 (edited) Hi, everybody. I've been a long time lurker, but haven't signed up until recently; so this is my first post! I've recently gotten into cactus growing, and it's proving addictive. Here are some pictures: These are my 3 month old column seedlings on river sand. I don't remember the strain I used, I will have to go and find it. They got direct sunlight a few times and the container they're in doesn't hold perfect humidity, but they seem quite happy. These are some loph seedlings, planted at the same time (and at the other end of the container!) as the columns above. Please give me some feedback, are these happy? This is my fat pach. I got it as a cutting about a month and a half ago. I scabbed off the base, soaked it in rooting hormone and planted it. It accidentally blew over in some unprecedented wind, and there are some small roots hanging from it. The top looks really happy and seems to be awake and growing, but the bottom two thirds are a little bit squishy. Should I be night misting? Here are two psycho cuttings that were rooted a few months ago. The one in the small pot copped some abuse when it was moving, So its spines don't look as great. These are 3 rooted pachanois that I got at the same time as the fat cut, and it seems like it's taken a while for their roots to rehydrate or something, because they only now seem to be waking up. The camera seems to make them look prettier and more vibrant. for some reason. Thanks for looking at my pictures! If anybody has some advice, questions or input please feel free, I welcome new knowledge! Edited November 23, 2012 by MerryPrankster 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Change Posted November 22, 2012 Welcome. I like your pebbles 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foo Posted November 22, 2012 Hey, welcome. Looks like your off to a good start Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazonian Posted November 22, 2012 Welcome to The Corroboree MerryPrankster . Nice intro'. Your seedlings look nice and green. If your name is anything to go by, i think we might be in for a treat?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qualia Posted November 22, 2012 hi and welcome, i wouldn't do anything to that pachanoi (squichy one), just leave it dry out for a while. nice plants otherwise!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sethomopod Posted November 22, 2012 (edited) Hello there merry prankster, Hope you have a fantastic time here... Edited November 27, 2012 by sethomopod Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
inti Posted November 22, 2012 welcome . nice trichs. fellow cactus addict here too. cactus addicts anonymous "...its been 2 hrs since i last looked at my cactus....." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cactuscarl Posted November 22, 2012 Hi and welcome just thought id let you know that first plant isn't a spach its a pachanoi or was that a typo and supposed to say pach Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ilovecacti Posted November 22, 2012 Welcome, they all look very healthy, well done. Just remember that pure sand has very little in the way of nutrients and organic material, eventually they will use what's there and will need to be supplemented. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MerryPrankster Posted November 23, 2012 Thanks for all of the welcoming replies! I will leave the 'squishy' pachanoi and let it do its thing. The seedlings get misted with plain water every couple of days, and I very occasionally give them an extremely weak fert solution. There is a lot more to learn, I feel as though I've just scratched the surface. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2Deep2Handle Posted November 26, 2012 (edited) here is a lot more to learn, I feel as though I've just scratched the surface. The more cacti and plants i aquire and learn (what I/we can) about, the more this statement is re-iterated. Welcome to the forums MerryPrankster Looks like your well and truly off to a good start! Edited November 26, 2012 by 2Deep2Handle Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MerryPrankster Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) Please help! I went away for a week, and my squishy pach has developed some black spots. It was sitting under a gutter that burst and it got very wet. The last two days have been pretty hot, so I've left it outside, trying to give it as much sun as I can. What can I do to slow the rot? Maybe some H2O2? Thanks in advance. Edited November 30, 2012 by MerryPrankster Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoOnThen Posted November 30, 2012 If its the black spots on the top then DON'T PANIC Seriously if that's all it is it will be fine. It is probably the result of some bruising / damage just keep an eye on on the black spots and watch it doesn't start growing and turn to mush then you can panic Cheers Got 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MerryPrankster Posted November 30, 2012 Thanks, Got! Should I continue to keep it as dry as possible? Like, leave it outside when it's hot, but bring it in when it gets wet? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoOnThen Posted November 30, 2012 If the spots are soft then it might be worth keeping it dry but the best thing for it is it to be happy so that would mean a nice warm sunny spot just make sure it doesn't get sunburnt. Actually that might be what the black spots started from it could have had the tip sunburnt and now it is starting to grow out. Cheers Got Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CβL Posted November 30, 2012 Hey man, welcome to the board. Your seedlings appear to be doing quite well indeed - have you grown seeds before? Are you been watering once every third or fourth watering with some extremely dilute fertilizer? This speeds the growth up, as the same compounds that dissolve so easily in your water jug will be the same ones that wash straight out of the soil. As I understand it, Lophophora have some special mechanisms to break down the soil by themselves, but I have no idea how. The Trichocerei do have beneficial micro-organisms though, and their "job" is to break down the surrounding soil compounds (these cannot be absorbed by the cactus) and "chuck" it into the roots of the Trichocereus. Maybe you already knew this. But where I was going with this, was that in coarse sand, the micro-organisms have nothing to break down, and don't really provide much benefit to the plants, so you have to provide the nutrients in "easy-mac" form. For the Lophophora, as long as some of the matter in the soil contain the vital nutrients, it'll be okay. Sand is mostly quartz (natural glass), and it's really the other constituents that would benefit the Loph, so as long as there's some way for it to get at the main nutrients (Nitrogen,Phosphorus,Potassium [N,P,K] and the trace elements) it can stay in sand. But I don't think this is so with just ordinary sand. Secondly, that pachanoi with the black spots should be okay. Just make sure you let it dry out somewhat in the sun, without letting it get sunburned (large bright yellow patches appear in the green parts facing the sun). The squishyness you are mentioning comes from the plant being nutrient deprived (probably phosphorus, as this one is directly involved with cell wall integrity - this doesn't mean your soil is bad, it just means the roots haven't gotten hold of what phosphorus is in the soil yet), and it breaks down its own cell walls to get into its nutrient supplies. Healthy plants should be firm to the touch all over. In cuttings that have sat for a long time; it's normal - as the plant recycles itself to make roots. You also shouldn't need to mist a Trichocereus at night either. There's usually enough vapor in the air, and misting it might actually slow its absorption down (just guessing here). I also seem to notice that extremely hot days (where the hot air raises a lot of moisture into the air), then a cool night where all that moisture drops down - seem to make the cuticle wax grow on my plants. Lastly, what type of soil are you using for your Trichocereus? Kind regards, -CBL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MerryPrankster Posted November 30, 2012 Thanks for the detailed information, CBL. The more I can learn about these wonderful plants the better I can take care of them. I haven't grown seeds before, I guess it's a combination of the river sand, beginner's luck, the container I have them in (keeps them covered but not airtight) and warm but indirect sunlight. I was thinking about making a 5ml/litre Charlie's Carp solution for them, and your suggestion has cemented it. The river sand will have had some nice trace elements that they can use, but I will provide some more nutrients. I will keep the Pachanoi where it is, all of the other cactus look happy, but if it begins to rain I will bring it inside. My soil mixture is approximately 75% Bonsai mix, which has quite a lot of sand and pebbles with some soil, then 25% Osmocote cactus mix. I felt the bonsai mix had a better consistency. The cactus mix had a small amount of sand, the rest of its contents just looked like potting mix. I have been fertilising them approximately every two weeks with a 20ml/l Charlie's Carp solution. Hope this answers your questions, thankyou for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. Much appreciated! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted November 30, 2012 I wouldn't use the charlie carp for cactus myself, especially the Lophs if they are in pots. Fish ferts are normally very high in nitrogen which is OK in cooler weather, but in hot weather the plants can pig out on it & split(crack open). Most cactus ferts are more balanced in their NPK levels and designed to give slower growth which is said to lower your chances of a split Loph. Miracle grow was a balanced mix of NPK, but I noticed the new one is very high in nitrogen. I don't know if this has been influenced by all the problems with algal blooms due excess phosphate runoff. There is general trend these for ferts to be high in nitrogen and low in phosphorus so I assume that could be the reasoning behind high nitrogen ferts these days. Camelia and azalea ferts are still a good balanced mix (in most cases) That osmocote cactus mix looks a lot like a normal potting mix but I was surprised to see how well it drains and how quick it dries out. For a Trich it would probably be OK as is, but for a Loph it could retain a bit too much water in the cooler months. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
