Optimystic

I can't wait til they get huge... they actually just got potted in the past couple weeks after growing semi hydroponically for 6.5-7.5 months with window sunlight and a reflector behind them.. here is a regular Validus X LJ im pretty excited about these they seem a little slower thus far... I didn't graft that many at first but recently I did a few more and plus I've got around 100 growing on their own little roots These are the fastest grafts i've grown from Zelly's seed so far PC Pach X SS02/01 its sort of miraculous that they were still standing before I harvested the tips and here they are next to some fat icaros degrafts Some Peru X Kimnach in the on the left and a mix of SS02/SS01F2's and Juuls x LJ on the right Update on the uppotted Peru x Kimnach and LJ x Juuls... pretty much all of my grafts which can still stand will be up-potted in the spring like this.. i was way overwhelmed this year - but the potential outcomes is inspiring PeruxKim LJ x Juuls

Winter Prep... time to sleep!! Moved them all in last night and pulled the plastic over earlier in time for a deeper freeze. this fella gets to stay out this year... my first test with cold hardy peru on a native opuntia base... I really should have had this in the ground by now eh... already one freezing night past in this pic and looking tough.. tonight an even colder freeze but I put a styro cup over the tip for the night So yeah - wow, I really filled up the hoophouse this year. I've got to come up with a game plan for next year to make room for a bunch of these once they're potted up ... somehow it all just sorta worked out with space And that's not even all my grafts!!!

Variegates Yay! These are grafts from a Validus x Lumberjack planting Sewn on Halloween I think 2013 and grafted 3/11/14 and 4/11/14.. "311" - two different seedlings both I thought might be variegated but one turned out for sure "411" - this seedling appeared to be the most variegated of all at first... started out a very light green and the yellowing is on one side.. I grafted some pups and they're all yellowish too so either its a very light sensitive clone or maybe it just not showing all its traits yet time will tell... there is also another one which is from a more recent sew which I grafted in the past couple months... this one looks promising - reminded me of the others and the graft is already pumped... Will add some pics when it gets bigger probably in the spring next year as its turning winter like now

when leaves shrivel, if you catch it early and mist them they can rehydrate sometimes... I think its a matter of moisture and temps especially when rooting in soil.. i root most pere cuttings now in Kelp water in a cup and they never ever lose leaves other than the occasional bottom leaves when they are completely shaded... larget cutting seem to be more likely to drop leaves or at least require misting but 6" cutting and less don't ever give me any fuss.. the first year I raised pere all of the first cuttings dropped leaves and I thought it was a regular thing but it never happened at all when I started planting immediately after cutting and keeping the soil moist.. I think the hormones in kelp make them root a little faster too... i've been throwing the little offset tips I pinch off the grafts into empty pots and it seems like most of them root and grow... it is a much warmer climate here tho

Reminds me of Stenocereus Stellatus but I dunno

i've read about grafting to opuntias where its recommended the pads be under 1 year, however my first attempts were to two spineless pads which im nearly sure were over a year ... 1 out of 2 took, and then I regrafted to the other and it appears to be growing finally after pumping and then sitting idle throughout the summer... the first one is friggen huge way bigger than could have been achieved on a pere in the same amount of time so maybe it depends on the species .. the trick I find is that A. when you cut opuntia is best to make a fast smooth cut.. if you try to cut it slow it can get "wavy" unless you have superhands... and then what I do is run the scion along the length until I find a groove that the scion fits into very well.. I tried some ario aerole grafts onto O. Humifusa and the neat thing about it is how sticky the sap is compared to spineless plants... I have a seedling and a few aereoles on both types of opuntia but none has really taken off with growth yet thought I suspect they will soon the first two pics are in June when the first opuntia graft started growing ( graft was performed in May).. the 2nd one is a pic of when I re-grafted the one that didn't take which is now showing new spines.. both were pups grafted from existing pere grafts... I also tried some seedling grafts on thin opuntia pads, and they haven't shriveled, but haven't grown in several weeks either... but dur I need to plant them in soil The bigger one is a Peruvianus, same as this clone I started from seed on New Years Day 2013 i call him "Winter Blue" and here's a triple graft of a TPQC x TPM ... and the smaller is a Psycho x TPM On the bigger one I previously grafted several aereoles of a shriveling ario and they all failed on this one, so I regrafted and I kept screwing up on the cut and ended up with that shape lol These need to be in soil too but they're already growing

I had a pere rot the other day on a 1.5 year graft, the scion of which had been shriveled all this year but has some roots on it... I noticed some new roots after I cut off the rotted base of the pere and decided Id just replant it with a couple inches of good stock into soil to where the roots on the scion would be dangling into rich moist soil... when potting I noticed what looked like a root which had grown down through the pere and was trying to poke out.. I should have taken a pic ... they're some tough roots lol

I planted several plants this year into an extremely nitrogen rich manure based mushroom compost.... sometimes I mixed it with another compost with high phosphorus .. some I even added more organic nitrogen in the form of blood meal and worm castings just to see how they'd do... it was those cheapo nutrient tests where you mix so much soaked soil water with some powder but the colors I got were in the extreme range, which is why I blended the soil mixes down in alot of the pots.... plants growing in those mixes are doing extremely well growing fast thick and pupping alot.... i guess the real test will be over the winter if we get one... im pretty sure the minerals in their habitat have alot to do with how they've evolved... in some of the older pots i'll let clover grow for a bit cause clover fixes nitrogen... but I yank when they get too big my wonder is how long it would be before the nutes are depleted and have to repot or supplement with some good organic nutes / minerals... I do add a little kelp here and there and may have fert'd some of them lightly with an organic vegetative blend over the summer too, not sure what I was thinken that day

Godzilla bloomed again 3 flowers and they opened really fast too weird angle on this one same as the one with the top view b4.. I guess has a very "grafted" look.. these buds still haven't opened hopefully tomorrow they'll orgy it out with Godzilla if zilla re-opens... the first godzilla flower only opened a single day... the bees were really partying in that gurl the confusus flower opened and closed 3 days and I never saw a bee go in but im sure they got a taste the flower was looking really whored out by the 3rd day .. this plant was from fissuratus labeled seed and so its likely a hybrid

Melocactus Azureus (afaik) - surprised me with a fruit a few days ago T. Lophophoroides... these just bloom all year they're like a sex cult Ariocarpus blooms - restusus confusus and next to a Godzilla in bloom both from fissuratus labeled seed, buds forming, 4 for sure on one but the other might just be a hairball bees playing in the godzilla goodies

wowza

also in regard to Gunters comment, most growth is at the tip, however many collection plants are still gaiing girth, be it slowly WHAT IF... the watering has just caused an air bubble, causing the soil to deplete in a spot, this giving way and the result is the cactus leaning in the direction, while the cactus is still trying to go "up" it keeps going over the tipping point so to speak... like a see saw... I know i've had some cacti that were straight up in the fall and by the spring they were leaning before the first watering.. some stand back up but some remain as leaners... maybe just a chance lean .... this is only in the hypothetical stage... is it bending or is the whole thing leaning? in time I betcha the tip would bend, pointing up, if it were grown in full saturation of sun on either side.. and btw WB Mutant!

Outdoor grown Hairy 2 types that are very similar, one just has bigger spines.. the bigger spined one has friendly glochids when grown under intense flouros... they stick but don't penetrate... they're just as mean on the outdoor grown plants tho the other you can see just shorter spines but they eventually get about as long on the older growth they just start out shorter for whatever reason... the shorter spined one in shadier conditions will grow really long thin leaves... grows more glochids too... in full sun looks almost exactly like the other.. the leaves pretty much shapeshift depending on light and other conditions... all new tips point up unlike the bald which gets whacky over time... the "friendlier" hairy one tends to go more to oval shaped leaves in shadier conditions, and really thick.. they still confuse me inspite of the differnces and i get them mixed up alot ... they graft about the same tho and both get much thicker than the bald type over time.. Outdoor grown Bald Zany growth habit, lots of branching on its own with or without pruning, nasty glochids, smaller leaves... doesn't get as thick as the hairy types.... grafts pretty good and can hold weight.. i agree seems to get a bit woodier faster.. the epidermis is lot lighter green than the hairy types... got them from Zelly .... as for what they are called ... lol they hairys and the balds i called one Porterii for a while... in my head also i've read that Spathulata and Vellutina are synonymous but thats all the help I can offer

as if everyone hasn't seen it already http://youtu.be/8qP9bZDx79M

is yours the hairless type Zelly?

i've read somewhere that clouds do not block sun rays or most of them, and in fact just sort of disperse them causing it to be a bit brighter, particularly for plants, and may seem more subtle to the eyes, but isn't. "Diffuse light increases plant energy production because the light bends around corners to reach the lower leaves, not just the upper canopy." and theres other articles explaining how one can still get sunburned on an overcast day from: http://www.greenhousecatalog.com/greenhouse-light also ran across this really cool article about plant photosynthesis http://io9.com/new-evidence-that-plants-get-their-energy-using-quantum-1498695627

You in NZ? form what I understand it doesn't get super hot there... if thats the case then full sun all the way the brightest spot you can find for optimal growth, especially bridgesiis and peru's but if they haven't been in bright sun then introduce them slowly to brighter conditions... Dreamwalker is from there and should be able to share his experience with them there

life is precious, find something better but don't be stupid about it but you didn't want advice Well my situation could be better but im just taking my time slowly building a little empire but im not all that materialistic like I used to be and my bills are very low.. that will change tho and i'll probably take on a job or two that I hate eventually just to raise some capital.. til then its stuff on ebay lol most of my life i've been self employed and successful by my own measure.. the market changed a few years ago and I lost trust in alot of friends.. when stress is high true personalities shine and well I just abandoned alot of ppl cause all they wanted to do is complain, drink, waste money on strippers etc... most of the ppl made the same decision with me when my little fortune dried up... my savings dwineled down, lost the home, split with fiance, and life was a wreck... eventually that led me into plants and so I think I want to start a plant nursery but some days my back hurts so much that im just not sure lol so maybe a seed farm instead for extra bux lol . i took 3 jobs after leaving that career and each one of them was hell and it reminded me of high school jobs.. where you do a good job, at least you think the numbers and the reactions of ppl speak to it, but end up being someones shitrag when they are haveing a bad day... I couldn't put up with that , i still can't not for very long.. I live in Texas theres alot of geniune ppl here but its mostly shadowed by the assholes they worship and im like fuck that... so pretty much jobs give me anxiety, thats why I have such a tug of war with them.. but i won't take one if I don't feel I can give 100% commitment.. and if the ppl are asses i tell them, not necessarily with words, but they know what i mean

lol I've had it saved for a while... was gonna post someday when I felt like it but i figured it had to have popped up in the past... anywho ya beat me to it.. fun stuffs

yeah also there is a turface like product in the states called Napa Oil Dry... I never found turface but that was ez to find.. not sure if you have napa auto stores but its a product used to soak up oil spills in garages... I think there are different grades so maybe be careful about and read up on the qualities before getting any old oil spill cleaning stuff.. seems like it would work good, especially here since there is enough heat that I'd rather have somethign that repels a little of it .. I use it for sansy's I made "Al's gritty mix" with a little compromise using that and my exotic sansy's are doing well in it even though I think the conifer bark chips maybe have been a little on the large size

I think in the long run your plant is aiming to what it believes is "up" or towards the light... I have several grafted ones in a window and inspite of the mylar reflector they bend obviously towards the window, especially the ones further away from the reflected light which also have the backside light obstructed by other plants... The consensus seems to be they go for more light and shade in the location can make that vary... I have seen some small ones outside move a little when they are starting to pup... I also have a bending bridgesii which bends all the time like a snake but thats cause so far the growth has been fairly thin... but when it bends it appears to be due to weight and corrects itslef by going back up again

digging a little deeper on the topic of empathy neurons, I found this link someone shared a while back ... im not sure how much of it I subscribe to but I found it interesting nonetheless... I think the question is, do some ppl actually feel the feelings of others or is it in fact an illusion with internal implications... or maybe for some yes, for others no,,, shrugs http://mysilentecho.com/dreamtongue1.htm

Guineas Ebola education team believed to be abducted or dead http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/guineas-national-ebola-education-team-believed-to-be-abducted-or-dead/ they found their bodies, most at least http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/18/us-health-ebbola-guinea-idUSKBN0HD2JE20140918

Bayonets hrm... maybe they are doing a mass civil war re-enactment