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The Corroboree

Optimystic

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Posts posted by Optimystic


  1. Yeah... I find too often with plants that people get their egos in the way of what they want for the plants when the plants want nothing more than to grow, thrive and spread their genes around.... In nature, particular for cacti, one can only expect a small percentage of seeds to survive, while in captivity, one can get a high sprout rate and get them all around further preserving genetics which is good since the earth changes and shit...

    There is a great benefit to any plant to get in as many places as it can possibly be but I don't believe in growing a plant too far out of its zone without properly caring for it... but nature puts these plants under all of natures good and bad, and yet ppl have all these ideas about shit.. its more ego and reflects what these people want from the plants rather than what the plants want... I see overcare for nature way too often... nature would carry on just fine without any of us... but quite frankly I think the plants enjoy our company :)

    As for a University... this is a business like anything... if it wasn't they would operate for free or even non profit, but theres a price for tuition and salaries and all... I learned early in my business life (once upon a time) that the business which fail to network with other business, are the ones that dont last very long... theres nothing that makes a business flourish more than word of mouth and cooperation... If anything, this unity in business could have helped ensured better business practices by aligning with those who ran an ethical business ... but instead someone chose separation and ended up with what? ...


  2. Thanx! They could have just said that! I shoulda Wiki'd lol I appreciate you mentioning :P

    I had a pach that started off wierd, but not quite that wierd... like the ribs were all trying to arrange themselves but

    never protruding quite like that... It would be interesting to see a follow up in a few weeks


  3. That is pretty awesome! That word, Furusukiayabonzadillallypalooza, makes me laff

    It does look like some tiny D cups

    I wonder, were the grafts that failed monstrose or crest by chance?

    I saw a thread on another forum where someone had figured out how to make it happen intentionally but vice versa... the one with I forget which plants grafted to a Monstrose Opuntia species.. and they grafted a pereskie to it as well and got a peres that grows a branch at every aereole


    Heres one on Opuntia Subulate Monstrose where the scion took on the branching characteristics of the stock

    http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8235&highlight=austrocyclindropuntia+subulata

    theres another thread on this too but i'll have to keep looking

    im sure everyones seen it but incase ya haven't :P

    I'll admit I still don't know what a chimera is


  4. yeah if you quid 120 leaves, please videotape and share your method... I can't seem to figure this one out lol

    I have to say, Kong Coleus is one of the most colorfully beautiful plants I ever laid eyes on


  5. I just wanna free my mind… and free my time…

    I just wanna be able to see this time…. I’ll find…

    I just wanna be, What I wanna be this time…. My kind…

    I just wanna live - what I thought I left behind…

    I want to be able to open my eyes… reveal lies…

    I want to be successful without countless tries…

    I want to go to sleep at night, until I rise…

    Without having to hear the sound of my own cries…

    I guess I want to be better in every way,

    Defeating anxiety, despair and the gray…

    A colorful life, for sure is the way…

    What I found is empty, what can I say?

    I guess I can’t say, Can I say I’ve been wrong…

    And so now I realize the pain doesn’t belong…

    I just can’t keep singing the same old song…

    The song I’ve been living way too long…

    Can’t help but remember , some things that I’ve done…

    A long list of battles, some lost, and some won…

    But what I’ve learned from every single one…

    Is that there’s never been the right time to run…

    Stand strong but always pick your battles…

    Don’t waste your time with leeches & tattles…

    Most snakes are silent, some have rattles…

    But all snakes know the creek w/all the paddles…

    And all leeches know where to find the softest spot….

    And don’t you know the softest is the first to rot…

    Consider Kennedy and how he got shot…

    He died a man but what has History Taught…

    The truths written down but what seems to endure…

    Are the potions and snake oils being passed as the cure..

    They haven’t taught us truth, that which I know for sure…

    Because deep in your heart you know the word is pure,

    So pure it can’t be written on pages… by sages…

    And it can’t be taken from the singing birds in their cages…

    The truth has been carried by ritual throughout the ages…

    At times found amongst those paid minimum wages…

    Truth Rages… A Lie is not a philosophy….

    Truth touches your heart while a lie is felt quite softly…

    But unlike the truth, a lie grows quite loftily…

    And when multiplied can become quite costly…

    The truth is just truth, but whats known when it prevails…

    Is that the shine from its light, it never fails…

    It only gets brighter it never pales…

    Twisted versions of the truth are often called tales…

    Being that I understand the truth I feel enlightened..

    I still can see that some will never let the fight end…

    Or is it in fact that one day my minds eye will bend…

    And I’ll have the opportunity to live life again from start to end…

    I always wonder, have I drifted from the place that I started…

    Have I really been matured since the first time I was carded?

    Has society justified being martyred…or is the concept purely retarded…

    And is it possible, can I communicate with my dearly departed…

    Don’t get me started This is just the way that I Question….

    If you don’t ask the Question, Then you’re letting less In…

    Sometimes the right Questions will cure mental congestion…

    But plenty of bullshit available with nice fronts that they’re dressed in…

    And if you’re buying the fronts then you’re letting the rest in…

    Eliminate those and then just let the best in…

    At times it is best to confide in a best friend…

    Which are the ones you often see and hear from again…

    But the reasons you see and hear from them depend…

    A lot of them will come and go like a played out trend…

    100 % of true friendships will never come to an end…

    In fact the only thing that can truly outlive time is a friend…

    These crazy eyes have seen too many of those bonds expire…

    I’ve been utterly disgusted by the qualms of a persistent liar…

    I’ve learned in the most painful way not to get too close to the fire…

    I had to understand the old me, before the old me could retire…

    I got to a point in my depression, when my life was in a bind…

    I thought it died, found regression…and the pain was on rewind…

    It was then that I found “expression”, is what could put my troubles behind…

    But that’s not the only thing that this inquisitive mind would find…

    ...

    ......

    ...

    I found that the hallways of truth, with these deep words are lined…

    Free my Body, Free my soul, Free my spirit, & Free my mind…

    • Like 3

  6. Im kinda jealous that you guys can just walk into a bunnings and find a bridge or a scop, or call up a buddy and get an Eileen...
    I have heard of ppl finding some crazy monstrose stuff at a hardware store here, but the only thing I've had no struggle finding at a store here in the way of Trichos are the Pc pach's..

    By the time those clones make their way to the states, they remain in tight knit circles and shit.. I observe a sort of protectionist attitude here... I would think that the pinnacle of cactus sexuality would be in its ability to spread its genes around as often as possible... the most recommended places here to get a nice cutting don't even have pics on their website lol one of them even charges for a fancy book, given I understand theres not a large enough market here to evade the need for creativity, but I reckon thats a partly to blame of our collective american attitude and perhaps some legal paranoia... ugh

    I'll occasionally see an eileen on the auction site for a ridiculous price as its some "rare aussie clone"... Then I come here and see such a nice clone being passed around like a collection plate at a holy mass... Its really nice to know the spirit of sharing is so prevalent somewhere, not just among close friends but just in general.... not that ppl aren't generous here, but I have yet to be an actual benefactor of such cactus philantrophy, other than boxes full of pereskies and seedling runts lol and plenty more pc pach's lol I suppose its in my better interest to count my blessings!

    I considered trying to order a scop from Germany but I just don't have that much faith in international mail delivery...Its the only one I have found for sale and listed as available to ship to usa... Cool enough tho, I spent the entire 2012 fascinated with a 4 ribbed bridgesii, and one arrived at my doorstep at the beginning of the year, bringing all the excitement back I had at the start of last year ... but i'll admit it was one of those "I don't care if my phone bill gets cut off" type of transactions

    nevertheless, theres alot of beautiful stuff being spread around here too, some real gems for someone who really really looks..

    But I have a dream... that one day every american will have the ability to walk into a home depot and pick up a rooted Eileen for $6.95

    and thus I am gonna make a trip to peru myself and do my own collecting ;) whenever I get to that lol

    I agree with Evil Genius, and as I insinuated in my first reply, the spots are equivalent to cactus acne, however if the spots continue to grow (as I think should be clarified from my first post) then It would be beneficial to get to the root of the problem... especially if that soil is not rocky or without perlite... and if he's suspecting some base softness, I wouldn't hesitate to dig a few inches deeper into the soil...

    • Like 2

  7. yeah I just fert them for having alot of stock, but for my first go I did a semi flush before using any for grafting, like my last watering before taking the cuts is just water... I assume that when rooting a tip it sorta uses up most of the energy anyhow and the humidity is enough to maintain without watering for a while.. or at least I assume as much considering my limited experience... Just seeing how the larger plants droop over when being well hydrated is enough for me to know not to water a perskie that has been recently grafted.. They can handle drought no problem, but I know they are thirsty if some leaves start to crinkle.... im not sure how long to wait to water after grafting, but certainly well after the graft is established I would assume... but I will have to experiment and see for myself, the effect of various nutes on a successful graft.. I might wait til my next set of grafts before I start playing around tho...

    I really haven't gotten that far @ My first pereskie grafts are going on day 9 atm...
    I only attempted on other peres graft a few days earlier and I screwed it up due to carelessness but it was a good lesson anyhow
    @ never pull the plastic off too quick w/the clothespin method

    I can tell you how to grow the fuck out of some pereskies tho lol


  8. That all sounds like excellent advice... Since these are a little bigger than my other seedlings I wanted to give them a little more lateral space (not too much) for the roots.. I don't think this is exactly the problem but when they take off I want them as much room as they need... I have a dozen smaller bridgesiis a year younger, and 4 of them are in smaller pots with restricted lateral space... the result is that the ones in the slightly bigger pots have outpaced the others by an inch or two and thus I want to give a little more lateral space to the bigger ones... I potted them with what I had at the time but i've come into a over 100 clay pots of all sizes since then for really cheap and im transitioning all my plants over... since these haven't grown at all, in an entire year, I want to start them off right... plus my bridgesiis in general seem to like to dry out more and that will help ensure that I think, thought Im not sure it would make much difference since they are small pots...

    Most of my plants are doing quite well in the peat based soil.. but I think its around a year or two the peat begins to break down and can give an acidic ph.. in fact peat moss is recommended for my blueberry plants as an alternative to other ways of acidifying the soil... and everywhere I read says this can lead to nutrient uptake problems later on.... but If I recall correctly I think they add a little lime to the mix, not sure ... I know the same brand has a garden cactus mix (not potting mix) and that says advertises added lime, while the other ingredients are identical... with that said, I realize triches are quite adaptive, more so than other cacti species, but I want to make them feel as close to home as possible

    but you have an excellent point @ overfertilizing and I've been going with very light doses just to be safe... but also I want to repot just to check roots and I may as well go with terra cotta meanwhile so I can keep my plants on the same feeding schedule... its really easy to lose track of plants when you have a bunch and plus im not limited to just one species so its been a task... its becoming quite full time lol

    They are approaching an entire year with zero growth... just got dull colored and greened back up... thats my thinking on just changing everything while simultaneously checking the roots

    • Like 1

  9. I was trying to avoid uprooting mine so bad.. I was so proud I had a super fast growing bridge lol .. I was rotating the damn pot 3 times a day so the sun would heal the base spots... it was a lesson... I could have avoided cutting it if I would have uprooted it early one and discovered the soil issue.. you might ask if he suspects the soil to not be completely drying out and if so, maybe change the soil altogether to one that drains twice as fast perhaps...

    Those are the same temps we get here on a regular basis at peak summer, and with the one I didnt' repot, just to be safe I only watered it every 10 days and it kept growing really fast, and even didn't require as much shade as many others that showed some stress in the heat... I hate having one plant that I have on a different schedule so it's going in some super draining soil this season... but yeah, tell him 10 days apart is okay but give a little protection to the pot (from heat so the roots don't cook)

    Mine were the same color as that, the nice gray blue.. They really like to dry out, far more than say a pc pach which can stay wet all the time...

    Oh and YVW


  10. I've got two cuts of the same adult bridgesii, and one of them way sensitive... I think the soil was holding too much water.. it got spots like that and base rot... a smaller cutting of another also got spots when it was really warm out.. but on the first one, another cut flourished in the heat... I think the one that rotted was because the perlite didn't hold in the soil and it stayed way too moist... the spots kept appearing and healing and finally bad enough that I had to uproot it and cut off the base to save it... if you avoid watering too much I think you can prevent further damage... I just simply decided to water that plant less ... some are said to be more tolerant though...

    Those kinda spots will usually heal over, but dont' water til they do imo.. or if the plant starts looking thirsty then go ahead and water.. I wouldnt worry so much unless they keep growing, thats fairly typical but has to do with moisture but maybe heat... is it hot there?

    This is strange to me cause they originate in a part of SA where theres more rain...

    • Like 1

  11. everytime ive increased my feeding dosage, my pereskies have increased in growth and thickness.. the closer they grow to the fluoros, the faster they grow ... I could swear that airflow has a large effect too, and obviously warmth. The good thing about them, is that even if they start off etoliated, they can still thicken up no problem, but they want alot of everything... I have a problem with mine growing up to the fluros and the tips burning if I don't watchem, even when grown in regular sized styrofoam cups 2 foot under 4 HO t5s.... . I did this intentionally to get some thinner tips to go with thicker ones... Growing them in a window is ridiculous cause they get all bent out of shape lol

    givem lots of nitrogen, plus everything else and micronutes and you'll be bitching soon enough... you can't go wrong with organics and you can push it a bit so long as their soil is well draining.. I just recently experminted rooting one in straight up oily clay (native soil here) with 50% perlite with a little sand, and my goodness....no need to waste any costly soil on these, but just make sure to dry it out to eliminate any gnats.... ATM, Mine get nutes every week, about a medium dose of some pro grow vegetative organic blend, in preparation for my next grafting project but I do an occasional plain watering... I don't know if they can burn or not, but with organics they will just eat the shit up... kelp too

    also, my porteri's grow much different leaf shapes in different spectrums which is pretty cool.. I found a study on it before, and apparently the different leaf types serve different functions, but imo is more obvious on porteris... The glochids on some of these spathulata going around are vicious, for the love of cacti :X

    • Like 2

  12. Thanks for the input! Both you guys! They are genuinely some of my favorites in my collection and thus the name "Spine Collector" :P

    No doubt these have strong if not complete bridgesii influence... and Im well aware that there is alot of variation among bridgesii seedlings...

    Unfortunately its hard to see but the ones with longer spines had some knocked off and bent in the process of shipping, especially towards the top where they had just begun to get long... I want to say the spines have grown a little but I am just not sure, even after staring at their early pics for a while... Theres spots where I think some would have been longer spines but maybe were catching shade or something... @ CBL thats what my struggle is with these two that I really think the spines seem quite uniform and the aereoles are a little more "feltier" It doesn't bother me either way, and frankly I just started wondering about them after looking at them for months.... If anything im anxious for them to grow ... obviously this hobby hasn't cured me completely from my lack of patience lol

    I know they are ready for more light, and frankly im sure they were acclimated to sun before I got them, and that could be the entire issue with growth here... Recently I added a mylar strip the other side of my window seedling spot so they get more coverage and it seems to be encouraging more growth on my smaller ones... These 3 were some of my earlier seedlings and I had to learn.. thankfully they didn't etoliate cause they are some beauties ;)The plan is to pot them up into larger terra cotta pots in the next few weeks and get them acclimated the way they like it.. but also Im gonna continue to foliar feed them until then.. its fairly warm where they are but the short daylight hours are just beginning to increase as we approach spring here... They have been fed about 2-3x monthly fed 1/3 to 1/2 strenght schultz cactus drops on top of being in the same mix I used for everything thus far which is enriched soil... I added a little worm casting tea a while back but the kelp was the first to make any change, but it could also be season related.... Im switching soils this year and havent figured out what yet, but it sucks cause the only thing available here in terms of cactus mix is peat based.. and so im gonna have to repot alot of plants this year and next, and get a little creative

    Anyhow, its getting close to spring and with them showing a little promise of a growth spurt im getting a little excited @ how much more redundant can I get haha


  13. I got these as seedlings a little less than a year ago (the 3 larger ones)... all they have done is change color since then... I may have tricked them into dormancy by mistake by trying to grow them under fluoros at first, though they have had decent window sunlight for months now... Finally they greened up a bit with a dose of Kelp just recently

    The one in the middle in the first pic, I think is obviously a Bridge... the two on the left and right show alot more spines but definitely scream bridgesii with the mean long spines... I saw in another thread where someone was talking about the signature of a bridgesii hybrid, but I havent run across that post again... and so I'm wondering if anyone else believes those 2 are possibly hybrids?... they both have 7 ribs, whereas the one in the middle has 6... also the spines are way darker than the middle one, more of a reddish brown... These are approaching 3 years old as a rough estimate...

    Also, the one in the light green pot, was gifted to me with another purchase from someone else... But he never responded to tell me who the parents are!!!! It screams bridgesii to me as well but looks a bit different... this one has 6 ribs, 3-5 reddish brown spines per aereole and a nice rich darker green flesh... Has been growing like a champ...

    So im interested in opinions and/or informed experience with bridgesii seedlings and hybrids... but any comments are always welcome on anything I post :P

    Hybrid? Not Hybrids? Too Early to tell?

    Thanks a bunch B)

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  14. That sounds strange enough Trucha.. I Pm'd you to help in any way I can..

    @ Juuls... I'm fascinated by any crosses of this lovely plant, even it's an imposter juul's! I haven't found any pics of mature hybrids with a TJG...

    That sounds like a neat cross Mutant.. In my next sew there will be some Lumberjack x Juuls beans that i've been fortunate enough to get my hands on... it's damn near impossible to find a scop here in the states


    Trucha, Do you know it to be true that Tom Juuls collected his specimen from Bolivia? It reminds me alot of plants I see labeled Huanucoensis especially the one in the first and second photos in this link:

    http://www.largelyaccurateinformationmedia.com/pedro/pedro_oddcv.html

    LOL I'll rephrase... most of what I see being advertised as Juuls, reminds me of those first two pics more than the 3rd





  15. Nook was the first forum of any type I ever joined.. I vaguely remember being wierded out by something like that at first, but tbh I wasn't even active there the first few months... Let me know if you have any issues still and i'll be happy to message an admin for you if its not allowing you to message... I just became active here the day I found this post actually and i couldn't look at profiles or pm that day but after cruising around a bit it opened up those features... Maybe its a precaution to prevent automated n00kers or sum shyte... little do they know, that I am an advanced form of hyper A.I. lol


  16. Sab doesn't make me login to see a thread but the nook required log in... just saying cause I got the exact same message til I logged in @ T

    That is one beeeeautiful flower! I imagine its the size of a dinner plate!

    I got bored and checked, apparently zee_werp was last active in 2009 there and 2011 here on sab... hope zee is okay!

    Friggen beautiful plant.. looks alot like what ive seen advertised as Juuls but not the greatest close up shots


  17. I got a quiabentia several months ago here in the states, around 5 months ago to be approximate... these guys did nothing but dehydrate and rehydrate on me for months, and then finally one just shot out some new tiny leaves just in the past 2 weeks... They did have exposure to cooler temps for about a month or so, but not less than 50F/10C, and for the past month they were upstairs here back in warmer temps... .... the new growth looks healthy, but seems much much slower than pereskiopsis... even with a good dose of micro nutes and watering on average every 10 days... It was hard as hell for me to get any info about these... and what little I did was folks telling me to treat them much more like a cereus or tricho or cylindropuntia... and not so much a pereskiopsis... they look like a mean viscious pereskie with bridgesii spines lol

    They haven't taken off for me, and so remind me and i'll update you... I have a thread over a nook but with not much attention at all ... but just to share, I don't think these are a great candidate for a hydro setup... I could be wrong tho :shrug:

    • Like 1
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