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Kykeion

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Posts posted by Kykeion

  3. Posted

    the short form.....a few inches per pup

    reverted crested forms generally 6-7 inches per pup

    the long form.....approximately 16-18" per pup

    ps: there appears to be at least 2 distinctly different forms of 'crested bridgesii'

    This jives pretty well with what I have seen/heard. It is interesting that the crest reverts take on a distinct growth form from either of the two "regular" TBMs that the crests supposedly came from.

  4. Posted

    @Bryce - If the edges of the ridges are still green then you should be ok. One of my crests was severely attacked by thrips which appear to have killed most of the crested growth points. It has since thrown a pup, but I may be screwed on getting anymore crested growth out of it :wacko:

    @Hostilis - Yeah, I've got several reverted cuts coming my way later this week from a generous fellow on another forum. I'm really curious to see how they grow out, and how much they resemble my long form TBMs.

    I have been trying to acquire as many different looking TBMs from different sources as I can. My plan is to grow them out under the same conditions for several years and see how similar they end up looking in an attempt to determine if there are more than just the two forms currently recognized. My reason for doing so is that I have three TBMs that aren't obviously long or short form (still relatively small cuttings), but whose morphological ambiguity may be due to the conditions they were originally raised in.

    Maybe if it is a good growing season this year I could trade you a long from cutting (just depends upon what sort of pup action I get this year).

  5. Posted

    I have heard anecdotally that the TBM crest is more likely to throw pups when it is grafted than it does when it is on its own roots. Which makes sense as a lot other cacti seem to do similar when grafted (ie lophos).

    Your reverted cuts are most likely going to stay reverted, though if the crest originally occurred due to genetics one of these pups may throw a crest someday. (I have not actually heard of this happening, but it is a possibility)

    The ridges of the crest are where it will continue to grow from (except for throwing pups from areoles). With the pups removed you should see some new crested growth.

    • Like 1

  6. Posted

    I think it would depend upon whether the cresting is the result of genetics or some sort of damage. I your case I assume that your crest came from a crested seedling ie a genetic crest since it is a hybrid. So, yes I think seed produced from your crest (including reverted branches) would likely produce seed with a high rate of crests and mutants.

  8. Posted · Edited by Kykeion

    magical9, that is a beautiful looking cacti you got there regardless of its "true name." Are those photos of it at your place or at the nursery or wherever you got got it from?

    Oooooh. I'm gonna hit up sacred succulents and see if they have a spineless scop. They NEVER answer my emails though for some reason. Does anyone know if there's a better way to contact them?

    I have not had trouble getting in touch with them via e-mail. Maybe it has something to do with the e-mail service you use? As in SS's e-mail service auto blocks any e-mail coming from whatever service you use. I have had it happen to me, so...

    Via their e-mail news letters, I guess they have been pretty busy with family illness and rearing two infants the past few years. So maybe that has something to do with the difficulty. I also know that they have a planned month-long trip to Peru(?) coming up, so that will probably impact contact.

    • Like 1

  10. Posted · Edited by Kykeion

    So I ended up getting one of the two supposed Clone A, I may go back and get the other if I can scrounge a little more $ together ;)

    Here's a picture of the two:

    attachicon.gifIMG_20140322_131838.jpg

    Here's a shot of the 'obese' TBMs they had, I guess I had a case of fisherman's tale because they weren't as big as I remember but just very fat TBM clone B now that I went back and had a look..

    attachicon.gifIMG_20140322_131742.jpg

    Nice find!!!

    Hmmm... now I've got to try and find a reason to get down to Austin :lol:

    Those "obese TBMs" could be short cuttings of clone A. I found a similar looking specimen a few years ago at a local nursery that after putting on some growth and a single pup is definitely lookin a lot like my big clone A. Then again they may just be fatties :wink:

    Looks like the prices there are pretty decent. $20 isn't terrible for that sunburst opuntia in the foreground of the "obese" photo. I've seen them go for higher than that for a smaller, unrooted pad on ebay.

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    gr33ntea - I don't have any idea whether your pup there is special or not. I have seen tons of variation amongst these plants but I'm not sure if it is due to varying genetics, or due to environmental adaptation. Kind of an exciting pup either way.

    Spine Collector - I have come across various references to several forms of Opuntia monacantha variegata, however nothing very concrete with examples of each. My understanding is that there is "Joseph's Coat" which is variegated and monstrose; a reverted version of "Joseph's Coat" which is no longer monstrose, but still variegated; and a miniature Opuntia monacantha variegata monstrose which is known as "Maverick." Unfortunately there seems to be a tendency to use all of these names/forms interchangeably. And, for all I know they may all be the exact same cultivar anyway.

    The best example I have seen comparing these is HERE, but the photo only shows two forms (in addition to two other variegated opuntias), not three. When they claim that their Joseph's Coat is reverted from the monstrose I'm not sure if the poster is suggesting that Joseph's Coat is a non-monstrose reversion of Maverick, of if thrie wording just comes off that way.

  14. Posted

    I'm not deterred by such circumstances, more so just bummed that there is not yet a practical way to utilize some of this knowledge.

    Cost is also some what of an issue with some of these species. I can get 1,500 lady beetles (common species) for $20 at a local nursery, yet "mealybug destroyers" are something like $50 for 100 online. I understand that it likely has to do with supply/demand and breeding technologies, but it is unfortunate none the less.

    Hopefully there will be some expanded growth and interest in these methods. Until then I'll continue to utilize the standard lady beetles and lacewings that are readily available and relatively inexpensive.

  16. Posted

    Looks awesome there mutant.

    Initially I was thinking you could look into some form of sheet mulching, however it does not provide as long term a weed control as say weed matting would. Also the increased moisture retention and organic matter probably would not be appropriate for cacti.

    If the weed barrier you are considering is somewhat similar to the product I inked above then I think it would work pretty well covered in a gravel mulch. I just wouldn't recommend using anything like the temporary material in your photos as I think they would prevent the cacti from getting enough water.

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    Awesome looking garden there Bit. Can't wait to see it in a few years when everything is settled in. The gardener/permaculturalist in me wants to suggest you add some more Cerues sp. so that you can harvest some edible fruit from your efforts. I did notice that you have one or two monstrose Cereus, btw.

  18. Posted

    Thanks for this HH.

    I downloaded some of this stuff from your original postings here and at the shroomery, but haven't had a chance to look at them.

    At the time I had considered suggesting that your contribution might be better received if presented in calmer tone and more straight forward manner. I opted not to for various reasons, but am happy to see that you decided to do so on your own.

    I look forward to digging into this stuff, though I now have a lot on my plate with all the info that MS and zelly have shared recently too.

    • Like 1

  22. Posted

    I hope I can constructively contribute to this thread soon, though it will likely be at least a couple of years before I can. I have a Cereus aethiops x peruvianus monstrose cross as well as a peruvianus monstrose cutting from a flowering mother plant. AFAIK the former has not been proven to flower/fruit (mother plant has been aggressively propagated without being given a chance to reach full maturity), and the later is still in the process of rooting, so... time will tell I suppose.

    • Like 1
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