Hellonasty

Andy, Yes I have heard similar to what you said, in that the oil can effectively suffocate the plant by blocking oxygen exchange. As I said above I've never had this happen, however I err on the side of caution and mix my oils up weak and usually with a fungicide.

Hey Andy and Everyone, All I can go on is my experience growing cacti and more specifically lophs. I find oils are fine to use on Lophs and all cacti in my opinion, it does not cause any problems whatsoever. What you don't want is aerosol spray on oil as the propellant will burn the skin of your plants. Also to reduce any chance of damage don't use oil when the sun is very hot this can cause sun damage and don't apply multiple applications in a short period. I use oils regularly to control Scale and Mealie bugs and it works well.

Yep sounds like the beginning of the dreaded red mite. These buggers will kill your Loph if you're not careful, post a pic and start treatment immediately. They also cause horrible scarring that remains with the plants for years.

Good job on the crests GOT

What a fantastic thread really love your work Mutant !

The two that are pupping heavily is just due to the Pereskiopsis pushing the Loph hard, making it grow too fast, some simply grow fast others pup like an insane beast. The possible variegated one has potential, Lophs have a tendency to go all sorts of colours when young and grafted. However I think this one may retain the yellow colour, the pattern looks like a typical variegation and the pups are growing from a variegated section of the plant and are also displaying the trait. I think you have an above average chance of a variegate, if the growth pattern remains the same or increases over the next few months you have a variegate

Awesome range of plants and some rare cacti in there too I didn't see a great deal of placards with botanical names, which is a bit of a bummer. I would love to go there Cheers for the pics man.

Yeah they looks like gymnos and mamms. I'm terrible with Mamm Id's so I will leave them. 1. Gymnocalycium denudatum 2. Gymno Baldianum 3. Too small. 4. Mamm 5. Probably a mam but also look into Thelocactus, they can be very simmilar. 6. Mamm,

Cheers Sabry, and one more because I particularly like this one,

A couple more for the freak in all of us

Good work on the Ariocarpus graft they can be difficult in the beginning and you're past that stage by the looks, you should end up with a nice plant. Just be careful of too much sun light too early, they are susceptible to sunburn when small and it usually kills them unfortunately. Try and allow the soil to dry almost completely before you graft, this helps in a few different ways, first the sap of the pere will be sticker and offer better natural adhesion for the scion which will give you greater graft success rates, and secondly if you have a heap of potted plants in the humidity chamber the water from the soil will evaporate and cause the humidity to increase way too much inside the chamber and lead to bacteria and other issues. After the grafts have taken 5-8days I take them out straight away but keep them in a sheltered environment away from natural light (EDIT: Not to confuse anyone. They need light, I use fluros but you could utilise indirect sunlight or good shade cloth etc) and open air, open air/wind will dry them out in no time and they are cactus With regards to root space you don't need a great deal especially for slow growers, as a general rule if the stock is happy the scion will be happy too. The exception is trichos (not crests or mutants) they grow big and with that they could benefit from a little extra root space and will benefit from heaps more ferts. I remove all trichos (not crests) from the stock, regardless of what the stock is, after one growing season and allow it to root. Timing the season is important with regards to rooting and maximising the growth of the plant once established. This method I have found will give you maximal growth in the shortest period from seed to big column, its even better to put the Tricho in the ground once you have a root system. HN

@Prier, yeah way too early to make any judgement and yes there has been a change in the weather... it's cold @Woof, if they turn out to be a monster why not

I was doing some weeding when I discovered two little Bridge monsters This plant has never show this type of growth before, it will be interesting to see how it turns out. It's quite a good looking plant and puts on a fair amount of growth too.

Second one is a very sexy Peru

Yeah I agree that grafting the top section of the pup in question will most definitely be more successful as this area has been effected less. The intent of my post was on saving the large loph head, as for any of the pups cut them off the main head before degrafting. I wouldn't re-graft the main head I would root it, all the other smaller pups re-graft to any stock you have on hand, but not Hylocereus it's no good for lophs. I too would like to hear of some other opinions ? anyone

Here is another pic I took of a nice column

I've been racking my brain trying to remember where this plant came from.........nothing.

All finished Thanks everyone.

I would like to sell these Lophophora buttons in one lot if possible. They are not in perfect condition but are still good plants, the smaller buttons perfect for grafting to lager root stock and three larger heads perfect to root. Bottom left with the tufts is fully mature and was producing seed before being de-grafted. Bottom right is Caespitosae and probably has over 50 heads most of them tiny. Top left copped a bit of a beating by a piece of shade cloth that was flapping in the wind and hitting against it so it has some scaring and skin damage. The ruler is 30cm and gives an idea of size etc, I don't know the individual variants but all are Williamsii from mixed loph seeds over the years. As for price I dunno make me an offer, I would rather see them get used than go to waste, I don't have the time at present.

Current offer $200, only half an hour to go

I have given my thoughts on the de-graft issue, definitely do it or you will eventually loose the stock first and then the loph. The stock is the source of the bacteria look at the photo again, bacteria spreads via contact or via particles in the air so any part of the plant that is closer to the infection (the stock) will eventually become infected, your funky growth pup is directly adjacent to the stock which is 100% infected. Over the next 2-4 months depending on how wet it is the stock will get weaker shrivel up and if not de-grafted, kill the loph too. You are better off doing it now before any further damage occurs to the loph. It is already fighting off the infection. All you have to do is cut above any parts that are infected and you have a clean plant. If you want to come to a compromise and treat it be sure not to get it wet! water or even high humidity will increase the spread 10 fold. My thoughts on the best possible way to treat it if you choose to do so; Dust the entire plant in Sulphor + Copper, I mean cover every part of it so it covered in yellow powder (no green visible at all), let it sit for 7 days like this then dust off the majority with a dry paint brush. Allow the plant to recover for about 3 weeks, don't water it or get the skin wet and avoid high humidity. You could also treat the roots of the stock which not doubt will be infected also, try mixing up a systemic fungicide (Fongarid or similar) and applying it to the roots and soil only. Again don't get the skin of the loph or stock wet. This will help reduce infection in the roots and entire plant due to the systemic nature of the fungicide. In the end the decision lies with you and your ability to de-graft it successfully. I hope I have helped. Please not I'm not trying to cause any problems just helping in an area I have a good amount of experience in.

I'm not convinced its a chimera, I would actually argue strongly that it isn't. I think it has grown that way due to the bacterial infection that is effecting the stock and the scion. Look close at the last pic on the stock there is a 'rust' haze all over it especially near the areols and the loph also has a similar infection which is causing the bottom to deform and sink in. That pup is growing in that manner because it is trying to out run or grow ahead of the bacteria which is spreading as it grows. Look at the small roots they are covered in rusty bacteria and that is why they are not growing. I would definitely degraft it, the stock is pretty badly infected, and if you still think it's a Chimera then simply graft that pup and see what happens. You may find when you cut the main head off and allow it to rest for 5-10min the cut surface will begin to turn orange (rust) where the vascular bundles run, if this happens cut another few mm off and see what happens, a little bit orange is ok but it will still have the infection and will need to be treated with a systemic fungicide. Please note this is my opinion and may not be correct I am only basing it on my experience with lophs and de-grafts etc and I've done a fair few

Hey EG, Yeah that theory sounds like it could have contributed by making the skin or roots weak and more prone to damage which then leads to bacterial problems. I find slow release ferts are good for pots and garden beds in combination with seasol every now and then. Also the organic pellets are great (Rooster Booster in Aus), chicken poo with added nutrients. For seedlings I hardly use any ferts at all, very minimal.