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NorthernComfort

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Posts posted by NorthernComfort

  6. Posted

    #1 looks like Gymnocalycium baldianum, a somewhat common plant in collections.

    The Gymnocalycium spp. has flowered. The flower is only open in the daytime and is a red/pinkish flower.

    Really beautiful! I'll post some pics up soon. Also has 4 other 'buds' forming....more flowers to come!

  8. Posted

    You have his full name and address?

    Get his phone number (white pages online)....call him up and see what the problem is, threaten legal action.

    If you used a credit card and or paypal then you should be able to report the fraud to them and they will get the ball rolling with the legal action.

    Good luck!

    (all else fails, you could always recruit a Stateside member to find the guy ;) )

  10. Posted

    Greetings.

    I picked up these cacti from a local garden center. Only the one was labeled and I'd like to verify that one and then ID the other two.

    Unknown #1 ...... This one looks familiar to me, but I'll be damned if I can recall even the specie name.

    unknown_1.jpg

    Unknown #2 ...... I thought this one was an Ariocarpous when I saw it but now I'm not so sure....

    unknown_2_b.jpg

    unknown_2_a.jpg

    And then there is this one. Label states Trichocereus grandifloris 'Hybrid'.......... What do you guys think?

    trichocereus_grandifloris_1.jpg

    trichocereus_grandifloris_2.jpg

  11. Posted

    A little more info on Salvia sclarea:

    Part used: Herb

    Constituents: -Volatile oil, about 0.1%, consisting mainly of linalyl acetate, with linalool, B-pinene, B-myrcene, phellandrene.......

    -Diterpene alcohols manool and sclareol

    Medical Use: Antispasmodic, balsamic. Usually used in digestive disorders and for kidney diseases. The oil has been reported to be anticonvulsant in animals and to potentiate the effects of some hypnotics. The mucilage of the seeds as well as a decoction of the herb has been used in ophthalmic preparations.

    REF: page 78: Potter's Cyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations; R.C. Wren; 1998.

  13. Posted

    Ya know what blows my mind?

    Obviously, Poppy is illegal in the states. All parts of it, save for the seeds. Yet, dry pods are sold by the boatload on the very open market?! So OK.....the pods come from somewhere, right? So large truckloads of explicitly illegal pods are being imported into the states with NO problems?!

    Also, live plants. I've seen them for sale at a couple big chain garden centers (altough I bet they die off once removed from their pot)........

    Seen many a garden with them growing also.......

    Only ever read about maybe 2 people being busted (dry pods) and these people were already under scrutiny and caught with other illicit things (pills, dope, etc).........

  14. Posted

    Interesting that they use Canavalia......

    Any idea what part of the plant is used? I've grown this vine in the past and could never get it to flower.......the leaves were smoked(tasty!) with little effects noticed.

    Think I still have some of the large buckeye-like seeds laying about........bay beans they are called, if I recall properly...

  15. Posted · Edited by NorthernComfort

    ph, I have no idea. I was told that my type of caapi never produced seed even in Brazil so I was astonished when I saw some seeds especially after all the early flowers fell off. It seemed to verify the prediction others had made.

    One of my plants are in a pot with roots growing into the ground. The other is directly in the ground. They were subjected to a night of freezing and dropped some leaves but it didn't seem to hurt things any. May have helped. I'll upload the photos soon. I plan to try sprouting some seeds. Even a few fertile seeds would be great. I'm hoping next season for a big crop of seeds. Well, I can hope can't I?

    Fascinating! :D

    Think the seeds will be viable? I didnt even think caapi could self polinate....... (oops, just realized you had two seperate plants flower........ were they from cuttings or did you go from seed?)

  17. Posted

    Thanks everyone :)

    Both my other lophs which pupped did so by just sprouting a little green blob out of an areole so this one made me nervous giving me visions of it exploding and releasing a swarm of cactus eating mites or something :lol:

    Well, was it a pup?

  20. Posted

    My winter involves several feet of snow which sticks around for several months and temperatures that vary from -17 C up to 2 or 3 C on 'warm' days :(

    I don't think there are that many cacti that will tolerate that, eh?

    Mainly I have a couple big tricho's whom I place in a south facing window during winter.

    But recently my collection expanded to include a bunch of lophs, some periskopsis, and a tray of other misc tricho seedlings......... those are the guy's that will be under the light.

  21. Posted

    So, I just hooked up my brand new 175watt Metal Halide light system and hot damn does it look good! Guess I miss that bright HID glow....a throw back from the days of less than legal indoor cultivation perhaps? ;)

    Anyway........

    So its starting to get cold over here in the northern United States. Last year at this time I tried to keep all my cacti under a myriad of flourescent lighting, which yielded pretty crappy and etoliated results.

    My hopes are that this 175 watter will be enough to keep the plants happy.

    The question is, just how happy should I keep them? As in, how many hours of light should they be on.

    Must they have a dormant period? Or can I keep em on a summer(ish) light schedule?

    I sort of had in mind starting some other cacti seedlings under this light also.

    Any suggestions? Experiences?

  23. Posted

    I'm pretty sure I have ten or so seeds left.

    Only problem is they are well over 6 years old.

    Could not for the life of me get these things to sprout (six years ago), so they ended up on the shelf.

    If you guys think they are still viable, I have no problem giving them away.

  24. Posted

    So a friend of mine was wondering about his grafted loph button.

    The button was grafted onto a small San Pedro at the end of last summer. During winter the button etoliated ALOT (looked like a finger coming from the center of the button :) )

    So, come summer, he decides to cut the etoliated 'finger' off.

    OK, all well and good, it callused over fine an a couple pups started to form.

    Then, a couple more pups formed, and then a few more, and then more!

    There are now 15 pups on this little cacti. They are all about 4mm to 6mm in diameter.

    The thing is, they are starting to grow into each other.

    Should some of them be removed? Or will they be OK as one big cramped mass of little buttons?

    Thanks for any input.

  25. Posted

    I think most bromeloids would be OK with sketchy lighting.

    I have a couple different fern specie that absolutely LOVE the low light and cooler area that is my basement. Seems to be the only plants I can keep healthy down here without artificial lighting...........

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