GoOnThen

A bit of color wont hurt them to much they will just stall a bit. If you have really burnt them you will know in the next few days and there wont be much you can do but hope. I seem to somehow manage to get most of my seedlings many colors from red to brown but I am slowly working out the light requirements for all of the different cacti seedlings that I have germinated. One day I will have pots full of seedlings that are green from the outset and stay green right the way through. Cheers Got

The shipping costs are the killer. Cheers Got

I have searched every where i could think of for scoria here with no luck. Cheers Got

I have just been digging through some photos from this season and I found a couple of Gymo flower pics. So here is a couple I will add more soon. Cheers Got

It is good to see that some of you have managed to get these sown and that you are getting good germ rates. I on the other hand have sown non as yet. Please keep updating this thread as I would love to see how these turn out. Cheers Got

I misread your post I missed the seedling part. I will edit my earlier post. Cheers Got

I have been trialling coir for a couple of years as an additive to mixes and straight with perlite. There are a couple of things that you need to be aware of when starting to use it. First is a lot of coir when processed they use salt water and if they don't wash it well with clean water it will still have some salt in it. This is more so with coir packaged for commercial growers but it is a good practice to flush it well with water before using it. If you are buying it as a brick the you need to hydrate it any way so I just put it in large plastic pot and flush water through it a few times once it is hydrated. Coir also comes in many different forms ( sizes) the very fine cut which is sold for seed raising will hold a lot of water and stay wet for a long time so small amounts added to a mix can change its water holding capabilities a reasonable amount. I still use some in my seed raising mix along with some store bought seed raising mix but the total of the two would only be around 20 % of my total mix the rest is mineral. The next size would be the more fibery ( longer strands ) and then the bigger chunks like what that sell as mulch here. The coir that I have is in pre packaged long slabs that are made for the commercial hydroponics industry ( my brother grows hydroponic capsicums commercially ) Out of these bags I can if I want to separate the three different sizes but the main things that i use it for is an additive to potting mixes. I did initially sieve out all of the chunks but these days if the mix is for large pots I just add it as is but for smaller pots I will still sieve out the bigger pieces. I will use around 35% in my mixes for Trichs along with around 35% store bought cacti mix and perlite. I don't measure any more I just eyeball it. If it looks and feels good the it goes in the pot. What I have found is I have reduced the amount of perlite in the mix as the coir makes the mix more open and so it does dry out fast. I have used the same mix for my Pere but I have mostly change back to straight cacti mix as the coir dried out to fast for my liking. All of the larger pieces that I sieve out I put to one side and use them in mixes for bromeliads. These have been in a mix of potting mix, coir, course sand and perlite for a few years now. This one has been in the same mix for a couple of years ( mainly coir and perlite ) . It is a lot bigger now and seems happy. I do need to water it regularly as it does dry out very fast. The best thing to do is run some trials for yourself as everyone's conditions are different just don't use your favourite cacti as the test subject. Cheers Got

Fertilizer can make a big difference on how your graft it going to behave. But i have had grafts that i have done from the same seed packet and one will pup on top of pups and the rest will behave as a normal graft on pere would ie start pupping once it gets to a reasonable size. If you aren't already try using a low N fertilizer. This should help with getting it them to flower early as well. Cheers Got

Edit : If the above post was talking about a cacti mix not for seedlings then the following would be true. Why the vermiculite. My trich mix is probably better draining than that mix. Most of my other cacti only have a max of 20% store bought cacti mix the rest is an assortment of mineral. I believe you are better off with a mix that dries to fast than to slow. Using mixes with small amounts of organic material will mean you need to fertilise more and in some cases water more but i would rather that than lose plants to rot. Cheers Got

I have always watered at night mainly because i am never home during the day and also water restrictions say i am not allowed to run my reticulation during the day and only twice a week. So everything in the garden gets watered at 7.30pm two days a week and then another two days a week they hypothetically could get watered at 3.15 am. The greenhouse and stuff under lights are always watered at night any were between 8pm and 1am Cheers Got

Trains shunting ? Cheers Got

Look out here comes WB He has got the ruler out things are getting serious. I had a feeling that this was going to happen. It looks like it might be no longer a one pumpkin race. How are you feeling Stillman. Have you got another one set yet. I want to see both of you pumping these monsters at the same time. Head to head, Pumpkin V Pumpkin, Planthead V Planthead, North V South, Cheers Got

If you grow them in the shade they will be nice and soft but you still need to use the section near the tip. I grew my mother plants for years under a gum tree tucked in amongst other plants which creates a micro climate with increased humidity. Make sure you water regularly if they don't get enough water they will grow woody. You can also grow them in a plastic tub in the shade. Cheers Got

I hope you didn't post those links as some sort of proof. Have you even bothered to look over the Mambo art that has been produced over the years ? If not I would suggest you do. Cheers Got

I have had this plant for a year or so and it first lived in my grow room in my shed and then after I completed my greenhouse last summer it took up residence in there. Initially it grew not at any great rate but it grew and seemed happy enough. After the move into the greenhouse I hooked it up as it was starting to get quite long and it continued with much the same growth as before. The main stem continued to fatten up as it grew longer. It is only in a 89mm pot and in a very fast draining mix but with it regular watering and liquid fertz it still seemed happy enough. In the last few weeks it has just about doubled its length and It has what looks like flower buds on it. I am going to string up something for it to go on now as it is really starting to take over. Is any one else growing this plant? If so please post photos and info about its growing conditions. I can remember Bogfrog having a crest but I don't recall seeing any one else mentioning that they had one. It is an interesting plant and I might look at propagating it if others feel the same way. This little Euphorbia obesa was wanting in on the action as well. Cheers Got

Just a quick question when do you pick Catha seed pods. Is it ok to pick them before they open and then pry them open or do you let them open themselves. I understand you can bag them and let them do there thing and that is ok for my small plant but I want to harvest seeds of a large tree. I would like to collect as many viable seeds as possible as I don't think this tree is a normal red and there is thousands of pods on it now. These are where the pods are at on my small plant. It has been suffering a bit lately through lack of water. We have had visitors again ripping our plant apart so my wife wrote them a note. You can no longer see this from the road so someone has told them where it is from about 3 years ago. I have been told it definitely has to go this time and so must all red Catha. Sad but I can understand where she is coming from as they will just keep coming back. Cheers Got

Do you use the whole leaf or cut it into pieces? Cheers Got

Thanks Myco I am sure there are going to be a few things we can trade soon. You had me totally confused about what I had posted pics of. I didn't post a pic of my Pach crest. You even had me checking the plants in the background. My Pach crest These are my others Same clone as the biggest grafted one in the previous post And the chicken. Not a Trich but I love the way it keeps changing its form Cheers Got

Sorry I haven't answered you before. I have had soooooooooo much stuff going on this year. The clone A or standard form is the one that I haven't seen around much. Do you have one? I think the one I have and the one I see around a lot is the clone C. This is the bigger one of mine The pere grafts are starting to get going now The following are some of my Crest's showing the growth over 12 months Big stock this was only just rooted when the graft was done Cheers Got

I haven't seen IXOXI post for a while. I haven't seen the boob or the crest over here but I haven't been out looking lately. In my time searching Ebay over a few years I think I have seen both on the east coast. Cheers Got

I don't know of the legalities but I would presume it would be fine. If you decide to go ahead with it I would be keen to go halves or just piggy back mine with yours. Cheers Got

Bastard You know those seeds that I have been looking after for you for about six months ............................................................. I JUST FED THEM TO THE PIGEONS. :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: Cheers Got

Are you in the Perth metro? I can give you heaps but it would need to be a pickup as i don't have time to pack and post Cheers Got

There is a couple of different forms. Interbeing's Fred ( nice healthy Fred ) seems to be one that has been propagated a fair bit over here. The ones that are more lumpy looking is a bit harder to find. Different Fred forms http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/MAMMILLARIA/Mammillaria_bocasana/Mammillaria_bocasana_fred/Mammillaria_bocasana_fred.htm Cheers Got

I new there was some thing different about it. Congrats mate I wont ask any more questions. I have a grafted one I got of Tipz a while ago and it is starting to get going now but I haven't been able to find a spot where I can chop a piece off as yet ( its smaller than yours but quite fat ) I will post an updated pic of mine later. Cheers Got