Inyan

Wow, the big fifty! Seems like just yesterday you were at least 20 years younger and getting this place started... or does my memory fail me.

I grow all of my grafts from start to finish in full sun if I use parafilm to hold them down. If I simply use a humidity chamber like yourself, I also move to shade for the first week or so and then gradually move them back to full sun. Great work by the way and congrats on 80% success rate. Looking at your Pereskiopsis, I think there is some growth left in them if you want to leave them a little longer.

If you didn't have the best Zelly, I wouldn't be getting so many seed from you. However, I am not trying to compare this girl with your specimen by any means. I can't do that as I don't have her. Not that I don't wish I could. It must get tiresome creating so many works of art. I will say that Fat Bottom Girl was the best out of everything I have personally grown based on characteristics I personally like... The 7 runners up next to her were of different crosses actually... These are her runners up... and while those 7 are the best next to Fat Bottom Girl in my collection, they do not compare to her in the slightest which is why I am not releasing these 7 to be named at this time. Fat Bottom Girl simply excels in too many areas that these 7 do not excel in. I have a rule of thumb, if I can't compare a plant to at least 30 and preferably a few hundred other specimens I don't think I can effectively evaluate those plants for any traits. Now, the sad truth is that perhaps these 8 were someone else's first picks to be culled if they were found in that person's garden. We all have our own goals and desires and for me... Fat Bottom Girl is as perfect as a cacti as I have ever had in my collection based on my own personal tastes or preferences if you will.

I might have named this one fat bottom girl as she was the fattest fastest grower out of this particular cross for me. And now she will be Fat Bottom Girl. Thanks to Evil Genius and his quick suggestion.

Here is a hybrid made from one of my old hybrids... for me, seeing others use one of my old hybrids to create a new and improved specimen like this is truly humbling and at the same time it fills you with a little pride to see that your hybrid will go on...as its progeny are used for future crosses. That is what its all about for me really, trying to create or grow an improvement from seed and then watching as that creation becomes obsolete as others use that seedling to improve on their own goals and before you know it... your seedling is just a memory that exists as a small part of the lineage of a whole new line if your lucky. Your mums Brugmansia has strong B. versicolor influence. You can get some spectacular flowers from that one, but you will have to grow out at least 200-300 seedlings to get something worth keeping.

No, she is not a scop x tersch... I have several of those though and they are indeed very nice. I have to admit, I have a few of those going out in each of the packages I sent out if memory serves me right... albeit I don't always post what freebies or extra's I am putting in an auction are... I think it makes for a more happy recipient that way as they will either be pleasantly surprised with the addition or if they aren't into the same kind of cacti I am... then they can be gifted to another. Suffice it to say, I rarely send out a box that is less than 75% full of cacti and I generally have trouble finding enough space to add in paper to wrap the cacti sufficiently rather than skimp on the cacti. Fat Bottom Lady is my favorite huarazensis x scopulicola hybrid. No, that is not right. She is my favorite period. I would give up my brand new crested specimens I have grown from seed for this girl. I would give up every variegate I have grown from seed for her. I think she is that special. So, again, my thanks go to Zelly for making this cross and so many other wonderful crosses. I'm just happy I got lucky enough not only to grow a few variegates and crested out of his seed, but to grow this one out as well. I truly feel like I won the lottery with Zelly's seeds. Lets just say I'm going to keep this as clean as possible when I describe why I like her and thus... I will only tell you that she is indeed a hefty little lady just the way I like them. No skin and bones thin princesses for me thank you very much. I like em round and chunky. I like them chunky Cause my Trichocereus don’t want none unless she’s a Fat Bottom Girl Hun. She has that girth that fills you with mirth. Fat Bottom Girl is going to make me swoon. Cause I like em chunky, chunky and plumpy, plumpy, I like her Trichs, Her skin so green and smooth I like her attitude, I like her style Fat Bottom Girl The way she walk, walk, the way she talk No, I just can’t get right till I’ve had my Fat Bottom Girl tonight. I don’t want none unless she’s a Fat Bottom Girl Hun. She has that girth that fills you with warm mirth. Fat Bottom Girl makes my cacti world go round.

Lets keep this nice fellows. With that said, I actually think I like Fat Bottom Girl better. As it stand, I will soon have a yard full of Fat Bottom Girls as she is my most prized specimen from my seedling bed so far. I am very happy we have hybridizers like Zelly making crosses like this. Without his hard work this seedling would not have come into being.

By all means, if it offends even one person on this forum please take my post down. I do not wish to offend anyone.

Here is a 1 month old graft for you. and a larger sibling also done at the same time. But why graft such large specimens if this will suffice?

Incredible listing you have going on right here. My personal favorites are those T. terscheckii crosses. Having seen what a few of the Validus and Terscheckii crosses look like up close and personal I can say that you are indeed going to make many people happy indeed. Not that your other crosses are not spectacular as well. This post deserved more than just a thumbs up. Outstanding work!

Adopting another cultural viewpoint, if you can indeed do this, could have the unintended consequence of freeing you from many aspects of both. Simply living in a foreign country can immerse you in a new culture enough to make some changes inevitable for some.

I'd say this girl is really shining for me right now. Suffice it to say, she has made herself well known in my little garden. This first one being one of the larger grafts I did with her...Just a month old, but looking mighty fine. I am graft. Other than that, I can't get enough of my scopulicola x terscheckii hybrids from Zelly. Those suckers are off the chain. Never mind some of the crested forms popping up here and there in my seedling bed. I'm so thankful I took the time to be the graft.

Trichocereus pachanoi variegated crested areole graft 1 month old. This is how you do it my friends.

Watch the video and you will be grafting small 10 day old seedlings like it was yesterdays news. With a little practice... you will graft small areoles like this variegated crested pachanoi...

Sorry I missed this. Here you go my friend.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/trichocereus-scopulicola-x-Grandiflorus-Zelly-hybrid-super-variegated/273212751801 5 more variegated Zelly hybrids in a single bundle...

I definitely did not mean to imply it could not be done. It most certainly can be done. The trouble I find is that I know that even with many years of experience with a heat gun you can get over zealous and mess things up. With heat damage, the damage may not even be visible for until a few days after you receive it. With boots, it is not such a worry. Simply strip the wax and start over. With plants... not so easy. With that being said, unless the specimen is very tiny I don't think you have to worry about much more than cosmetic damage if he does get over zealous. A simple fan for 1 hour would be the method I would personally use if he did not have access to sulfur or diatomaceous Earth, both of which can be found at most farm type stores. Diatomaceous Earth can also be found in pool supply sections as well. At any rate, I wish you luck and by no means did I mean to imply his method would not work. It does however represent a level of risk I would not take for a one of a kind cacti. Now, if it were simply a stack of cacti with no discernible novelty... sure... fire away with the heat gun on high setting.

Having used a heat gun to spit shine my boots... I can tell you unless the guy is very careful you risk doing some damage to your cacti. I'd rather cut and dip in sulfur or even diatomaceous earth. Then send wrapped in newspaper and a plastic bag to to keep the powder in. Nothing like suspicious white powder falling out of a package as it is shipped.

If the phenotype is locked in the material you have grafted then one would think its only a matter of time before the phenotype emerges again. At least, that has been my experience. Just think, there could be crests growing in a garbage heap near you! Definitely, grow them out more next time. And you may have to wait for just a few inches of growth or you may have to wait for several feet of growth... but it is worth the wait in my mind at least. With those smaller grafts... it helps to lock in the humidity via parafilm or a humidity dome. I use parafilm more frequently than not however as it also applies pressure to the graft and does not have to be removed.