Inyan

July 1, 2018

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Trichocereus-scopulicola-x-T-terscheckii-T-huarazensis-x-T-scop-Variegated/273331344569

June 30, 2018

Here is another representative of my method of grafting with parafilm. 100% success with the use of parafilm on a 3 day old seedling. This little guy was cut below its cotyledons and only only the top portion was grafted to my Pereskiopsis. The parafilm was removed so you could get a better look, it is best not to remove the parafilm this early however as it can cause your grafts to fail. In fact, it is often best to never remove the parafilm from your graft as your seedlings will have no problem if you leave it in place and could suffer a complete failure to take should you try to remove it too soon.Never leave home without your grafting tape. Also known as parafilm, this one simple tool will save you time, effort, and increase your take rate dramatically with 2-3 day old seedlings as well as 2-3 week old seedlings. For older seedlings...2 cm in diameter.... better to stick with self-adhesive coban.

June 30, 2018

3 hours ago, Pedropark said:

Scopulicola x cereus peruvianus

Very curios how it turns out

I'm in love with the scopulicola hybrids.

A few more scopulicola hybrids i took pictures of today as I'm thinking about mailing them off to new homes... scopulicola x huarazensis and scopulicola x terscheckii

June 30, 2018

Pejuta is consumed in the NAC ceremonies.

Yet, young puppy is also eaten traditionally in many yuwipi ceremonies. Buffalo stew is often the second go to meat in many of these ceremonies with cow being considered a poor replacement to buffalo.

June 30, 2018

Well done grafts. I can see you didn't use parafilm with your grafts which means you likely let your stock dry a bit before and during your grafting procedure which can slow things down just enough to cause a slightly higher fail rate which many try to offset by increasing the humidity.

With the use of parafilm, your stock can be watered and fertilized daily. This added water and fertilizer is then pumped into your scion like a bunny on viagra provided you also have warmer summer temperatures. I put my freshly done grafts straight into the green house in the summer if they are particularly important to me.

June 29, 2018

Looks like you like Trichocereus bridgesii a lot! 4 hybrids involving scopulicola, 4 hybrids involving peruvianus, 4 pachanoi....

June 25, 2018

On 6/24/2018 at 3:04 PM, Elrik said:

It came time to repot another of my smallest.

I couldnt find a baby picture of this one but about 2 years ago I grafted a tiny L. w. caespitosa pup onto a couple-centimeters-tall Trich seedling. The seedling had been established in a tiny pot and pressure was applied to the graft with a 1 cm strip of cling wrap taped to the pot. It now has a new pot and the stock is fully subterranean.

As nice as this graft looks I would not of suspected the stock was any bigger than 1.5 cm tall. Very nice work.

June 25, 2018

19 hours ago, bardo said:

There is people who would say it is all pointless, eg. nihilists and pessimist

One day the sun will die and all life on earth will die also, so yeh it's a noble cause but ultimately it prob won't really matter either way ya go about it, do what ya feel, if ya feel like being an environmentalist that is noble and respectable if done with tact, or you can be someone who wants destruction, annihilation, chaos etc. either way i don't and won't judge cause i am not only a co-creator of each moment but also a witness and i much enjoy the totality of the experience and think it would be rather dole if we are to all agree upon something, i couldn't imagine much great learning if there is no trials to undergo. I like the contrast of black to white, what could we differentiate if it is to be only one ?

Maybe, someone else throwing out the rubbish from the window of a car, maybe by being witness to that could be viewed as amelioration to you on a personal level.

That's a tough question to answer and very subjective , where does one draw the line and how does one determine an action as harming the environment ? how do we way up pros and cons etc. how would we know that our actions intended as positive will actual result in a positive outcome. How much do we really know about anything to assume what is positive or not ?

Sure simple things like not throwing plastic/rubbish out on the ground is pretty much common sense but the big picture is not so simple and is quite subjective.

Even the word good is subjective, what is good for you may be bad for me so which is it ? Or what may be good for us may not be good for something else etc.

I do think it is noble to want to create or bring about change for good but man it ain't so simple, like it could be good for the forests and water ways etc. if we are to cull the human population by 80% but maybe not so good for those being culled.

It could be good to work out more and get healthy but that means you eat more produce and live longer which adds strain to the agricultural industry and the environment etc, but by being sickly you will effect the health care system and contribute to hospital congestion, either way it is both and neither, any act is both good and bad, how we view it and through what filter or lens will effect how we determine, feel and think about any given subject. personally i don't think in terms of good and bad, just what is and by my will how i react or interact with the stimuli i am subjected to.

I will never be right and i will never be wrong, i will be both at all times in any and everything i do or don't do.

Either way we go and what ever may happen there ain't no one getting out of here alive brother.

I like how you mention it would be rather dole if we were all to agree with something.

For me, if we could all agree that rape was inherently wrong, the world might be a better place.

Someone who could simply watch a rape occur and not think about it in terms of good or bad is someone that I could not relate. By watching an event unfold such as rape and not wish to doing something to ameliorate the situation to me is a bit unsettling. We may choose to do or not to do, but by witnessing an act we can not say we are innocent and simply an observer as the choice to act or not to act is always present.

A person who does not think in terms of good or bad about such a thing as rape for me... is likely to be a sociopath and not capable of real empathy.

Empathy for others and the planet... it is as simple as that and intent. Action of course are guided by intent, but also the degree of knowledge we have on a particular subject. For instance, if you know a woman is being raped and beaten into submission and you do nothing that is much different than a women who you might see in the woods who is having what you assume to be consensual sex, but in reality has simply been beaten into submission so many times she no longer fights back. You could simply remain an observer in either case... but what one observes and does nothing to change to me speaks volumes about the person.

Are the acts not done just as important as the acts that are done?

If the planet is being raped and you do absolutely nothing to change that... is it because you lack power to make a change, knowledge to make a change, or do you simply lack the intent?

If you have the power to ameliorate a little bit of the suffering and instead you happily engage in the raping of the Earth or watch as others do the same....What does that say about you?

June 24, 2018

The bottom line, if you don't understand science it does not make that science untrue nor does it make those that understand it retards or workers of great magical feats trying to deceive the masses.

June 24, 2018

On 4/25/2018 at 8:07 PM, DualWieldRake said:

Because you can measure global temperature to 1 degree over 100's of years

This 1 degree difference must be the same reason why i hear people talk about how they used to ice skate every winter

Retards

https://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/schmidt_01/

For you specifically, since you seem not to understand that bit of science. People that don't understand science to the same degree as those scientists with actual doctorates in their field of study might not be retards as you say, but instead, one might argue they were simply not as well educated on that particular subject.

https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/how-do-we-know-the-temperature-on-earth-millions-of-years-ago.html

"Determining one’s ambient temperature with a small amount of effort is ridiculously simple these days. Even a 5-year-old with absolutely no understanding of weather could tell you the current temperature by simply glancing at a smartphone. However, ascertaining temperature was not as easy two centuries ago. In fact, the modern instrumental temperature record could only tell us about the planet’s temperature trends over the last 150 years."

"In that case, how do scientists and researchers talk about the climatic conditions thousands or even millions of years ago? How can they tell what the temperatures of Earth were in the ancient past?

Short answer: Researchers estimate ancient temperatures using data from climate proxy records, i.e., indirect methods to measure temperature through natural archives, such as coral skeletons, tree rings, glacial ice cores and so on."

For more information... please read on.

"

When we see pictures of dinosaurs basking in tropical heat or wooly mammoths shivering in an ice-covered tundra, how do we know that they lived in such climates? We can tell indirectly from sediments and deposits laid down during these periods. The presence of tropical plant and animal remains at the polar latitudes indicate that significantly warmer conditions must have existed as compared to today. Conversely, the absence of tree pollen in the tundra probably means that conditions were too cold for trees to grow.

For more quantitative information you have to look in the oceans, and in particular, at the deep sediments that lie on the bottom of the seas. There, a steady rain of shells from small, surface-dwelling animals falls continually, eventually building up hundreds of meters of sediment. These sediments preserve the shells of these small animals for millions of years, all the way back to the age of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.

Figure 1: Magnified (400x) photograph of a left coiling N. pachyderma foraminifera. (Photo: Deep Sea Repository at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University.)

The most important of these animals, foraminifera (or forams for short), make their tiny shells from a form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This carbonate is found in many common geological features, such as the White Cliffs of Dover, which were once at the bottom of the sea.

What makes calcium carbonate important? The carbonate, originally dissolved in the oceans, contains oxygen, whose atoms exist in two naturally-occurring stable isotopes, 18O and 16O. The ratio of these two isotopes tells us about past temperatures. When the carbonate solidifies to form a shell, the isotopic ratio in the oxygen (written as δ18O) varies slightly depending on the temperature of the surrounding water. The change is only a tiny 0.2 parts per million decrease for each degree of temperature increase. Nevertheless, this is sufficient for us to be able to estimate the temperature of the water in which the forams lived millions of years ago. From this, we can see that temperatures in the Arctic Ocean were about 10-15°C warmer at the time of the dinosaurs than they are today!

There is a complication, however. The δ18O value in the shells depends critically on what the δ18O value was in the surrounding sea water (H2O), and that can be as variable as the temperature! This variability arises because when water evaporates, the lighter molecules of water (those with 16O atoms as compared to those with 18O) tend to evaporate first. Therefore, water vapor is more depleted (fewer H218O molecules) than the ocean from which it evaporates. Thus, the ocean has more 18O in places where lots of water evaporates (like the sub-tropics) and less where it rains a lot (like the mid-latitudes).

Similarly, when water vapor condenses (to make rain for instance), the heavier molecules (H218O) tend to condense and precipitate first. So, as water vapor makes its way poleward from the tropics, it gradually becomes more and more depleted in the heavier isotope. Consequently snow falling in Canada has much less H218O than rain falling in Florida. Changes in climate that alter the global patterns of evaporation or precipitation can therefore cause changes to the background δ18O ratio.

In addition, the great ice-sheets that once covered North America, consisting of snow falling in what is now Canada, were very depleted in 18O. Now, enough water was held in these ice sheets to reduce the global average sea level by about 120m. Furthermore, there was also enough depleted water trapped in the ice to increase the average isotopic content of the oceans. And so the first thing we see when we analyze the shells from the bottom of the ocean, is the waxing and waning of the great ice sheets over the last 3 million years (figure 2). The same pattern over the last 400,000 years can also be seen in the isotopes measured in ice cores drilled from the remaining ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.

Figure 2: The variations of 18O in carbonate averaged over a large number of different cores (in order to isolate a global signal) over the last 600,000 years. Most clear are the regular oscillations of the glacial ice volume which follows small changes to Earth's orbit around the Sun (Milankovitch forcing).

In consequence, the many records of δ18O in ocean sediments and in ice cores, contain information about the temperature, evaporation, rainfall, and indeed the amount of glacial ice — all of which are important to know if we are to understand the changes of climate in the Earth's history. Unfortunately, trying to disentangle these multiple effects is complicated since we have one measurement with many unknowns.

The paleoclimate group at GISS is working to try to decode these records using the latest generation of numerical models of the atmosphere and ocean circulation. In those models, we have included most of the physics necessary to simulate the distribution of δ18O in the oceans and the atmosphere. In addition, we have developed models of foram ecology that allow us to estimate at what depths in the ocean and at what season the carbonate forms on average.

This sequence of models allows us, for the first time, to map simulated climate changes directly from the model to the carbonate in the sediments — the actual data that paleoceanographers have measured. Initial experiments have focused upon the large climate changes that occurred during the melting of the ice sheets between 20,000 and 10,000 years ago. The closer the modeled changes match those seen in the sediments, the greater the confidence we have in the realism of our models.

While this new approach is unlikely to show that mammoths spent their time on the beach enjoying the sun, it may provide better understanding of the complicated sequence of events that marked the end of the ice age. It should shed light on the very rapid climate changes that have occurred in the North Atlantic and Europe at the end of the last ice age. Those particular changes have been associated with changes in the amount of heat carried poleward by the Gulf Stream. If we can understand that process, we may be better able to estimate the probability of its recurrence as a possible consequence of continued global warming.

Reference

Schmidt, G.A. 1999. Forward modeling and interpretation of carbonate proxy data using oxygen isotope tracers in a global ocean model. Paleoceanography 14, 482-497.

Contact

Please address all inquiries about this research to Dr. Gavin Schmidt."

June 24, 2018

Just because someone doesn't understand science, doesn't make that science wrong. When 97% or greater of scientists agree on a subject such as global warming there just might be some truth to it. Ever wonder if you were not in fact as intelligent on a particular area of scientific study as the scientists with doctorates in that field?

https://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/schmidt_01/

June 24, 2018

My response, if you see people are not taking responsibilities for their actions and those actions are hurting the environment and others when does it become your responsibility to speak up on behalf of the environment? When do we speak up on behalf of others? When do we band together to affect a greater change for the good?

Now, when I listen to a lecture I realize that person must really feel that they have an important message to share. That message may or may not be right, but when the majority of scientists are in agreement on a subject such as mans detrimental influence on our shared environment I tend to take more notice to that type of argument than I might take to an argument such as which person's religious set of rules is right.

For me, the message is as simple as understanding ones own personal level of understanding of subject that is indeed very complex in that there are many different scientists studying the effects of mans influence on our environment.

If you choose to believe that scientists are lying to you and there is a conspiracy to get you to want to clean up after yourself then I can see that influencing your attitude.

If you choose to believe that even a simple act such as taking responsibility for your trash and not tossing it out of your window as your driving is too much to ask then that is your choice based on your own perceptions of what is right or wrong and your own ability to affect the environment around you.

I would only ask, that we entertain the idea that we try to become more conscious of how we as individuals affect the environment in positive or negative ways and try our best to create as small a negative effect as possible based on our own limited understanding of a very complex subject. For me, that might simply mean not tossing a bag out my car window. For someone else with a greater understanding of how we affect our environment that might mean that they feel compelled to provide lectures on the subject to others about how we can make changes. Inciting policy changes might be another's goal.

I am only suggesting that if you believe we can as individuals affect our environment in a positive or negative way... is it not a good thing to take responsibility for that and try to impact our environment in as positive a manner as we can?

I'm not saying we can be perfect or we should strive to be perfect. I'm saying we may choose to strive to be better versions of ourselves, but we have to choose for ourselves how far to push. We have the ability to choose to decide to reflect on these things or not. For me, I choose to believe we are all capable of a small change. Even if all that change amounts to is thinking about how we can make a more positive change, I believe action can eventually follow thought.

You don't have to be anxious to love the environment or care for the environment you are a part of. You don't have to be anxious to want to be better in your own personal actions.

I enjoy working out. I am trying to improve my own internal environment by doing so. I don't spend countless hours each day doing so. I am not anxious about it. I do realize that even 2 minutes spent exercising each day if done consistently will have a markedly beneficial effect on my own internal environment. I'm not asking myself to be a marathon runner. I'm only asking a very little from myself for myself.

If we don't believe that we can do anything for the environment and we are powerless to make any changes in our own behavior then there will indeed be little change. We have to believe there is a possibility for improvement and that we can benefit from that improvement before any action will be taken. But until someone realizes and finds it important then I don't see any real change happening either.

I take responsibility for my body by doing a single set of pull-ups for instance. Now, I do that every other day and soon I will find that my pull-ups have gone from 1-10. Now, have I made an improvement in my own internal environment? Was the 20 seconds I spent doing pull-ups every other day worth it? Was it worth an incredible 10 seconds out of my day to do something like that?

Taking responsibility for that 10 seconds of averaged time each day may have made me feel better about myself, but was it worth it? Was it worth taking responsibility for my body for 10 seconds to achieve 10 pull-ups? I think we should ask the same when it comes to our interaction with the external environment. You don't have to believe you can be a marathon runner or it is necessary to be a marathon runner. Nor do you have to believe in the science behind global warming.

You just have to believe you can have a positive impact on your internal and external environment with a small fraction of your own personal time invested into it and then strive to keep consistent with whatever small change you have decided to take responsibility for. You simply have to be consistent with that small action that you have decided to take and I believe you will have effected a positive change.

But in the end, how much responsibility you choose to take and how much action you take will have an affect and whether that affect is one where you have unexpectedly found yourself to be a marathon runner, power lifter, or simply someone who feels better about being able to walk and carry a load of groceries without straining or losing their breath is completely up to you. Small changes over time when done consistently can greatly affect our internal and external world. That is my belief.

That is why I choose to take a little responsibility for those things.

Is it too much to ask for us all to agree that it is a good thing to take a little responsibility for ourselves and our environment?

If we all spent 10-20 seconds each day thinking about how we could have a positive influence on our outside environment would that be too much responsibility to ask for or not enough?

Would we still find ourselves locked in debate about even that small amount of time devoted to our own betterment? Or would there still be people who would debate that is entirely unnecessary and a complete waste of time?

June 21, 2018

5 hours ago, Elrik said:

Thanks

Since I mentioned hypocotyl grafting [which many people seem to misunderstand] I took this as a chance to repot my first such grafts to check their progress and get some photos.

If the size of the stock counts then these are my smallest ever successful grafts. Lophophora williamsii seedlings grafted to Echinocactus texensis seedling hypocotyls [the portion under the cotyledons, before the first areole]:

No pressure was applied.

The upper left plant died shortly after this photo, the others grew. This is after several years of growth in regular potting soil with a little sand added:

My purpose in these grafts was obviously not speed. We've all seen taprooted lophs and we've all seen degrafted lophs that formed secondary roots. This was an attempt to see lophs with 'natural' primary root systems lacking a taproot. They just have a short anchor root and a mass of surface feeder roots and, apparently, they had no problems at all with rot.

I cant wait to try using Opuntia compressa hypocotyls to give plants an indestructible taproot.

Also on my long term to-do list is Peniocereus gregii hypocotyl grafts to give a taproot that can grow to weigh kilograms!

Grafting doesn't have to be traditional

I agree that this style of grafting works and can work without pressure or parafilm.

However, that style of graft does have a higher success rate when pressure is applied and an increase of humidity is achieved.

The fact is you can graft seedlings with a single set of cotyledons vertically or horizontally to one another with ease so long as you can keep the connection between them secure and humidity is kept high enough to ensure the seedlings do not dry out too fast.

Whether you are grafting a single areole or a seedling that has just sprouted its first hypocotyl... the basics are much the same.

One need only listen to what your cacti are trying to tell you and you will soon succeed.

Excellent work my friend.

June 21, 2018

I mix bone meal, blood meal, cow manure, and fish emulsion into my soil for Pereskiopsis and as I drink 6-12 eggs a day... those egg shells also find their way into my soil for my Pereskiopsis. If your looking for hard numbers, I'm not your guy. I'm the type that simply mixes things up until the soil looks right and feels right. Pereskiopsis are like Brugmansia though in that if you grow them together and your Brugmansia is very happy... then your Pereskiopsis will also be happy. Both are heavy feeders.

With that being said, I've also simply stuck Pereskiopsis in the ground outside after it was tilled as Pereskiopsis also loves room to grow its roots.

A root bound Pereskiopsis in a small container can work wonders for small grafts, but if you want faster growth over a longer period of time.... upsize the container your stock is in prior to grafting.

Any loose clippings of Pereskiopsis can also be simply tossed on a well tilled ground and they will set roots for you and start growing on their own.

I know this is kind of basic, but I figured a little information was better than none.

June 21, 2018

2 hours ago, Elrik said:

That pad wasn't shrivelled at the start, lol, but it was one of the youngest ones and so lost water more readily. The wide point on it in that picture is just under 4 cm.

I got a bunch of unrooted pads because a tree had grown over the cacti and the owner wasn't planning to keep the whole cactus, just maybe the base to replant somewhere else and I grafted two little pups out of enthusiasm ;)

I put the fresh graft in the cooler shade because it was so small and young and had a large cut surface area relative to its size. Other pads will be rooted and get new growth before I try grafting to them.

And yeah, I got these for slower more natural grafted growth as well as the possibility of hypocotyl grafting for rot-proof taproots. I also ordered some Opuntia compressa seed noted for large roots for the same tactic.

Well that makes more sense now that at least the pad was not shriveled at the start.

While it is possible to graft cacti to stock that is not rooted, I find that my luck with that is better on stock that was actively growing at the time of the cut and then grafted within a week of cutting.

I like your idea of rot proof taproots as well. This stock will definitely give you that as well as your more natural looking growth.

As for your enthusiasm, I can't say I might not have tried this myself if I had a surplus of both stock and scion material.

My own problem is generally not enough stock and too many seedlings, but that can change with the drop of a hat depending on the season.

Your definitely one of the smart cats which is why I posed those questions to you my friend.

For me, I have to ask why something doesn't work and what can I do to fix it this time and if not this time then I've learned something for next time.

My best piece of advice on the graft you have shown the picture of... water it heavily next time. Opuntia humifusa can take wet feet.

June 20, 2018

28 minutes ago, MeanGreen said:

Inyan do you keep your freshly done grafts outside in the shade? I always bring mines inside in low light, not even on a windowsill, but your comment made me realize it might not be a good idea.

Speaking of Opuntia, I've done a few grafts on Austrocylindropuntia subulata lately, seems like a great stock. Loves water, has leaves, growth extremely fast and has a large cambium. The unions seem to happen very quickly too, only 6 days since I grafted this one and it's already cracking the parafilm seemingly.

Here are my smallest grafts, not in terms of scion but in terms of stock. Young hylocereus undatus seedlings. Want to do a kind of tricho bouquet, I had way too many Clyde x Chalaensis seedlings so I thought what the heck let's try it. The test one I did beforehand at the front took.

Btw, I followed your advice and purchased some parafilm, loving it so far!

I only move to the shade if the stock or scion was in the shade to begin with or I'm not using something to boost the humidity like parafilm.

However, if you use a growth chamber to increase humidity, you have to be aware that chambers will also increase the heat which can be a bad thing if they are placed in direct sun too long during the heat of the day. You might try intermittently bring your grafts out if you are using a humidity chamber with good effect if done for just a few hours off and on throughout the day.

As regards your first graft, it looks like you need to go ahead and slice the sides off of that graft. Use a brand new razor blade for this as this will enable your graft to breath. It looks like it has taken and all is good. Dust with sulfur.

Alternately, if your not sure of your steady hands... suck up a bit of sulfur dust in a syringe. Poke a few needle holes gradually over the outer edge of one side of your graft and and then the other side do the same. Slowly introduce a bit of that sulfur as a dust onto the surface of your graft.

Great job with the parafilm by the way!

June 20, 2018

3 hours ago, Elrik said:

More of a question than a porn shot. I was recently gifted some alleged Opuntia humifusa and while saving the larger pads for growing I used two unrooted pads for grafting little loph pups.

I banded them on and put them someplace deeply shaded and coolish for 9 days. The smaller of the two had its scion shrivel a touch more than I expected. Its larger sister still looks plump.

Obviously I'll return it to a lower light area until the pad swells, should I put it under a cover to keep humidity a little higher while the pad tries to root?

Opuntia humifusa can take freezing temperatures and floods both without skipping a beat.

For grafting purposes, I personally prefer to graft on nice plump vigorously growing specimens.

My theory being that if my stock is dehydrated and in need of water itself... how much fluid is it going to be pumping into my graft?

You band kept your specimen from floating off for 9 days... provided it had an abundance of fluid that the stock could push into your graft that would help.

Why use a pad that is not swollen to the hilt?

The more swollen a stock is the more it can push its nutrients into the scion.

Why use an unrooted stock to graft?

Without roots, a stock will have to use its own reserve energy and fluids to grow new tissues to support a union between the stock and scion.

Why was the graft moved to a lower light area?

Light stimulates growth.

As for your question as to humidity in relation to your Opuntia rooting....

Humidity is not essential for rooting your Opuntia. Rooting your Opuntia can be best expedited by increasing bottom heat and soaking your Opuntia humifusa in water and nutrients. Personally, I would grow that Opuntia in a bog style environment with a heaping dose of fertilizer added to the water. I'd go with a nice aqua blue, green, or muck brown color to the water to ensure a good amount of fertilizer was added.

Humidity is more important however in a graft of this type to keep the graft union hydrated so living tissue can form before that same tissue dries out. Even a small imperfection such as a double cut when you are slicing your stock or scion can create a space for an air bubble which is hopefully mitigated by the pressure of the rubber band and the increased humidity in your growth chamber... or one could simply wrap with co-ban or another material to hold more moisture in at the graft site itself.

Nice collection by the way.

I assume you went with Opuntia humifusa as you wanted a slower growing stock or a stock that would not rot if overexposed to water? Either way, it was a good choice.

June 16, 2018

Some Datura pictures...Datura wrightiiDatura discolorDatura metel var. fastuosaDatura quercifoliaDatura stramonium

June 14, 2018

I trimmed 42 different cacti specimens in my garden. Now we wait for them to callous over and wonder what we are to do with these clones of my specimens.

Took a few Pereskiopsis cuttings so I can graft another 600+ seedlings I have going.

Admired a few variegated Trichococereus throwing out pups still a bit on the small side for clipping, but getting to clipping size.

And I gazed dreamily at some of my very fat Trichocereus scopulicola x Trichocereus terscheckii

And of course I checked on my variegated crested Trichocereus pachanoi areole sitting still and not doing anything, but even that is a good sign given its age.

June 9, 2018

Birthdate 19 March 2018

Today our grafted crested variegated Trichocereus pachanoi is 82 days old and starting to pup. Unfortunately, the pup did not choose the proper spot to pup!

Is it cheating if you take a an areole that is starting to pup like this one and graft it or will that get you kicked out of the grafting union?

May 31, 2018

At higher doses of medicine I have seen people who have been told to calm down about their numb arm or their arm may never regain feeling... actually lose their sense of feeling in that arm for an entire week.

That is the power of medicine. I can and often does potentiate and syngergize with ones thoughts and emotions making thoughts and emotion much more powerful than they might otherwise be. This is why one reason I believe ceremony is so important.

I don't care if you are an atheist. You can attest to thoughts and emotions being magnified on different medicines at higher dosages especially if you are honest with yourself. Fear of losing control is often one of those thoughts/emotions that one deals with at higher levels of dosage of many medicines.

So, how is this dealt with? Many use song, mantra, prayer, or reciting something they wish to engrain in their psyche. Without this focus, you are at the whim of whatever random thoughts good or bad that may pop up into your head. This again is why a guide is important during any initial entry into the use of a plant medicine and especially important with the entry into higher levels of plant medicine.

I have seen space and time dissolve and explode with each second lasting an eternity and an eternity lasting only a second. I have seen days go by in the blink of an eye and single moments that I'm not sure ever ended. I have experienced things like this without the use of any plant medicines by simply going without food, water, or sleep for 4 days in traditional ceremonies called the vision quest or hanbleceya and I have experienced those same types of experiences with traditional medicines.

I have experienced immense pain and suffering that can only be described as burning from the inside out and the outside in at the same time. I have also experienced what can only be described as an unbelievable overwhelming feeling of love and being connected to everything that ever was and will be. Seeing a butterfly turn into an eye which belonged to a wolf that sat there watching me. I have seen a tree turn into a giant watchtower with a clock with pants hanging off of the hour hand.

I have seen the stars dance in the trees turning into so many different colored lights as the moon danced along the water taking flight again into the night sky. I have seen the Earth turn into a black void where I seemed to float and the Earth was no more and found myself looking down up at a green glowing cliff that stretched out to eternity. I noticed a valley or a cave as what it looked like changed depending on my personal perspective as I floated not having any indication of which way was up or down or where I stood in relation to reality. I have entered that cave of darkness within that green glowing cliff and known that within that great expanse of the unknown everything could be known and yet I found myself unable to ask any question worth knowing the answer to.

I have danced with bones in my chest tethered to a tree, sundancing, waiting for a vision. I have seen the forest disappear and green glowing orbs create a sea where the forest once stood. Each orb containing 3 red triangles floating within them. I have heard a loud guttural cry from what I could only surmise must be a mountain lion only to see two glowing yellow balls of light floating where I know a cat should stand. One ball placed between each shoulder blade or where one might think they should be. Following me....

I have seen flies attach themselves to my prayer ties and flags in such numbers that you could not see the prayer flags or the prayer ties anymore, but instead the beating wings of countless flies that later turned into beautiful tiny sparks of blue light floating through the forest.

I have seen iktomi the spider come and spin its web as its babies poured over me. I have seen a world where people were apes dressed in human clothes and everything in-between.

The only thing I know for 100% certain after having all of these experiences is that focus is key at these higher levels of experience produced by medicines both internal and external. Without focus ones thoughts and emotions are magnified in random ways that may or may not be beneficial. That focus is important with plant medicines especially as unlike a vision quest where one can simply come down off the hill when things are too much... you have no ability to do such a simple act with many medicines especially at higher dosages. Just as it takes an iron will of focus and determination to stand in one place for 4 days without food, water, or sleep... one must have that same kind of focus if one is to safely traverse higher planes with strong medicines with strong dosages. To say that it would be wise to always have a guide in such an experience would be an understatement. To think one does not need them or one can jump into these experiences without much experience would be asking for a travesty to befall your mind if not your body as either could easily be shattered.

I make no claim to anything other than the simple fact that the mind is a very powerful tool that one can learn to use and make stronger. In much the same way as a powerlifter or a body builder learns to make their body stronger, one can learn to make alter those thoughts that affect your sleep and waking state and you can make changes that have just as lasting effects. Just as a powerlifter can tear a tendon however, you can also tear or injure your mind.

I'll leave it at that as I already feel I've been a little to long winded, but please understand that the experiences I relate are nothing special. They are open to anyone who wishes to experience them. In fact, I'd say those experiences were just the tip of the iceberg of what is possible as I'm sure many of you can relate to, but for those that have yet to touch on these types of experiences they are definitely out there. What is uncertain is how and what you will do with them should you chose to go down that path and why is it important to do so.

Whatever the reason, focus is indeed important. Especially so at the deeper levels.

May 31, 2018