Gollum

Not mine. Just found it while looking at porn. What a lovable looking freak.

Update- Well fingers crossed. I surgically removed as much rot as I could and dusted the base of the lophs with mancozeb. They have been in front of the fan with their bums in the air for a few days to dry them out. I guess time will tell if it works. I have resigned my self to the fact that I may lose them. Its just the way the cookie crumbles some time. Hopefully I can source some seed of the locale varieties if they succumb to the stress and rot. Its just really disheartening to see something you have cared for for so long to be dealt a double blow from rats and rot. I suppose I have the rest of my life to try and get it right. The good news is that none of the other rat traps have been triggered, so I may have one less thing to worry about for the time being. I really hate having to kill any animal, but sometimes you are left with no option. On a positive note, the few other cacti in the collection have responded well to the rain we have been getting in my region. They are super plump and have a lovely bright green colour to them. I will just have to be on my toes and make sure they dont get too water logged. I might try and get some photos up when I can get outside. Ill also show you guys some of the damaged plants and see if you can give me some pointers or recovery tips. Chow for now☺

Today has gone from bad to worse. Yesterday I noticed a few of my cacti had been nibbled on, some had their whole crown chewed out. Rats....... Dirty, stinkin, good for nothin, cacti chewin Rats! Some of my most treasured specimens have had the arse chewed out of them. I am devastated. These are plants that I have nurtured from seed and have been lovingly tending to for the best part of 2 years. I watched them germinate, take their first little baby steps onto their grafting stock, go through their adolescent growth spurt, then reaching maturity and witnessing their first flowers into adulthood. But these filthy vermin had other plans for them. I have already caught 3 in strategically placed traps. I thought it might have made me feel better to see them dead. It didn't. Then as if that wasn't a big enough kick to the ballbag what happened next was. While I was inspecting the rat damage I noticed that some of my babies that I had degrafted have the dreaded orange rot. I believe did every thing right. I let them dry out for a couple of weeks then put them on a bed of dry sand in a warm sheltered area and still this happens. We have had really high humidity and rain the last few days so that is all i can think of. I have gone into damage control but part of me just wants to give up. I have had orange rot before and know full well how devastating it can be. Ive cut as much of it out as I can but if i cut any more out I am going to be left with a pancake. I dont know whether to be angry or just crawl under my bed and cry. At the moment I have them under a fan, inside, I am just hoping for a miricale. Should I dust them with mancozeb? I really dont know what else to do.

I guess it could be useful for bigger pups as opposed to seedlings. Say you wanted to trim some small pups off a loph that were around the 5mm mark and graft them then it might come in handy. Never the less, I will be keeping an eye out for parafilm. I think its cool that from a pic/post of a grafting tool i had never seen before, Tangich has shared the parafilm tek which may be even better! God I love you SAB forum! A gold mine of knowledge to be found here.

Gollums delicious Mango/banana/orange smoothie! Simple but refreshing Ingredients 1 x ripe Kensington pride mango 1 x ripe Banana 1 cup Orange juice (go with the 100% stuff with the pulp not the sugary watery stuff) Lots of ice Dice mango and banana into chunks and put in blender with the cup of orange juice. Put about 10 ice cubes in as well. Blend the whole lot until it is all thick and slushy. ( add small amount of water if you want it thinner) Drink. Honestly, Ive been living off this stuff for about a week now. Its mango season and its also bloody hot. This smoothie is great after mowing the lawn or while gardening. *Bonus tip. Bung it in the freezer in a tupperware container then use a spoon to shave off for a tasty refresher. ☺

I've just been doing some surfing on the world wide web as came across this little do-hiccy. Anyone seen or used this method before? It look pretty cool. Might give it a go when next lot of seedlings are ready to be grafted.

Gotta say thanks to Jox for being such a great host today. Although it was sweltering, it was a good afternoon. I personally, get a little nervous when meeting people for the first time but everyone there made me feel very welcome and at ease. Jox is a top bloke and not to mention a serious greenthumb/cacti whisperer, but Im sure anyone that has had any dealings with him already know that.☺ It was also great to meet some fellow SABer's and swap a few goodies. Im terrible with names, and having forum names as well makes it even harder so I apologize if I got anyone mixed up. Hope to meet up with you all again some time. Sorry I missed you 2Deep, I had relos up from melbourne and had to take off a bit early. Hope to catch up with you soon mate. Thanks again Jox.☺

Update- My Dad is a bloody legend! He saw how much I was hurting and went out and bought me an early christmas pressie. A portable air-conditioner!!!! The old man never ceases to amaze me! Just when I think I have him worked out he pulls this out of the hat! Nice one Dad, Love you heaps.

Anyone got an igloo for rent?

You man have hit the nail on the head there mate.

Rage increasing......... sweat pouring..........sanity dwindling............... Too much hot weather makes for an angry Gollum!! This is Bullshit.....................................

Not mine, but I stumbled across this today while scouring the web for porn. Never seen anything like it!

Wow that would be fantastic Jox. Ill pm you later this evening so we can arrange something. Its nice to see some familiar faces. I hope you are well. Life can be hectic, priorities change, but it is still nice to revisit places that have brought you happiness in the past ,ie Shaman Australis. Hopefully I can stick around for a bit and learn, contribute and get involved a bit more often. Much Love Gollum

Apologies if this has been posted before. This documentary gives a fascinating insight into the art of Bonsai, Bonsai, Works of Divinity It is so cool seeing old mate overcome with emotion when he finally meets a 7000 year old cypress.

Hi all, Ive been looking for jourdaniana and alberto vojtechii seeds/plants for while now but havent had much luck. ( I know they can be pricey and not many around) I did get a small jourdaniana but was looking for another as back up if this one fails to take. I have some interesting things to trade but also willing to pay cash. Please Pm me if you think you could help out. Thanks in advance.