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The Corroboree

CβL

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Posts posted by CβL

  1. Posted

    I'm sure that we can mostly agree that if there is a God; it would be far too much for us to directly comprehend. Based on that, how can you really know if there is a God? How can you tell apart a delusion of God from a knowing of God? The equivalence principle states essentially "Locally, the effects of gravitation (motion in a curved space) are the same as that of an accelerated observer in flat space." Similarly if a medicine has consistently the same effect as a placebo - we don't know if it had effect or not.

    Furthermore, we all know the power of the mind to sincerely believe in delusions - yet most of us are sure that there are none in our own mind. I understand this, as once you think you have experienced retrocausality, you know something's up. Lastly, the ability of the mind to understand itself is limited - a complete explanation here: http://meta-religion.com/Mathematics/Articles/godel_theorem.htm

    So, how can you know that your belief of God is not a delusion? I simply don't think it can be done. Essentially, existence of God is unknowable.

    • Like 3

  4. Posted

    This is all news to my ears Julian. I've not read anywhere else (other than a week old post at the nexus) of Floribunda containing N,N. Is there any evidence that I have missed to support this new discovery?

    And also, which phyllodes are best - old growth or new growth?

    Will try my hand at growing some asap. ;)

  5. Posted

    I can attest that I have noticed no net change in my thinking clarity when switching from fluoridated water (filtered rainwater for last few months). I have been sleepier however.

    And for those who say they have noticed a change... If your pineal gland WAS calcified, changing the water you drink would not remove the lime deposit in your brain - it would only stop it from growing (despite the fact that such a polar molecule would have great difficulty crossing the BBB, but we'll ignore that conveniently for your sake) so even if you DID try and escape the subduction - it would be too late.

    On a more on-topic note: Good on Canberra uni for doing this. I fully believe that bottled water (which most of it is tap water anyway isn't it?) is an absolute waste of packaging and energy (trucking water around is a waste of petrol in areas with high-pressure water pipes).

    • Like 1

  6. Posted

    No problem. :)

    I am interested in this topic as well, and decided to have a look when you posted this topic. I really recommend that second literature review for a good read. There's a lot of leads in there. Heaps of compounds that act similarly to ibogaine in rat studies (not that that can tell a whole lot). And there's also a large amount of other T. species worth looking at.

  7. Posted · Edited by bluntmuffin

    I'm attempting to get the analytical study of the species in question, but it's in French... and I can't seem to find the full-text.

    This is the original title:

    Plantes de Nouvelle-calédonie XXXIX. Alcaloïdes des feuilles de Pagiantha cerifera Mrgf. (Apocynacées)

    Maybe somebody with more ability to find french articles can help. :S

    The first quote comes from here:

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/35982296/The-Alkaloids-Volume-8-1978-A-Review-of-Chemical-Literature-Specialist-Periodical-Reports-IsBN-0-85186-327-2-0851863272-IsSN-0305-9707-03059

    Here is a 'literature review' which is VERY helpful as it collates all the information together on Tabernaemontana, and it's more up-to-date (1984):

    http://www.yourfilehost.com/media.php?cat=other&file=Tabernaemontana.pdf

    Edit:

    This is the ethnobotanical notes -

    T. cerifera

    New Caledonia: The wax covering the buds is readily collected for use by

    melting it with hot water [ 21,265 1. The macerate of the bark is a drastic

    purgative [ 2651.

    So... it might be even more gut-wrenching than T. Iboga.

  8. Posted · Edited by bluntmuffin

    Sorry for the bad typesetting. Have you seen this before?:

    The genus Pagiantha has not previously been seriously investigated, although

    the presence of alkaloids in the leaves of P. cerifera M gf. (Tabernaemontana

    cerifera Panch. et Seb.) has been noted.' Extraction of these leaves has now

    yielded (-)-voacangine, (- )-voacangine hydroxy-indolenine, and(- )-ibogaine,

    while the seeds of P. macrocarpa(Jack) Mgf. (Ervatamia macrocarpaM e r r i l l=T.

    macrocarpaJack) have been shown

    to contain(- )-voacangine, coronaridine,

    and voacangine hydroxy-indolenine.

    I'm just downloading the file now to check their reference for that study.

    Edit: This is the study referenced by that quote

    132 A. Harmouche, H. Mehri, M. Koch, A. Rabaron, M. Plat, and T. SCvenet, Ann. pharm. franc., 1976,

    http://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/ebm/record/970873/full_citation/%5BPlants_of_New_Caledonia__XXXIX__Alkaloids_of_leaves_of_Pagiantha_cerifera_Mrgf__Apocynacae_%5D

  10. Posted

    I believe the top cutting, has it's top end facing to the right. The reason I say this is because of the direction of the glacous wax (blue stuff). On a correctly-oriented cactus, the glaucous wax will be oriented up and out from the centre-line of a rib join. Using this same logic, you can find the top of the bottom cactus too. It does REALLY matter, as the xylem apparently is one-way (or one way preferential), and if the cactus is planted upside down, if it can re-grow (which I think might be possible), it will not be able to use any of the existing xylem (if I am wrong, please correct me).

    In my limited experience, Trichocerei are not as fussy as other cacti when it comes to soil. In fact you'll find many large specimens growing directly into garden soil. I use a mix of around 60% good quality potting mix (Dalton's or something - this will have some fertilizer and fungicide in it already hopefully), and pumice (3-5mm or 5-7mm diameter stuff) for the rest. The reason I don't recommend using rocks, is that they're heavy, and your soil will be much more compacted as a result. This will slow down root growth a bit. However, you generally can't go wrong with pre-mixed cactus mix. It's generally a bit barky though - if you can find one that isn't, you might be onto a winner. Try and find a nice healthy soil that smells humus-y. You want to provide a good micro-organism habitat. I've found this is the main thing to be overlooked that can increase your plants vitality.

    Basically, again there are different opinions. And that means there is no correct answer. I was told to "bottom water once, and then water as the soil dries out, etc." I do that, and it's not let me down. In my experience as well, holding back water will not increase rooting - but increases new growth. Once your cactus has "sucked in" - then you know it needs a bit more water as the cactus is using all of it's stored water and nutrients. Maybe reduce sunlight as well if it has no roots. Some people also advocate removing the cactus from the soil to check for root-growth! I don't think that's very good, as if there was some thin fibrous root structure - you just broke it. I recommend pushing the cactus slightly to one side, and then based on it's harmonic bouncing movements, you can tell if it's firmly rooted - or just sitting in the dirt.

    Good luck. :)

    And lastly, don't leave those cactus out to get soaked (a bit of rain is fine), as rot will set in from the top.

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    I'm having trouble with bugs on my Piper. I only had Derris dust on hand, so hopefully that will dispatch them until I can find a more permanent solution. Anyone got any advice for insects?

    I think you can also save that seedling. Put it back into a fully-humid environment, and mist 1-2 times daily. Maybe prop up the leaves so they can generate maximum energy for the plant before they perish. If you're lucky, the plant will have enough energy reserve to send up more foliage. It's hard to tell, but was that seedling getting enough sunlight? It looks etiolated in that photo.

  15. Posted

    Yeah. The grower who I bought the shorter spined one from was actually quite confused at the identification of the first one! So it seems there's confusion afoot as to which is the real form. I think they're both correct. They both have a slightly bigger dip into the growing crown than other Tricho's. They have the same shaped ribs. The areole hair is that same light yellow colour. The spines are a nice canary yellow on both on new growth.

  16. Posted · Edited by bluntmuffin

    Boards of Canada - Kid For Today

     

    Choosing a single BoC track is like trying to choose a favourite kitten.

    Carbon Based Lifeforms - Proton/Electron

     

    bit of a long intro, please wait until around 3:45 to decide if you like it.

  17. Posted

    Ooh that's good. Did they say how to dry the pollen? Fan-dry? Dessicator? Dehydrator (probably not). I cut off the stamens on my pachanoi flower, and then put them into a small plastic zip-loc style bag, and rolled it tightly, and placed it into the freezer. So I didn't really dry or anything.

    And I bought the small-spined Terscheckii from a well-known Auckland cactus grower with links to cssnz. So based on that, I assume it's legitimate. I also saw larger specimens that they had, and the spines get much larger with age. But still not as thick as the spines on the first Terscheckii.

  18. Posted · Edited by bluntmuffin

    Oh damn. I thought they were self-fertile. I just assumed because Lophs were. Damnit.

    Well, I've got another pachanoi flower that's not quite open yet. Maybe I should rip it open? It's on an unrooted cutting, and the flowers generally get savage cases of white fungal growth without being on live plants (IME). This cutting is now rooted, so I think that's the best course of action. Will the pollen be viable if the flower is not opened naturally?

    And yes, it is indeed a nice name. It's a bit deceptive though, as I don't like blunts, don't really like muffins especially, and I'm actually quite sharp as opposed to being blunt. :P

    Edit: I rotate the images prior to upload, but imageshack likes to turn them back. :/ I prefer to use imageshack, so I don't know if there's a simple solution.

  19. Posted

    Alright. I have some new photos. :)

    ters1.jpg

    This is a Trichocereus Terscheckii if I'm not mistaken. Propagated via cutting.

    ters2.jpg

    Here is another Trichocereus Terscheckii, seed grown it appears. Vastly different spine sizes. And the spines do not yet appear to curve.

    pach1.jpg

    This is my first Pachanoi, which appears to have completely changed it's form. I reckon it just had crap soil before, and now it's healthy again. You can tell by the areole spacing how slow it had been growing before.

    peru1.jpg

    Trichocereus peruvianus flower. Tried to cross-pollinate with some Pachanoi pollen. But I think I stuffed up the pollen collection or freezing, or thawing. I self-pollinated then, as I had apparently failed at the cross-pollination.

  21. Posted

    I usually fan-dry my cuttings, and then once they're not getting any drier, I'll put them upright on an angle for storage, or pot them into nice cacti soil. Contrary to popular belief, you can water the cactus cutting almost immediately. This is not as safe as waiting for roots to form, but it's certainly quicker. Of the 9 cuttings that I've potted and watered immediately (bottom watered for a few hours), 9 have survived without any complications. If you're worried about mould on the cutting, make sure to sterilize before cutting, and you can dust the cutting and rootstock with sulfur to inhibit mould growth. Your cactus soil might also have fungicide contained in it. This helps too.

    Here's a nice picture of a properly calloused cutting (although some people callous much more than this) http://www.trichocereus.com/propagation.htm

  22. Posted

    Basically, the point of a CWE extraction is to try to leave as much of the nauseating oils and alkaloids in the seed matter as possible. The alkaloid of interest is highly water soluble, and should not even need to be acidified further. At all times treat this alkaloid (and it's mixtures) as you would treat a good relative of this alkaloid.

    This was my method for CWE:

    1) Crush the seeds (using flat pliers) into a small shot-sized glass, or small container.

    2) Pour (preferably not tap, for potency reasons) water onto the seeds to fill a shot-sized glass.

    3) Use a blunt object (stirring rod, back of a highlighting pen) to crush the seeds while underwater. Do this until the water has turned as brown as it seems like it will get, but without crushing the seeds into oblivion.

    4) Decant the water off.

    5) Perform steps 2-4 once or twice more.

    Using this CWE and fresh seeds (of high importance, they will not last more than a couple of months) - you can expect to have more reliable results.

  24. Posted

    In horrible news, I awoke this morning to find my propagator lid fallen off, and best of all... covered in duck shit. One of the ducks decided to come into the garage, climb all up on the benches and stuff, and leave excrement all on my gardening equipment and the seedling propagator, and then as a final move - knock the lid off and let the morning sun scorch my seeds. Cheers duck.

    • Like 1
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