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Halcyon Daze

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Posts posted by Halcyon Daze

    PC lookalike

    in Cactus & Succulent Identification

    Posted

    Was the cross made in Peru in the 1930s? That sounds a bit suss.

     

    Maybe if both plants were from that expedition and were more recently crossed. Anything's possible I guess but the whole story seems just a tad off in my humble opinion.

     

    Could definitely be a mix-up.

    2022 Floods

    in Chill Space

    Posted

    Good luck n take care to all affected.

     I know there are a few of us in those low lying areas like Nth NSW and below Wivenhoe dam etc.

     

    Let us know how you're coping and I'm sure we can help out in our own little ways when the time comes.

     

     

    • Like 4

    Tricho ???

    in Cactus & Succulent Identification

    Posted

    I've seen scop x bridge hybrids that come out looking just like that. With the super short spines and all.

     

    You'll never really know what it is, but you could probably just assume it's a scop hybrid.

     

    As it gets more mature you might form a better opinion on it.

    • Like 1

    Introduction: Hi , my name is Peanut.

    in Chill Space

    Posted · Edited by Halcyon Daze

    Hey mate, nice to meet you. 

     

    Another keen fisherman right here :) To defeat a fish,  first you must learn to think like a fish... But then you must also learn how to STOP thinking like a fish...

     

    I've found thinking like a cactus helps with that. Very meditative process actually. 

     

    Pop along to a meet-up some time. Your local lads (and ladies) will sort you out. 

     

    Have a great weekend and welcome to the community :D 

     

    • Thanks 1

    Drainage material for potted cactus plants ... or not?

    in Cacti & Succulents

    Posted

    I use coarse forest-mulch for trichos ( mainly in plastic pots) and it works pretty fkn brilliant. The reason is that the mulch turns kinda spongey and soaks up a lot of water which seems to make my trichos really boom.

     

    Took me a couple years to understand just how fat n fast trichos grow with heaps of Sun, Ferts and WATER. Ya gotta get the triple combo happening and then BOOM! That's just for trichos though. And prickly pear I guess  LOL

     

    Ok so this is going a bit off topic now, but you wanna design your whole system around what trichos love. Not try forcing the other way round.

     

    Just imagine how you'd  grow the maddest monster weedy plants you could ever grow, and grow your trichos in the exact same conditions. You can't skip one element, -you need hot sun, high nitrogen, and heaps of water

     

    Now, the best thing I ever did when I had most of my trichos planted in your same drainage conditions was to place water trays under all the terracotta pots.  They drink it up fast in terracotta pots, so the deeper the tray the better. It's just the whole wicking thing again.

     

    Don't worry about the terracotta pots too much, the trichos will soon explode those.

     

    Just keep them dry in winter. 

     

    Plastic pots are pretty different and don't need the trays as bad as terracotta pots do from experience. 

     

    I only really do it for terracotta that have lots of drainage crocks. For plastic pots I use the mulch which ends up as nice moist, fibrous sponges, but still very well oxygenated. The roots go full-monster down there.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Help please: Bridgesii - Corking, sunburn or disease?

    in Cacti & Succulents

    Posted · Edited by Halcyon Daze

    One of the various rusts/rots caused by fungi or bacteria. They are fairly ubiquitous in the environment and within collections.  They seem to spread among the wild prickly pears too, so it's just everywhere and the hope of a collection free of it is pretty much unrealistic unless you live very remote and follow strict quarantine protocols.  Even healthy looking cuts can be harbouring them and by the time you notice it's pretty much too late. 

     

    So the best approach is through ongoing management rather than permanent eradication. Use of systemic fungicides seems to work well. Mancozeb is pretty good. Also environment plays a big role. fungi and bacteria explode when conditions are right, which seems to be hot/stagnant/sweltering conditions for going ballistic in trichos. Try to keep them shaded from the afternoon sun in an area that always gets good airflow.

     

    Really bad cases will often require some surgery and/or amputation. There's a facebook member named Gee Bee who's a bit of an expert on the matter.

    • Like 1

    Tryna germinate kangaroo grass seeds

    in Australian Native Plants

    Posted · Edited by Halcyon Daze

    Wicked, that's good to know. I hope to regenerate a lot more of this species in areas where it has been displaced by non-native species.

     

    By the way, if you check out the thread on 'The Coke Bottle Tek' this method has been working wonders for absolutely everything I put into it, including random grass seeds that find they way in by mistake. It's essentially a fast easy way to do a whole box full of wicking tubes at a time. I'm also just placing forrestry tubes into PET bottle bottoms (for wicking), which also has some pros and cons like faster turnaround and entirely re-usable materials, but no dome unless you use small tubes.

     

    Probably had my best success with natives so far, -and cacti. Basically you put in a little bit of extra time up front and enjoy all the benefits from then on. If you're a propagator then try it bro.http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?/topic/47590-coke-bottle-tek-a-terrarium-technique/

     

    • Like 1
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