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Mr. Bowser

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Posts posted by Mr. Bowser

  2. Posted

    Personally, I like to keep mine outside during the winter and if we get a hard freeze cover them with a blanket until the sun comes up.  To me the benefit is they go into full dormancy and don't etoliate, as they might if kept too warm inside.

     

    That said, if you plant enough seeds, you could simply let nature take its course - and will be left with the most cold hearty seedlings surviving...

  4. Posted

    I have several t. peru and t. bridge that were neglected a few years ago and got sunburned. I noticed this week that some of the sunburn is flaking off and the green epidermis is showing again!

     

    Has anyone else noticed this with sunburned epidermis regenerating after a period of time (years)?

     

    I'll try to upload some pics soon

  5. Posted

    Hey,

    I'm looking for some suggestions for cacti that would do well in a hanging basket. I've got a bunch 6+ of ceiling mounted hooks by windows in nearly every room of the house and want some unique and interesting cacti that will flow down over the edges of the basket. Most are brightly lit with most of the light being indirect. Cacti that flower easily indoors are also a plus, although this is only a secondary consideration.

    So far on my list I've got:

    Selenicereus Anthonyanus (Fishbone Cactus) and other species, like Mutant's Selenicereus (forget the species) that is really cool

    Hylocereus Undatus (Dragon Fruit) and other similar hylocereus (already have these)

    Schlumbergera (Christmas Cactus ... not especially unique or interesting to me :blink: )

    I've seen in a cactus species reference book a long time ago, what looked like hanging cacti that had wooly looking spines that covered most of the skin of the cactus. They looked kind of like dreadlocks. Any thoughts? Thanks!!!

  6. Posted

    kava works great for relaxing me before bed... especially with a beer (although i think the kava warning label recommends against this). chamomile tea can zonk me out pretty quickly and gives me some very vivid dreams. benedryl is the same active ingredient as unisom and works great in a pinch... but seems to be habit forming for me within a week, so I stick with the herbal teas.

    like scarecrow says, exercise (especially higher intensity or longer duration) does wonders for recalibrating the internal clock, its better to do this at least a few hours before you go to bed... sometimes you can get wired from working out and it could keep you up later.

    • Like 1

  7. Posted · Edited by Mr. Bowser

    I drink an herbal kava tea (sold in supermarkets here in the US) that is sweetened with stevia leaf. It is so sweet that adding honey makes it too sweet for me!

    We also sell a bunch of sports drinks at my work that are sweetened with stevia, which is supposed to have a low glycemic index.

    I always prefer naturally sweetened beverages, since I believe that aspertame and other artificial sweeteners have not been adequately proven safe for long term consumption, and at least in the case of aspertame, was approved by the FDA rather unscrupulously (link here for more info)

    And huffington post reports that diet soda drinkers are at greater risk for diabetes than regular soda drinkers... go figure (link here)

  8. Posted

    Remind me again why people graft regular Trichs (Not crests or Variegates) onto other Trichs. I can't for the life of me see any benefit, am I missing something ?

    My trich scions grown on trich root stocks do very well in full sun, and its easy to grow them quite large before degrafting. Also, the scions grown on trich stocks seem to be much thicker than when grown on peres stocks, perhaps because the root system of the established trich is larger than the peres. Usually I'll pick the most interesting scion from the peres grafts to regraft the tip onto an established trich for enhanced pumping power and scion girth.

    Also I've gotten quite sick of all the peres glochids, so hylocereus and selenicereus seem like other good candidates for seedling grafting, but haven't tried them yet to compare speed and girth of scion growth.

    • Like 2

  10. Posted

    Interesting thread... from experience with pach, peruvianus, and bridgesii, the pach seems the heartiest when going from indoors to out, whereas a couple of my very blue peruvianus and bridgesii are much more easily sunburned. Then again, other (greener) peruvianus and bridgesii seem to do better. I have best results moving them out into full sun by giving them a week or so with a few hours of filtered/direct sun (morning) and acclimating them from there, making sure to rotate them every other day or so.

  12. Posted

    My first question would have to be, does/has anyone grown cacti under a 600w light?

    My other concern is to do with mature cacti under this lighting, I know they will be happier in this room over winter but I want them to flower come spring. This brings up my next question, if I put the lights on a summer & winter cycle (hours of light given though winter say 2 hours less) will my cacti still flower? Or do they need a seasonal temperature change as well?

    I've also grown under 450w MH, mostly grafts and seedlings, both grew really well. Like Space Cadet mentioned, I've found there to be a 'sweet spot' in terms of distance from the bulb.

    As for over-wintering mature cacti, they will need a cold dormancy to flower. I've overwintered inside under the MH ( about 1.5 meters from the bulb) and with holding water at 15 - 20C . They didn't etoliate, but they didn't flower the next summer either. If you can drop your temps in the grow room to 5 C or so, you might be able to flower them.

    Good luck!

    • Like 1

  15. Posted

    Nice seedlings SC, they look really happy! Probably easier to graft the seedlings to the branches of the peres than pachanoi... Plus it'll look pretty crazy!

    If you're grafting the butt end of a seedling, make sure there are at least a few intact aeroles on it! I'd wait til they are a bit bigger to try that.. atleast when I graft, the interface can get a bit squashed, and I'd want to be sure that there were plenty of non-squashed aeroles available to grow offsets from. Also IME upside-down grafts take almost twice as long to show real signs of plumping and growth, so they'd need enough water reserve to survive that.

    Its hard as hell to find any pics around of possible albinos in their baby stage, maybe cause its hard to tell
    I hope I have found some! :P If they do turn out to be beautiful misfits then I will make sure to update with pics :)

    I did have a yellow one that was one of the first sprouts, but it suddenly greened up one day...

    Agreed! I've been faked out by yellow runts that green up when they get bigger. I guess if they're true albinos they'll stop growing after a while...

    Update:


    Grafted the one head of the two headed freak on peres and its just now throwing some new spines!

    Just grafted a yellow seedling that remained unusually light even after throwing a couple dozen aeroles... keeping my fingers crossed!

    Stopped paying close attention to the seedlings and all of a sudden, the shriveled runt plumped up and looks like it'll be graftable after all!

    • Like 2

  16. Posted

    Doesn't look like the kava to me. Look closely at the leaf. The true kava has leaf veins begin at the base of the leaf and run roughly parallel with the central vein, whereas the P. auritum has veins branching out from the central vein down the entire length of the central vein.

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    I really dig bicycling (both road and mountain)... its pretty inexpensive to get started.

    There's a ton of exercises you can do with a simple set of (small) plate loaded dumb bells for strength training.

    My g/f really enjoys yoga, and got me turned onto it also. It was a bit more demanding than I anticipated in that it left me sore the next couple of days!

    When ever you start a new exercise program, its a good idea to start off light and ease into it. No need to get discouraged by starting off balls to the wall and hurting yourself!

    Good luck! Keeping physically active keeps me more mentally/emotionally stable, and I truly believe that humans evolved with an inherent need of exercise to maintain sanity. Glob knows I need every bit I can get. :lol:

    • Like 3

  18. Posted

    Thanks Indigo!

    Just met with an attorney yesterday, and her advice was spot on with yours! Most employers would be less than comfortable to hire an employee who quit because of "discrimination" or taking their employer to court, even if it was completely justified. She suggested citing hazardous work conditions under why I left.

    Basically, 99% of cases are settled before a court verdict, and she assured me that even if it were settled in court, my chances of winning are solid. She likes my case so much she waved a whole bunch of consultation and retainer fees! I'm really glad things are looking hopeful again, and my former employer will be notified of my intent to file suit within the week... Just like I told them... "you'll be hearing from my solicitor" lol!

    My former employer seems to have reported to the Dept. of Human Servics that I refused employment (not that I was fired by the company) so that I could not receive unemployment benefits, in an attempt to further retaliate against me. Fortunately, this is just more evidence to help my case as there is now record they lied to a credible government agency :lol:.

    Also during settlement, I will be able to change the record of my departure such that to any perspective employers I officially resigned, and that along with the length of time I worked there is the only information they can legally disclose. They can also be compelled to submit a correction to D. HS so I may receive the benefits to which I'm entitled.

    Hurray! Thanks for all the support everyone!

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    Any suggestions for discussing this situation with prospective employers? I.e. what to put in the application form under "reason for leaving this position". I was thinking something along the lines of "personal" or "discrimination/unsafe work environment". I figure it would be better to explain the situation better in person. :unsure:

  22. Posted

    Today I discovered the freezing point of my T. cuzcoensis is somewhere between -5 and -10 C! :o

    This was the only cactus I had out in the snow, and it seemed just fine down to -5C and still kinda squishy ribs

    I was thinking about bringing it inside the house for a couple months til temps stayed around 0 to +5C ...

    Checked on it this morning after hitting -10C and it was frozen solid :lol: oh well, glad it was just one, and not the flock!

    • Like 2

  24. Posted

    Hey DTB,

    Looks like that soil isn't the best for growing cactus in general... lots of what looks like uncomposted bark and woody material. IME most store bought cactus mixes are shit for actually growing a cactus in... seems like the soil mix companies just throw all their left over crap together and add sand and perlite and call it a cactus mix. Sure they might barely sustain cacti like peres, selenicereus, hylocereus... but other than that you're better off making your own mix.

    Lophs like low amounts of organic material in the soil. Check out Kada's Garden website soil suggestions for loph soil suggestions under "mineral mixes" and remember that lophs typically grow in areas rich in limestone. Probably want to replant in better soil and keep dry while they heal. Good luck!

    • Like 1
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