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Jox

What to do with little lophs?

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Hi all,

Just looking for some advise/ideas on what I should do with my little lophs seedlings over winter.

5 weeks ago I jumped the gun & sowed some loph seeds, now I have 20 half pea size seedlings & winter starts tomorrow :unsure:.

At the moment they look great, there still in the seedling tray with the lid on & holes closed,they spend the day out side in my little green house, they get sun all day but are cover with shade clothe that only lets 50% light through, I bring them in of a night as it can get down to -5, so far so good.

I assume I will have to crack the lid & let them dry out soon, but have been told assumption is the mother of all f##k ups!

So what to do?

Can I just keep doing what I have been for another 3 months & crack the lid at the start of spring?

Should I dry them out & put them in green house, its dry in there & won't get any frost but it will still get very cold -2?

Any advise/ideas would be much appreciated.

Another question, can I graft some of them onto thumb size T. peruvianus or should I wait until spring to do any grafts?

Thanks for any help.

Cheers jox

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Not sure about how to deal best with your Australian Climate so wont really go into that. But the one thing i wanna say is that you should never ever graft in winter if you dont want to spent the next months nursing them like crazy. The only reason to make a graft in a cold season is an emergency graft. The colder it is, the more likely you´ll have fungal infections. Also, you need some fresh air in the time after the graft has healed to make sure its not rotting away.

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take away tek?

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Thanks EG, I thought that would be the case with grafting in winter, now I just have to work out the best way to get my seedlings through winter.

MV, I didn't do take away tek,They are in a seedling tray that comes with a raised clear lid that has vents on the top & sides that open & close.

The seeds were planted in searls pro seed raising mix.

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Aha! Sorry, I've never grown seeds that way so will now slowly back out of the thread.

Although I will say I've used the take away tek and left seedlings in a high humidity environment, under a simple small fluro light, 12on/12off, for a good 12 months or more with no obvious bad signs, maybe just slower growth. I know it gets much colder here than it does in SEQ. The biggest mistake I ever made over winter was not giving the seedlings enough water...

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hey mate, i have a heap of seedlings varying from 2-4mths old and I dont seem to be dreading our winter half as much as you! I have myself a heat mat (sits at 10C above ambient temps) and a cool white cfl above them. Mine are just in a portable greenhouse at the moment, but im sure aslong as they got the lights and heat pad, theyll be happy anywhere (bookshelf/table). The humitidy crib you sowed them in sounds perfect and identical to what i used. if you go through a coupla pages youll find very similar threads, its very much worth going for a read on here in the older threads. goodluck with it brotherfox

d00d

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just give 'em a cup of cement.

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Alright,

I just found a 150w metal halide light & transformer in my shed, I now have some questions about how far to place the light? Should I still keep them in there humidity box covered with the shade cloth that only lets 50% light through?

Thanks for the help so far, any other good advise( cement WTF ) would be great.

Cheers jox

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You will need to give them some shade from that light. If you plan this out right you can use the heat generated from the ballast as well just remember it wont want to get wet and you also can cook the seedlings with two much heat.

Cheers

Got

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Alright,

I just found a 150w metal halide light & transformer in my shed, I now have some questions about how far to place the light? Should I still keep them in there humidity box covered with the shade cloth that only lets 50% light through?

Thanks for the help so far, any other good advise( cement WTF ) would be great.

Cheers jox

 

No need for shade under lamps. Place them 30- 35 cm from the source of happiness lamp (the distance calculated for your lamp).

No need for humidity, just spray water every day, so soil is moist (for spraying better distilled water).

P.S. - no need to warm them from the bottom, there is enough warmth from the lamp.

And don't add cement or anything alkaline to the soil.

the best soil PH is 5,5- 6.0, for calcium - it is enough in tap water.

If there's a need for more calcium, use calcium nitrate as additive to fertilizer.

Edited by BBGONE

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Cover or not?

Thanks again guys, GOT you recon I should shade seedlings from a 150w MH light & BBG you say don't bother, I see BBG your in Europe & guess you have some experience growing under lights.

Confused. :huh:

I'm putting them under light today, I will cover 1/2 of them & leave to other 1/2 under full light.

I'll let you know how they go.

Thanks guys.

Keep the information coming.

Cheers jox

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I haven’t used a metal halide light for cacti :innocent_n:

I am just going from my experience from using fluros and I am still trying to get the distances sorted for seedlings. They ether elongate or they turn red I have decided at this point to stay with elongated as I have been grafting quite a few and I find it easier to graft small seedlings if they are a bit elongated.

I have recently changed most of my lights to NEC Biolux BR-HG which my grafts seem to like but I am again struggling to find the right distance for seedlings.

I would just be cautious with that light as it is better to have them elongate that to fry them.

On the subject of grafting in winter if you can set up the right environment i.e. heat and light then I say go for it. I will be continuing my grafting adventures right through this winter. Hopefully I will be doing another 10 or so this weekend all onto pere. Keeping your pere stock propagation going over winter is also possible with the right set up again it is the temps light and also humidity

Cheers

Got

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Mine are also under fluoros, 6 aquamedic Plant Grow T5 tubes in Aqua Medic aquarium Lights.

I uncovered mine when they became green and rounded, only 10 days after sprouting.

Lophs. grow roots faster than Pedros, and they feel nice without cover.

I keep mine in vermiculite covered with aquarium sharp white sand , and vermiculite keeps moisture very well,

sand also helps from drying of the substrate by reflecting light off the surface.

So I even don't need to spray them every day. I feel sand is moist, so underneath is also enougth moisture.

It is easy to determine distance, if they turn too brown on tops (a little is OK), it is a sign to put them father from the lamp.

You can read a report for growing Lophs under HPS lamp.

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=31895

The author used 150 W at 50 CM distance (to start seeds)

After some time he moved them closer -- to 35 cm.

I think MH lamp puts off heat, as much as HPS lamp.

So distances can be taken as with HPS lamp.

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I have found today, that when keeping them open allows to much water evaporation from the surface.

I germinated seeds on vermiculite moist with low concentration fertilizer in water.

So, now when water evaporates on surface , the fertilizer gets more concentrated on surface, and they grow slower.

I covered them today with lids, keeping holes for ventilation, and sprayed them with fresh water to move nutrients down the substrate.

Lids will prevent from excessive evaporation, and prevent nutrients concentration build up on the surface.

But when i keeped them with lids and no holes, it was too moist for them, and some of seedlings, began to display orange spots.

I discarded those seedling and removed lids, but then nutrients became to get concentrated.

So the best way is to keep them with lids , and leave holes for ventilation.

P.S.- interesting that when covered with red plastic lids they grow better.

I have 4 seedlings in different tray, covered with red lid (lid from CD box), they germinated later, but grow better.

They grow not in vermiculite, but in citrus peat soil, which i have bought for my plants.

So i dunno, which one causes better growth, citrus soil or red lids.

Edited by BBGONE

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Thanks again,

I have them set up still in the planter box with lid on & the vents slightly open, they are 60cm away from light.

They have had two 10hr days under the light without any shade cloth & seem to be going fine, tomorrow I'm planning on moving the light 10cm closer.

I will post again in a few more days with an update.

Cheers guys

jox

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Lophs. seedligs grow very little the first 3 months.

Seems they push all their energy to grow roots.

Then after 3 months old, they start to grow.

Edited by BBGONE

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Have found good post on lighting of lophs. seedlings by @Rev http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10025.

IME lophs dont care about heat and sun expousre

i did the unthinkable and left my lophs in full sun afternoon exposure through a glass window in sealed humid containers from sowing till now

they did not die. they did not redden. they did not suburn

rather they are the best loph seeding i have ever grown , not one but half a dozeb tubs of diff sources

and the epithelanthas nex to them bleached, cooked and died

its a mystery

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Thanks heaps BBGONE for all of the info & feedback.

My little ones seem to love the light & heat as well, I now have had them 40cm away from the from the light for 2 10hr days with the cover still on & there looking good.

I'll post again with an update.

Cheers jox

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Glad to know, that all is going OK.

Have found one more post about action of light on Lophs. growing by @Gunter http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=29726&hl=lophophora&fromsearch=1.

they show a red color but grow just fine,

in fact in some of the batches the more vigorous ones that are the largest and most well established show the most red color...

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