Trich pach damage?

[Amulte]

i got given two very old and under loved trich pach, one has been knowed about 2 years ago and re-rooted itself. the flesh is hard and greyish, some white grey scales that scratch off but same undernieth. further along the horzontal a pup formed and look kind of ok. is the hard grey flesh a fungi or could it be due to 5 years of overexposeure? it was outside 5years on the nideast coast here, NSW. too much rain and not enough sun? no pics yet but will get some up soon.

Any ideas how i can help the poor thing? its sister in the pot is upright but knocked about a bit and it looks to have a litle scarred tissue from the other one rubbing it but is a tad yellow, am i right thinking it needs more light?

they are under fluros now, please any suggestions beisdes learning how to spell?

[ 10. March 2005, 08:43: Message edited by: Amulte ]

[Absinthe]

Fluoro lights are not the way to go with mature cacti. For seedlings they're fine, but yours will need sunlight, or if artificial something more powerful such as HPS. The yellowing could be due to lack of sunlight or a deficiency, probably nitrogen. You could use a good fertiliser with trace elements, but not too strong otherwise this will be bad for its health.

Jon

[Amulte]

the growth is stunted so they arnt that mature. but thanks for that. least now i can do somthing for em. wouldn't metal hallide be better the hps with its higher colour spectrum?

:D

[ 10. March 2005, 15:32: Message edited by: Amulte ]

[apothecary]

Cactus ferts and half shade half full sun.

Don't overdo it on the ferts.

[smogs]

lights generally arnt good for cacti mainly because only the top gets light and not the sides. The light intensity dissipates pretty quickly i think.

for lights to be effective you would probably need 2... 1 on each side pointing towards cacti

[Amulte]

very good point. ive used that method with other plants and it works wonders, do anyone recomend the use of mirros to increase side light intensity? as i find sarking some what ineffective. would it cook the shit out of it?

[apothecary]

Mirrors are NOT good for plants! Not like humans dude...mirrors cause burn spots on plants.

If you want reflection, use some nice thick white FLAT posterboard, you can get it from the news agents for like $2.

Never use mirrors on plants! Or aluminum foil...

[Amulte]

Thanks Apoth, you saved em!

[mescalito]

I dunno Apoth, I grew out a healthy peruvian in one of those stealth units with mirrored sides no problem!

She's outside now though and charging

[Salvi]

For my indoor plants, I have them surrounded with mylar. It seems to help quite a lot with the side lighting.

Also surprisingly, I've actually noticed them fattening up since I switched them to HPS from metal halide. May be just a coincidence, though.

[mescalito]

Yeah they seem to like the blue end of the spectrum but I found it caused etiolation...hmmm...I wonder if redder light stops etiolation Teonanacatl?

[apothecary]

I don't think you should only have blue or red spectrum lighting, cacti aren't like other plants, they need both.

[teonanacatl]

cacti are plants and all plants need both. know doubt there is some exceptions there always is.

accoding to this page

http://www.succulent-plant.com/light.html

 

quote:

---

Red light is very important to plant reproduction. Photochrome pigments absorb the red and far red portions of the light spectrum and regulate seed germination, root development, tuber and bulb formation, dormancy, flowering and fruit production. Therefore, red light is essential for stimulation of flowering and fruiting.

 

Blue light stimulates chlorophyll production more than any other colour, encouraging thick leaves, strong stems and compact vegetative growth. Carotenoids, the yellow-orange pigment in plants, absorb blue light and control leaf fall and fruit ripening. Riboflavin, containing another pigment, absorbs violet light and influences "phototropism", the movement of plant foliage in response to light

---

would seem that yeah metal halide lights would make them fatter as it produces a intense bluish white light at the same colour temperature as sunlight.

using HPS would give more light from the red spectrum so good for flowering but not thick growth. using both metal halide and HPS would deliver the best overall range.

the best place for any plants is in the sun :D

[Benzito]

quote:

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the best place for any plants is in the sun

---

Unless, of course, they are an illegal plant. Then they have no place being on our planet and should be eradicated! Down with plants.

[Salvi]

I really wouldn't say that cacti need a full spectrum, although I'm sure it would provide the healthiest growth. I'm currently getting good results with a standard Phillips HPS bulb. If I had the money to run both I certainly would though.

[Amulte]

ahh the old SON-T AGRO. i thought that MH globe were cheaper? it been a while since i looked.

i cacti have greened up nicly, no fert or liquid as of yet. letting em green so i can take a cutting and rebed it. thanks again, looking a little more like cacti! :D :D

[ 18. March 2005, 06:38: Message edited by: Amulte ]