my collection so far....

[adetheproducer]

They do look more like habitat specimens with the mineral mixes. I will be adding more photos soon but it's all kinda gone wrong for me this year. We have had an unusually warm winter which sounds btter that it is. Unfortunately as it has been warm it's been wet, damp humid air and the odd days of freezing cold. The first frost came out of nowhere and covered most of my plants with a layer of white frost. They are now starting to show symtoms and I have had a few losses now. I lost my first cactus I bought in the collection I have, my first peyote gone.

The loss list so far

parodia mairanana,
gasteria Armstrongii,
pelecyphora aseliformus,
copiapoa tenuissima,
2 lophophora williamsii,

The dying list

Eriosyce paucicostata,
2 out of 3 ariocarpus scapharostrus
Pelecyphora stombiliformis
Possibly my largest ariocarpus fissuratus

Not looking great

Ariocarpus fissuratus lloydii,
Gymnocalycium horstii,
Ariocarpus trigonus,
3 lophophora williamsii

The ariocarpus trigonus is in therapy at the moment, I put it in a tiny pot half sticking out and removed the rotten tubercles and let it dry. It's now in my light box and had some water. All but one of my lophophora Williams are now indoors on windowsills the heat should wake them up a fight back some of the damageonce they show signs of life they will get some water. My four lophophora diffusa are in one pot inside on a windowsill, I had to cut a chunk out of the largest to remove the rot but they are doing well. My 3 lophophora williamsii caespitosa are doing well also indoors, a few scars on the larger two but nothing dramatic a bit of root loss on the largest but it should recover well. They are above a radiator in the best window so will grow quick and heal.

My biggest lophophora williamsii is still in the greenhouse but repotted no evidence of an issue at all, the same with my 2 lophophora jourdiniana. All other plants are fine. It's a cold one again tonight but its been dry and they are all coveted with news paper so in not worried. The temperatures are starting to increase now so with a bit of luck the worst of the winter is over hopefully give it another 2 weeks and I'm out of the woods.

The big learn this year I think is timing the start of my winter rest. We had a late summer and warm and late autum which was unusually dry. I foolishly kept them awake with water later than I should have. They ended up too hydrated when the cold hit, normally they would have had an extra months drying out time and the first freeze would have done little damage at all. I am also investing in a new greenhouse, well cold frame really but a bigger one. I am going to be a bit more careful with it and treat it with a yatch varnish before I assemble it. I am also going to raise it off the ground so it's not stood in water when it rains and give it a bit more ventilation.

I will get more photos uploaded when things are looking a bit more positive. I have finally caught the mammillaria bug so now have 6 of them now and my seedlings are going well in the light box so there will be some good news on soon.

[7george]

The climate is changing, for worse or better. I wouldn't left my cacti in an uncontrolled GH if I care much for those. Even "hardy" ones suffer when too hydratated and the cold is wet.

[adetheproducer]

Some positive news for a change. I just took a couple of pictures of my lophophora which came indoors due to the awful damp and cold weather we have had. They have had water as it is warm inside the house and they have all plumped up well. I lost 1 williamsii but have bought an new one to replace it. I will add more photos I have got some good looking seedlings some new plants in the new greenhouse and a couple to be delivered but with the poor weather it's difficult finding time during the day to take some pictures. Anyway here is a few pictures

Lophophora williamsii

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These are getting put back in there own individual pots when the weather improves and go back outside but for now they are bunched up and crashing on the kitchen windowsill.

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The winter damage, all healed and hard scars so it will grow out in a year or two.

Lophophora diffusa

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All my diffusa in the one pot but in the swankier living room windowsill with added heat from the radiator.they will go back outside and back into individual pots although they do look nice together.

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A fair chunk cut out but will grow out.

My new lophophora williamsii

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And something a bit different. These are medjoo date palms. I sowed 8 date stones a while back and 4 germinated and are growing surprisingly quick.

[K.W.]

Good evening,

nice to read something positive!
BUT, please be careful with water. Even if it is warm in the house.
The plants can still survive for a few more weeks without water.
But when it comes to the heat, the humidity and the injury to rot. . . So please be careful. . .


Best wishes

K.W.

[adetheproducer]

Yeah they had just the one watering and are not going back outside until the weather breaks and they have thoroughly dried out. They will be reported with new dry mix which I have augmented slightly. My old mix used a bit of baked clay cat litter but I have found it is quite water retaining so I leaned out the mix by adding more potting grit which is made of far less absorbant granites. I mixed it in about 1:2 the 2 being my original mix. The good thing is they have had a drop of water so can go a lot further into the spring now without any extra water and then the drier weather shold be more comon so less humidity and warmer nights.

I have also had to rescue my l.koehresii it had a rotten bit so I cut that out and it's dried out fine and gone firm. It's in my light box without being watered and is putting out fruit so give it a few more weeks and let the roots get growing and it can then take some water. My lophophora sp. Viesca came onto the light box but as a precaution there was no rot but clear cold steps symtoms, it had shrivelled so much it looked light a prune and had gone pretty purple. I gave it a couple of days in the light box to warm and wake up then gave a very light water. It has responded well the purple colour has almost gone leaving the nice blue green remaining and it's fattened back up a bit and locked it's root into the new potting mx well and is pushing out two buds.
There are still a few dodgy looking plants in the greenhouse. Two of my ariocarpus scapharostrus have lots most of the tubercles but look alive at the centre the third being completely unharmed. And 3 of my 4 ariocarpus fissuratus have several damage tubercles but should be fine I will wait for good hot sunny weather for them before any water they will be fine with a few more months of draught.
I have finally caught the mammillaria bug and picked up a few of these over the winter, I will get some pictures added but it's hard finding time in the still short daylight hours when it's not raining and I'm not in work or looking after my youngest (4 month old baby boy Gethin).

[greenknight]

Glad to see your Lophs are recovering well.

Don't know why you'd be surprised that the Date Palms are growing quickly - they are trees, after all! http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fast-medjo ... 39339.html

[adetheproducer]

I just imagined them to be a bit slower, I am going to regret sowing them this early in the year they are going to out grow the light box pretty soon and the green house is still to cold for them yet.

[adetheproducer]

Good news everybody

The flowerING season has started. My first one for the year on a mammillaria boelderliana a new plant.

[adetheproducer]

Some more flowers. Plenty more buds growing on lots of species. I'll keep addingore picures as they come.

Lophophora williamsii

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More mammillaria boelderliana

Mammillaria boelderliana

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Lots of buds on this plant the photo does not do it justice. There are several offsets which nearly all have at least 3 flower buds so should look quite impressive soon.

Mammillaria laui f. dasyacantha

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[mmcavall]

please keep posting

[kristian_Fossmo]

Excellent! Love the M. boelderliana. Hopefully next spring I can contribute to all the awsome flowering cacti .

[adetheproducer]

Excellent! Love the M. boelderliana. Hopefully next spring I can contribute to all the awsome flowering cacti .

Your Alberto-vojtechii should be about flowering size soon they will be impressive especially with them being so tiny. My ones are growing now the spring is heating up hopefully I will get some flowers on them next year.

[adetheproducer]

Some more lophophora flowers more on the way just need some sun. It's been warm but cloudy for a while now so it's slowing tbe flowers a bit.

[widea]

A few caespitosa(?) to add to my collection: because I lost one to rot and a few that I put outside are heavily damaged by the sun (and that in Holland...)
I want to put them close together in one pot, what do you think?

[adetheproducer]

Give the roots a bit more of a clean get all that peat off. i would then pot separately in a pure mineral mix and slow introute to more light. They should be fine once used to the light and should take full sun all year round. Sorry for the late reply not been online much lately.