My Chilean Cacti Collection 2009/2010

DWDogwood · Post by **DWDogwood** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:12 am

E. saint-pieana is among the "must have" columnar cacti.
Regrettably, seeds are hard to find and my results haven't been great.
One germinated from a Mesa packet and about 8 from who knows where else, I think the guy in Australia, of which 4 are now really strong, about an inch after one year.
A German Nursery was selling larger seedlings for about 50 Euros.
The other Eulychnias are out there.

vlani · Post by **vlani** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:34 am

Juan Acosta usually has several Eulychnias in his list and they are usually good fresh seeds.
I have 3 or 4 different kinds from him, 1 year old or so

Christer Johansson · Post by **Christer Johansson** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:29 pm

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate that!! I will give it a try to get some seeds

Christer Johansson · Post by **Christer Johansson** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:37 pm

A summer diff

Before...

...and after

iann · Post by **iann** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:38 pm

The PV1922 seed at Mesa Garden was habitat collected in 2005. That's old enough for even well-stored seed to start declining. This is a plant that few people will ever set seed from in cultivation, so that restricts availability right from the start. Habitat seed is also typically more variable, often with lower overall germination and nearly always more staggered germination. The seed may also be just what was there on the day and so might not have been fully ripe.

I think also there just isn't huge demand for the genus, so not huge supply from the major growers.

Christer Johansson · Post by **Christer Johansson** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:42 pm

iann wrote:I think also there just isn't huge demand for the genus, so not huge supply from the major growers.

Thats just it, isn't it!

Then the follow up question; why does a plant/genus become a popular collectors item?

Spiniflores · Post by **Spiniflores** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 4:58 am

Christer Johansson wrote:So, I've got a few E. occulta already, but none with field number Something to compare with later on...

Eriosyce occulta JA 81
Florencia Senoret, Juan P. Acosta (Spiniflores)
Las Breas, Taltal, 02 Antofagasta, Chile
Habitat pictures

5 cm (2") clay pot

Roots

[cm/mm]

Hello

Christer, I think that you have a phenotype with softer spines but when the plants are older they look like a spineless phenotype...
JA81 is very variable, from none spines to many, long and acicular... In habitat they have a big taproot, but not too long. In cultivation, probably they do not need to store so much water as in habitat, so they do not develop just 1 main taproot and they produce many napine roots...

pictures from habitat, big difference in the same locality (and same field number)

JA81 ex-habitat

JA81 grafted on Pereskiopsis

this sp. also varies in the colour of the flower, from reddish to yellow o white cream

Spiniflores · Post by **Spiniflores** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 5:32 am

Christer Johansson wrote:Eriosyce napina ssp. tenebrica JA 50
Florencia Senoret, Juan P. Acosta (Spiniflores)
West of Domeyko, 04 Coquimbo, Chile
[Eriosyce tenebrica]
Habitat pictures

5 cm (2") plastic pot

Roots

[mm/cm]

to the right JA50 (sowed in 2006) growing in pure granitic soil (which is very hard and the plants grow very slow -the heads remain very small, but they can develop a huge taproot)

to the left (sowed in 2009) JA50 growing in peatmoss+perlite+compost, they do not show a main taproot but they have bigger bodies.

but we must be patience because many Eriosyce (sensu Kattermann) are very similar in the first years...

PD: Chris, about your experiment with seeds of Eriosyce umadeave you MUST clean them (wash them) because the fruit is very juicy and all seeds are covered by a (brown) layer of juice which probably inhibits germination.

good luck and I hope to keep enjoying more photos of your collection.. this goes for iann too

many greetings from Chile!

Juan

Post by **daiv** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 5:49 pm

Hi Juan!
It is always a treat to get your input on these plants. I was just on your website last week learning from it and admiring the photos you posted.

This example of the different growth due to the soil is especially fascinating:

Spiniflores wrote: to the right JA50 (sowed in 2006) growing in pure granitic soil (which is very hard and the plants grow very slow -the heads remain very small, but they can develop a huge taproot)

to the left (sowed in 2009) JA50 growing in peatmoss+perlite+compost, they do not show a main taproot but they have bigger bodies.

In this experiment did you give these plants the same lighting? I imagine you had to water them differently because of the soil.
Is that true?

iann · Post by **iann** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:36 pm

Maybe we need a thread on "how to grow a taproot"

I certainly have trouble telling all those Thelocephalas apart when they are seedlings, at the very least until they get their mature spination.

Christer Johansson · Post by **Christer Johansson** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:52 am

The info about the roots is very interesting, Juan, and I made that question/theory earlier in this thread.

(Sep 22, 2009)

When you show your pictures of those seedling makes me think more and more about when and why they create a taproot? Real geophytes have no option, but semi-geophytes may develop it in need and/or in right conditions?

Now I have a good answer

Very nice and educational pictures!! Thank a lot Juan!!

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:05 pm

Thats some amazing info right there, Thanks everyone!

Christer Johansson · Post by **Christer Johansson** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:58 pm

Spiniflores wrote:PD: Chris, about your experiment with seeds of Eriosyce umadeave you MUST clean them (wash them) because the fruit is very juicy and all seeds are covered by a (brown) layer of juice which probably inhibits germination.

That I didn't know

I will give that a try next time I order some seeds. Do you clean the seeds in water only or do you add something to dissolve the juice?

Thanks for the info!!!

-/Christer

Spiniflores · Post by **Spiniflores** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 11:50 pm

Christer Johansson wrote:The info about the roots is very interesting, Juan, and I made that question/theory earlier in this thread.

(Sep 22, 2009)
When you show your pictures of those seedling makes me think more and more about when and why they create a taproot? Real geophytes have no option, but semi-geophytes may develop it in need and/or in right conditions?
Now I have a good answer

Very nice and educational pictures!! Thank a lot Juan!!

hello Christer, you are right. Some species soemtimes develop a taproot when they live in sandy soils or in flat lands (like some heinrichianas, some subgibbosas, some taltalensis...) but when they are living between rocks or in soils with more stones or in areas with more rain, they do not have just 1 taproot.

The first "Eriosyce tenebrica" was sowed only in pure granitic soils that here in Chile we call "maicillo".
But then we start to use more peatmoss and more organic matter to avoid pots so heavy. The result is a fast growing... probably because the root can grow in softer soil without too much stress.

about umadeave's seeds, I let them for 1 day in water and then its very easy to clean the surface.
I still have few seeds from habitat still with the "layer" that cover the testa... I will try to make a photo.

greetings from Chile

Juan

Christer Johansson · Post by **Christer Johansson** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:16 pm

As always, your pictures tells more then 1000 words.
If you have a before and after picture of some clean umadeave seeds I sure appreciate it