CactiGuide.com

Spring is here....kind of.. Very wet and cool weather still.

Mamm hermosana first flowers =>
Rebutia narvaecensis =>
Turbinicarpus pseudopectinatus var jarmillae first flower =>
Mamm chica (?) first flower =>
Mamm ''carmenae'' Red spines =>
Mamm longiflora =>
Echinocereus viridiflora var davisii =>
Echino polyacanthus =>
Mamm glassii =>
Mamm schwarzii =>
Mamm magallanii first flowers =>
Mamm sanchez-mejoradae first flowers =>

love the mammillaria seedlings!

More things...
mammillaria roczekii
Mam theresae. Note the flower difference in these 2 seedlings!
Opuntia basilaris seedlings.
Mam baumii
Mamm klissingiana
Wilcoxia (ehinocereus) poselgeri and weeds
First flower of this Lobivia densipina group
Mam bertholdii. First flower. seedlings 3 years old.
Alba cultivar of E. rigidissimus. (I didn't even know I had it! I have another in bud and will pollinate if I get the chance)
Thelo bicolor. Still one of my favorite cacti.

Good afternoon Mike!
Nice flowers!
About the different flowers on Mammillaria theresae, I noticed the same with my m. theresae and few other plants too. Did you know what might caused that?
If I am not mistaken, those flowers are not viable (the bottom 2 flowers). There seems to be none or very little pollen available on those flowers. I was wondering whether it is caused by the unstable weather conditions (temperatures and sun light), or nutrients, or both?

BryanT wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 6:51 am Good afternoon Mike!
Nice flowers!
About the different flowers on Mammillaria theresae, I noticed the same with my m. theresae and few other plants too. Did you know what might caused that?
If I am not mistaken, those flowers are not viable (the bottom 2 flowers). There seems to be none or very little pollen available on those flowers. I was wondering whether it is caused by the unstable weather conditions (temperatures and sun light), or nutrients, or both?

Hi Bryan.
They both came with the same batch of seed (not my seed so I don't know if they are from the same parent) I noticed the spine formation is also different in these plants so they are definitely genetically different. The top one could be a tetraploid? Don't know if the lower one is viable or not. The stigma looks ok. I don't believe it is environmental or nutritional as they have both been together since germination.
I planted 40 seeds from my own plants this spring - One germinated.
These flowers are from another batch...

MikeInOz wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 1:08 am Hi Bryan.
They both came with the same batch of seed (not my seed so I don't know if they are from the same parent) I noticed the spine formation is also different in these plants so they are definitely genetically different. The top one could be a tetraploid? Don't know if the lower one is viable or not. The stigma looks ok. I don't believe it is environmental or nutritional as they have both been together since germination.
I planted 40 seeds from my own plants this spring - One germinated.
These flowers are from another batch...
20221224_160533_000.jpg

Thanks Mike!
One germinated is better than none.
M. theresae will flower multiple times during the season, so you might be able to compare the flowers from the same plant.

MikeInOz wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:48 am
Here is a sequence of what I do regarding sowing seeds...

First start off with a good biologically active but well matured compost. I make my own and it takes about a year before it's ready....
Although you can recognize bits of wood etc, they are completely consumed and you can pulverize them in your fingers. This is mature compost.

Hi Mike. Very interesting approach. Now I want to do that! Could you please explain how do you prepare your own matured compost?

My sowing mix is composed by perlite and sphagnum peat. It is ok, not perfect but ok. Maybe I could add some mature compost.

The point in this approach is that you can not sterilize your sowing mix...it would kill the benefical flora. But..well...you have to be confident in your compost. I would be afraid not too much about fungi but about slugs and other creatures... how do you manage that?

And a last question: do you have issues with fungus gnaths or they are also controled by the flora in the compost?

Thanks a lot!

mmcavall wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 1:29 am

MikeInOz wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:48 am
Here is a sequence of what I do regarding sowing seeds...

First start off with a good biologically active but well matured compost. I make my own and it takes about a year before it's ready....
Although you can recognize bits of wood etc, they are completely consumed and you can pulverize them in your fingers. This is mature compost.

Hi Mike. Very interesting approach. Now I want to do that! Could you please explain how do you prepare your own matured compost?

My sowing mix is composed by perlite and sphagnum peat. It is ok, not perfect but ok. Maybe I could add some mature compost.

The point in this approach is that you can not sterilize your sowing mix...it would kill the benefical flora. But..well...you have to be confident in your compost. I would be afraid not too much about fungi but about slugs and other creatures... how do you manage that?

And a last question: do you have issues with fungus gnaths or they are also controled by the flora in the compost?

Thanks a lot!

To make my compost I use garden prunings from the shredder. That means leaves and branches. Any organic material is ok but I like to make sure there is plenty of hardwood in there. You can also add animal manures. Sawdust from untreated timber is also good. This is put into a large heap and I add nitrogen to it to speed up the process. If the heap is large enough it will heat up and work even faster. You need to turn it and water it every couple of days for a while. After several months you should have a rough compost with small and large particles. I then allow it to dry out over summer and use a set of sieves to remove dust and anything over about 3mm. I then moisten it well and put it in plastic bags with holes punched in the sides for air and let it mature under cover for the whole winter. Usually by spring it has dried out fairly well and become kind of granular. This is what I use - after sifting again to remove dust.
Concerning pests etc., put it in a clear plastic bag and seal it and lay it down in the hot sun for a few hours on a hot day. It must be quite moist when you do this. When it is put down on it's side, the depth of mix should be about 2-3 inches (5cm or so) It will heat up to 60 or 80 degrees C and will rid it of all pests including nematodes. (and most plant pathogens but not beneficial bacteria) Some grass or weed seeds will survive the heat but they usually just germinate, die and decompose in the mix before you use it. I usually do that (solarizing) BEFORE storing it away for the winter. After you have made it it will last for years if kept dry. When you use it after drying it is necessary to moisten it and add a sprinkling of fresh compost to get the bacteria quickly activated again. If this is all to much for you, you might find organic farmer or gardener making compost for his vegetables and get some from him.. You don't need very much to sow hundreds of seeds.

Hi Mike
Thank you very much for the explanation. Very detailed and well explained. Thank you very much.
I am kind of familiarized with the process but never imagined using it to sow cacti seeds.
The details about solarization and winter rest made me more confident.
What do you add as nitrogen? Could I use chicken manure?
Thank you again
P.s. sure I will try to do my own compost. Much more fun than buying it.

Chicken manure is quite high in nitrogen, though it varies depending on how much bedding it contains. If you have much chicken manure in the compost heap you won't need to add additional N. If you have too much N in the mix, it will give off an ammonia smell, you need to add more high-carbon material. Too little N, the pile won't heat well, add more N.

If animal manure is not available, lawn clippings will work.

Thank you Spence! Very good explanation.

Can I use urea or NPK 20-05-20 instead of animal manure?

Thanks

mmcavall wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:27 pm Thank you Spence! Very good explanation.

Can I use urea or NPK 20-05-20 instead of animal manure?

Thanks

Bacteria aren't fussy about the source of their nutrients, any readily available source of N should work.

Thank you. Very excited with this project. Just obtained the lawn clippings. Saturday I'll get the source of N and then...wait a year ...cool

mmcavall wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:27 pm Thank you Spence! Very good explanation.

Can I use urea or NPK 20-05-20 instead of animal manure?

Thanks

Yes I use straight urea. Nothing else is needed.

MikeInOz wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 2:37 am

mmcavall wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:27 pm Thank you Spence! Very good explanation.

Can I use urea or NPK 20-05-20 instead of animal manure?

Thanks

Yes I use straight urea. Nothing else is needed.

Thank you