Hey k.maks! Thank you, but don't be fooled, they aren't that perfect in reality. I just angled most of them to view in their most flattering side haha. Although, I do make it a point to try and grow them best I can. Inside a greenhouse is actually easier in terms of keeping them pristine since I don...

I am REALLY happy the forum's back. Anyway, my collection is still going, althougg the greenhouse isn't in it's best state and needs a lot of cleaning and repairs. I've been trying to eke out maintenance of my plants best I could, but I can only work on so much every day. Anyway, here are some plant...

A friend based in Japan got me a Miracle Kabuto (Astrophytum asterias CV. Miracle). The kicker is that apparently the specimen comes directly from Mr. Tony Sato's collection (THE Tony Sato, aka the guy who bred the popular Super Kabuto cultivar and named the Miracle cultivar himself). I won't be get...

The one-and-a-half-year old greenhouse is filling in nicely, and I think I need a new one soon. Or two. lol I manage to take a few photos everytime I'm there, but I keep forgetting to take truly showcase worthy ones. In any case, I've been trying to consistently get new stuff these past couple of mo...

Just got this baby. Might not be apparent in the photo, but this thing is huge!

@Aiko I've been kinda waiting for Volker's seedlist to go live-- I saw he updated last October, but I couldn't put in my order then, and now he's on a short hiatus till mid December, so no choice but to wait till then to see his offerings. Volker does have a couple of other different localities of t...

Hello, haven't updated in a while The greenhouse is about to reach its anniv, and I haven't encountered nor suffered any major issues (save for a bit of sunburn, and some scale outbreak which I have been able to contain for the most part.) PANO_20181011_071520AA.jpg I've been acquiring plants regula...

Lovely plants and plant photos as usual Frank :) Are you using a new camera? You mentioned in the past that a true Ruri Kabuto will show a blue-green color once mature (similar to some lapiz lazuli which it is named after)... Is it possible to distinguish young Ruri Kabuto seedlings from a normal nu...

@Aiko Right now I do not have any rainwater collection system, although groundwater is always available. A pressurized system is available a few meters from the structure, and I can easily extend a hose inside, though I haven't thought about installing a permanent fixture inside the greenhouse itsel...

Hey Elie~ It's been on my wishlist for some time, and luckily, enterprising collectors and sellers here in my country are rather adept at finding some pretty cool, rare plants. It wasn't cheap though, and I only have one right now (though I intend to me a cutting out of it since the form is uneven d...

The greenhouse that started to go up July last year finally got finished last December. All custom frame bent and constructed/welded on-site, with thick polyfilm top and full insect netting all around. I started to transfer plants inside right after it was finished, though since it's in the countrys...

Hi frank. For that last plant you posted, was it you who introduced the calles kabuto gene via breeding (to achieve the traditional large sizes of miracle?) I've been going through your posts repeatedly because I'm still having trouble differentiating a true miracle from other asterias forms. Hanazo...

Looks just fine, though a bit unsightly. The yellow stuff is scar tissue/scabs which won't disappear at this point. The good news is your plant is one of those columnar types that can get pretty big. The pointed tips indicate it's not receiving enough light, so you may want to give it more light by ...

In the middle of the rainy season this year in my country, and I've moved place a couple of months ago as well. Trying to get used to different conditions (mostly lower light levels due to location), but also working on having a greenhouse/shadehouse set up in the country side. Collection rebuild so...

Thank you rsales3, Hanazono