Last update of the year for the 2022 sowing. These were all between 1 to 1.5 years old when the pictures were taken. A hybrid I hand-pollinated, Turbinicarpus pseudopectinatus x valdezianus . I like how the spine character of both species is so well expressed. https://imgur.com/Yf2qvrE.jpg https://i...

Tom in Tucson wrote: ↑Sat Dec 23, 2023 6:06 pm If you ever are inclined to publish some examples of how cactus seedlings can look, be sure to include a few of those. Well done. Their exceptional growth, and your lighting for the subjects are superb!

Thanks Tom! Don't hold your breath waiting for any book though.

More seedlings from 2021, around 2 years old when I took the pictures. Frailea castanea 'asterioides' . The slowest growing Frailea for me, active spring and fall and mostly dormant in summer. https://imgur.com/I1lvlbw.jpg Astrophytum asterias . I killed the parent plants, so I am glad these are sti...

How long are the lights on?

72F is a bit on the low side, try increasing to around 80F. A heat mat can help. On the temperature, it seems unlikely to me that your sand sowing medium dries within 24 hours at 72F. The surface maybe, but I highly doubt the whole pot is dry.

The seedlings are here, Copiapoa bridgesii is the mother, but are they hybrids or not? Some of them seems to be monstruose (the right ones): They could be hybrids. But in the ADBLPS seed list ( https://www.adblps-graines-cactus.com/ ), various Copiapoa have been observed to be self-fertile, includi...

I try to follow a lot of these Zoom talks and think (besides this) BCSS does a great job. Were these also held before the pandemic? Regarding the lecture of Rob Stevenson, I must say it's confusing. According to Llifle, Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele is the accepted scientific name, but the Interna...

I got my ADBLPS order in the mail a couple days ago. I will be sowing the winter growers soon! Echinocereus adustus v. roemerianus Epithelantha unguispina fa. cryptica VM_635 > Castaños/COAH/Mexique Frailea phaeodisca v. heliosa CS_713.1_363 > SE Isla Patrulla 236m/Uruguay Mammillaria roemeri Mammil...

Never seen a rotted fruit before! Unfortunate, but fascinating! The seeds look very underdeveloped, but it doesn't hurt to try giving them a quick rinse and allowing to dry before sowing. Though, it might be worth trying sowing them fresh?

Ariocarpus trigonus 'elongatus' grafted on Pereskiopsis, flowering for the first time this fall. https://imgur.com/icj32sp.jpg https://imgur.com/SEEjxL4.jpg This is the second year this Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus 'elephantidens' has put out a female flower. Unfortunate! I pollinated it with the tri...

You're reffering to R0000492.jpg? That is indeed E. schoenlandii. I have a specimen which I got from a veteran grower here in Antwerp. Not nearly as impressive as the one in the photo. They're quite slow growing, but it's nice to watch the new growth turn into these woody spikes. That's the one! Be...

I'm sure you more than likely killed the little buggers, but the "rule of thumb" I've followed for years is; to apply spray every 3 days for 2 weeks for nearly certain 100% eradication. I don't get mealybugs unless they come in from new plants I buy. Mites on the other hand, is a perennia...

Awesome collection. That Euphorbia schoenlandii (I think?) is quite attractive! Something else to add to the wishlist...

I bought a Ferocactus viridescens earlier in the fall that was infested with mealybugs on the spines. I used tweezers to pick them out and a small paint brush soaked with isopropyl alcohol to remove anything I missed. I watered with a systemic insecticide (imidacloprid) and sprayed the whole plant (...

Amazing! Mine are about the same age, but have only barely started growing areoles this summer.

Some of my losses this year. Mammillaria sanchez-mejoradae seedling https://imgur.com/GDwFzvL.jpg Coryphantha echinoidea 'schwarziana' https://imgur.com/2DzFxmh.jpg Conophytum pellucidum 'neohallii'. A bird pulled it out of its pot 2 years ago, repotted last year to find no root growth, this year it...