All My “Children” (aka Cacti, Succulents & Seedlings)

[Lolavy]

I will be using this space to showcase my growing cacti, succulents, and seedling collection that I started collecting this past September, which is at ~75 unique species so far.

My cacti and succulents live on my 2nd floor patio in Mid-City, Los Angeles with Eastern facing sun exposure. About half the patio is covered with a partial roof, but even then, I’ve been having some recent problems with sunburn so I’ll be adding some shade cloth soon. To the section of the patio that receives the most direct sunlight throughout the entire day.

As you’ll notice, most of my cacti and succulents are potted in fabric pots which will be an ongoing learning process for me as I try to keep these guys all alive. When I first started my collection I experimented using a 20/20/20/20/10/10 mix of (1) Bonsai Jack’s Gritty Mix, (2) G&B Organics Cactus Mix, (3) Desert Blend Cactus Soil, (4) rePotme’s Imperial Cactus Mix, (5) Pumice, and (6) Horticultural Charcoal. However, I’ve now simplified things to a 50/25/15/10 mix of (1) a custom Bonsai Jack mix (20%: Pumice, Bonsai Block, Monto Clay; 10%: Black Lava, Maroon Lava; 6-7%: Douglas Fir Bark, Pine Bark Fines, Pine Coir), (2) G&B Organics Cactus Mix, (3) Pumice, and (4) Horticultural Charcoal. For my Lophophora’s and Ariocarpus’, I customize further using 80% of that mix + 20% calcium carbonate / limestone chicken grit. And for cuttings that I’m trying to root, I amend the same mix with 20-30% perlite.

I’ll keep adding photos and relevant info in subsequent posts. Please feel free to share any thoughts or suggestions!

[Lolavy]

The rest of the cacti and succulents in my collection.

[Lolavy]

Some photos of damage from sunburn, edema, and other mistakes from the last few weeks

[Steve Johnson]

Welcome to the forum! I live about 3 miles west of USC and Exposition Park, so we're almost next-door neighbors. I used to have an apartment collection in West LA during the 1980s, but circumstances forced me out of the hobby in '91. When I built my current collection in 2011, I still had a lot to learn, and the forum was a real game-changer for me. The first big change -- getting away from the "old school" soil-based mixes I grew up with and moving to a soilless pumice and granite gravel mix:

Pumice-DG_rinsed04242016_forum.jpg (201.76 KiB) Viewed 18956 times

That was a recommendation I got from Darryl Craig of CoronaCactus Nursery when he was still on the forum, and the results have been excellent. I highly recommend it for your desert cacti. The only exceptions would be Echinopsis and Tephrocactus. Don't have any experience with Echinopsis, but for Tephros -- a 50% soil/50% pumice mix. All pots should be nonporous -- see this:

viewtopic.php?t=45833

The other recommendation I got from Darryl was Dyna-Gro All-Pro 7-7-7 as my fertilizer of choice. Thought it was great, but more learning said otherwise, so check this out:

viewtopic.php?t=47603

I realize there's a whole lot of detail in my presentation, but I think you'll get some good info out of it. When Dyna-Gro discontinued the 7-7-7, I changed over to General Hydroponics FloraMicro 5-0-1 and FloraBloom 0-5-4 plus ammonium sulfate and potassium sulfate to strike the right NPK balance. If you'd like to do the same, I'll be happy to give you the recipe and instructions. Nice thing is that the fert regimen I'm following is good for cacti and succulents.

One last thing (at least for now)...

As you know, the tap water here is hard. Problem:

• Calcium and magnesium that could be going to your plants are "locked out" in the form of bicarbonates and carbonates.

Solution -- acidify your tap water. I acidify my tap water by adding 1/2 teaspoon of 5% white vinegar per gallon, and that dilution will work for you too.

[MrXeric]

Awesome collection, Lolavy! Interesting to see the fabric pots. I would think they would stay wet for too long? But that probably won't be an issue in our climate. Greetings to your furry friend with the curious nose and whiskers!

[Tom in Tucson]

Welcome to the forum! I live about 3 miles west of USC and Exposition Park, so we're almost next-door neighbors. I used to have an apartment collection in West LA during the 1980s, but circumstances forced me out of the hobby in '91. When I built my current collection in 2011, I still had a lot to learn, and the forum was a real game-changer for me. The first big change -- getting away from the "old school" soil-based mixes I grew up with and moving to a soilless pumice and granite gravel mix:


Pumice-DG_rinsed04242016_forum.jpg

That was a recommendation I got from Darryl Craig of CoronaCactus Nursery when he was still on the forum, and the results have been excellent. I highly recommend it for your desert cacti. The only exceptions would be Echinopsis and Tephrocactus. Don't have any experience with Echinopsis, but for Tephros -- a 50% soil/50% pumice mix. All pots should be nonporous -- see this:

viewtopic.php?t=45833

The other recommendation I got from Darryl was Dyna-Gro All-Pro 7-7-7 as my fertilizer of choice. Thought it was great, but more learning said otherwise, so check this out:

viewtopic.php?t=47603

I realize there's a whole lot of detail in my presentation, but I think you'll get some good info out of it. When Dyna-Gro discontinued the 7-7-7, I changed over to General Hydroponics FloraMicro 5-0-1 and FloraBloom 0-5-4 plus ammonium sulfate and potassium sulfate to strike the right NPK balance. If you'd like to do the same, I'll be happy to give you the recipe and instructions. Nice thing is that the fert regimen I'm following is good for cacti and succulents.

One last thing (at least for now)...

As you know, the tap water here is hard. Problem:

• Calcium and magnesium that could be going to your plants are "locked out" in the form of bicarbonates and carbonates.

Solution -- acidify your tap water. I acidify my tap water by adding 1/2 teaspoon of 5% white vinegar per gallon, and that dilution will work for you too.

🖒

[Lolavy]

Welcome to the forum! I live about 3 miles west of USC and Exposition Park, so we're almost next-door neighbors. I used to have an apartment collection in West LA during the 1980s, but circumstances forced me out of the hobby in '91. When I built my current collection in 2011, I still had a lot to learn, and the forum was a real game-changer for me. The first big change -- getting away from the "old school" soil-based mixes I grew up with and moving to a soilless pumice and granite gravel mix:


Pumice-DG_rinsed04242016_forum.jpg

That was a recommendation I got from Darryl Craig of CoronaCactus Nursery when he was still on the forum, and the results have been excellent. I highly recommend it for your desert cacti. The only exceptions would be Echinopsis and Tephrocactus. Don't have any experience with Echinopsis, but for Tephros -- a 50% soil/50% pumice mix. All pots should be nonporous -- see this:

viewtopic.php?t=45833

The other recommendation I got from Darryl was Dyna-Gro All-Pro 7-7-7 as my fertilizer of choice. Thought it was great, but more learning said otherwise, so check this out:

viewtopic.php?t=47603

I realize there's a whole lot of detail in my presentation, but I think you'll get some good info out of it. When Dyna-Gro discontinued the 7-7-7, I changed over to General Hydroponics FloraMicro 5-0-1 and FloraBloom 0-5-4 plus ammonium sulfate and potassium sulfate to strike the right NPK balance. If you'd like to do the same, I'll be happy to give you the recipe and instructions. Nice thing is that the fert regimen I'm following is good for cacti and succulents.

One last thing (at least for now)...

As you know, the tap water here is hard. Problem:

• Calcium and magnesium that could be going to your plants are "locked out" in the form of bicarbonates and carbonates.

Solution -- acidify your tap water. I acidify my tap water by adding 1/2 teaspoon of 5% white vinegar per gallon, and that dilution will work for you too.

Thanks for the reply, Stephen! I’ve been lurking on this forum for awhile, and you’ve mentioned you’re east of Baldwin Hills, as am I, so I do reckon we’re neighbors. I’ll definitely check out your fertilizer suggestions closer to the spring as right now I’ve used some portion of G&B Organics soil mix in all my pots, and that soil mix contains chicken manure, hydrolyzed feather meal, worm castings, and bat guano, so the nursery I bought my first batch of cacti that had suggested using it also suggested not fertilizing till at least the spring.

Using fabric/felt bags, they dry out so quickly that a 100% mineral mix would require me to water more frequently than I have time for, so you’re suggestion wouldn’t work for me, but I understand why it works for you.

Also, as I’ve been growing mushrooms for awhile (which can be up to 95% water), all the living and growing organisms in my home ingest only Zero water. With the cacti, I also add full strength Sierra Natural Science 209 (a natural systemic insecticide), half strength Phos (a systemic fungicide), half strength Arber’s systemic insecticide and fungicide, Mad Hatters Be One (a Vitamin B supplement), and 1/2 tbsp per gallon horticultural soap, which collectively brings the PH to ~5.5. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Elton Roberts, but I have been trying to adapt his suggestions of adding Ammonium Sulfate, Sodium Bisulfite, and a 20-20-20 basic fertilizer to every watering (https://youtu.be/BHc4W6y05jo?si=6DUvBQdEdOTOD3un), however, the one watering I did introducing those additives, I had to use a ph adjuster to get the ph back up to over 5, and it ultimately led to many of the cacti swelling with edema, so I’m going to wait till the spring to continue tinkering with the right proportions of additives. I’ll definitely hit you up if I have any questions or need any further suggestions after reading through your fertilizer posts.

Many thanks!

[Lolavy]

Awesome collection, Lolavy! Interesting to see the fabric pots. I would think they would stay wet for too long? But that probably won't be an issue in our climate. Greetings to your furry friend with the curious nose and whiskers!

Thanks so much! Fabric / felt pots are actually known for rapid drying and the increased amount of air circulation they provide to plants, which is why they are often used in cannabis production as the quick drying and increased air lends to air pruning of roots and supposedly healthier plants. I had tried my hand at growing fruit trees on my patio during the pandemic and had settled on fabric pots, so I had a bunch lying around after my furry friend decided that she could not keep herself from eating whatever new leaves grew from said plants, even if it led to her vomiting right after eating them

[Steve Johnson]

Using fabric/felt bags, they dry out so quickly that a 100% mineral mix would require me to water more frequently than I have time for, so you’re suggestion wouldn’t work for me, but I understand why it works for you.

Not just about what works for me -- I'm following standard practice from expert cactus and succulent growers who've been doing it for many years. You won't find any of them growing their plants in porous clay pots. If you'd like to try fabric bags, that's fine, but be aware of the possibility that you'll run into problems with your mix after a few years. Part of the trial-and-error process every grower has to go through.

I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Elton Roberts, but I have been trying to adapt his suggestions of adding Ammonium Sulfate, Sodium Bisulfite, and a 20-20-20 basic fertilizer to every watering...

I sure am, and his article on acidification is what got me to acidifiy my tap water in early 2012. Unfortunately, that's the only good thing I got out of Mr. Roberts, so let's see what our professional horticulturalist-in-residence MikeInOz has to say about sodium bisulfite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHc4W6y05jo

Elton does not use vinegar he uses some other powder chemical to lower the PH forgot what it was but here is a youtube of his collection and the talk about acidifiying water . Sound is out on this PC or I could hear what the chemical is ... right about the middle of the video he talks about it

He says it right at the beginning of the video -- Sodium bisulfate. I understand why he got away from using Sulfuric acid, although I don't know if Sodium bisulfate is necessarily the best alternative compared to citric acid for long-term use. Elton's understanding of chemistry is questionable, so I'd be interested get a take on this from our members who actually know chemistry.

Sodium bisulfate should be ok if you only need to add very small amounts to get the pH you want. Generally, sodium is avoided as much as possible in horticulture but it is part of natural systems and a small amount seems to be required. Cacti come from areas subject to complete drying and where there is much less leaching of soil minerals, so they ''should'' be able to tolerate higher salinities than plants coming from wet habitats. Sodium and chloride are usually the first two to cause trouble. I would not use it myself.

I wouldn't either. The pH of my tap water is the same as yours -- as I said in my previous post, 1/2 tsp. 5% white vinegar should be fine. Didn't finish the thought, so here is the finishing part:

• The reaction products of acidification with vinegar are calcium acetate and magnesium acetate.

The acetates are highly water-soluble, making Ca and Mg immediately available for uptake by the roots. When I watched the YouTube video, all I saw was that Elton Roberts does a marvelous job of killing cacti when he acidifies with sodium bisulfite.

[Lolavy]

Using fabric/felt bags, they dry out so quickly that a 100% mineral mix would require me to water more frequently than I have time for, so you’re suggestion wouldn’t work for me, but I understand why it works for you.

Not just about what works for me -- I'm following standard practice from expert cactus and succulent growers who've been doing it for many years. You won't find any of them growing their plants in porous clay pots. If you'd like to try fabric bags, that's fine, but be aware of the possibility that you'll run into problems with your mix after a few years. Part of the trial-and-error process every grower has to go through.

I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Elton Roberts, but I have been trying to adapt his suggestions of adding Ammonium Sulfate, Sodium Bisulfite, and a 20-20-20 basic fertilizer to every watering...

I sure am, and his article on acidification is what got me to acidifiy my tap water in early 2012. Unfortunately, that's the only good thing I got out of Mr. Roberts, so let's see what our professional horticulturalist-in-residence MikeInOz has to say about sodium bisulfite:

He says it right at the beginning of the video -- Sodium bisulfate. I understand why he got away from using Sulfuric acid, although I don't know if Sodium bisulfate is necessarily the best alternative compared to citric acid for long-term use. Elton's understanding of chemistry is questionable, so I'd be interested get a take on this from our members who actually know chemistry.

Sodium bisulfate should be ok if you only need to add very small amounts to get the pH you want. Generally, sodium is avoided as much as possible in horticulture but it is part of natural systems and a small amount seems to be required. Cacti come from areas subject to complete drying and where there is much less leaching of soil minerals, so they ''should'' be able to tolerate higher salinities than plants coming from wet habitats. Sodium and chloride are usually the first two to cause trouble. I would not use it myself.

I wouldn't either. The pH of my tap water is the same as yours -- as I said in my previous post, 1/2 tsp. 5% white vinegar should be fine. Didn't finish the thought, so here is the finishing part:

• The reaction products of acidification with vinegar are calcium acetate and magnesium acetate.

The acetates are highly water-soluble, making Ca and Mg immediately available for uptake by the roots. When I watched the YouTube video, all I saw was that Elton Roberts does a marvelous job of killing cacti when he acidifies with sodium bisulfite.

Thanks for the further explanation, but if I wasn’t clear I do not use tap water in my home. The water I use is demineralized and is then further acidified for use with my plants to ph 5.5 with the additives I’m already using. Adding vinegar or sodium bisulfite would be overkill, as has been proven to be the case thus far.

[Lolavy]

Seedlings Update!

I began my cacti seedling journey 8 weeks ago with the following seeds:

- L.W. Big Bend (1x Cactus Kingdom; 1x Gifted)
- L.W. Caespitosa (1x Cactus Kingdom; 1x Gifted)
- L.W. Huizache (Cactus Kingdom)
- L.W. Grandiflora (Cactus Kingdom)
- L.W. El Oso (Gifted)
- L.W. Texensis (Gifted)
- Echinocereus Rigidissimus (From own plant/fruit)

For the E.Rig, when I first sewed the seeds 8 weeks ago, I had sprinkled a light layer of vermiculite on top of the seeds/surface after sewing the seeds, and I had zero germination after 3 weeks. So 5 weeks ago, I added additional seeds to the 3 containers using three different methods: (1) making rows in the vermiculite and randomly sprinkling seeds on top; (2) making rows and placing the seeds inside the cleared rows using a toothpick; (3) disturbing the top layer of the surface randomly with a sanitized toothpick, then sprinkling more seeds in the surface). The first two containers started germinating within a week, but nothing with the third container. However, last weekend, I used a sanitized toothpick to once more stir the top layer or vermiculite and dirt around, and also added a small amount of compost tea to which I added a bit of kelp extract, vitamin b, and Phos/Arber fungicide to the container, and finally, this weekend, I noticed 3 seeds have begun to germinate!

For the L.W.’s, I’ve yet to see any germination in the containers with the Huizache, El Oso, and gifted Big Bend seeds. I stirred the top layer of those containers with a sanitized toothpaste and also added compost tea to those containers last weekend, so I’m waiting to see if anything germinates. With the other containers, now that those seedlings are 8 weeks old, I “stood” up the floppy seedlings with a bit of sterilized coco coir, sand, and tweezers this past weekend, and gave all the containers a bit of compost tea as well.

In another post, I will update on another batch of seeds sewn two weeks ago — most of which have now been lost to mold — but, in the meantime, including photos from the L.W. Diffusa seeds that were sewn just 5 days ago!

[Lolavy]

I imagine this will be my last desert cactus bloom before spring

[Lolavy]

Random Update: Since I grow mushrooms, I have a lot of coco coir around and, fearing my seedling mix was relying too much on peat for the organic portion creating too stodgy a mix, I started incorporating coir into my seedling mixes over the last month / 36 new containers. Since that time, I’ve had near zero germination, persistent issues with both green and white mold, and really anemic growth for the few seeds that have sprouted overall.

Well, after a deep dive on this board’s archives, I learned that you’re supposed to not only rinse coir before use, but also buffer it with CalMag.

I guess I should be happy that at least now I know what’s been going wrong, even if I can never get that wasted time and money back. For the most part, I only sowed half the seeds in a given order, so all’s not lost, but I’m feeling a bit chastened and annoyed with myself. I wonder if it’s worth it to try and transfer any ungerminated seeds into new potting medium? Speaking of which, back to square one on that. Open to any suggestions!

[Steve Johnson]

Don't know if this would help, but go here...

viewforum.php?f=16

...and dig through the threads. Some of them may be able to give you a few ideas worth pursuing. If you start a thread of your own on the Grown From Seed forum, you may (and probably will) get advice from members who aren't following your Member Blogs thread.

[C And D]

There are many opinions on this site about what's best to use for cactus soil
The best advice I can give is to do your own research

I use coir for some seedlings mixes, and peat based mix for others
What's important is adding pumice or perlite to the mix so it dries out quickly

The major wholesale cactus nurseries in southern California grow everything in coir/perlite or peat/pumice
and they don't have any problems
Mixing coir with peat based soils has never been recommended

The coir should be well rinsed
some of your plants look like they may be over potted (pots are too big for the plant)