Expectations when purchase new cacti Question?

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JCcares
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Re: Expectations when purchase new cacti Question?

Post by JCcares »

Steve Johnson wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 9:12 pm
JCcares wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 6:58 pmThe best Steve!!! Thank you very much!!! I’m on it now!!

Excellent! If you decide to go with the Dyna-Gro 7-7-7, your stock solution should be 7 grams of Potassium sulfate per gallon of water, not 8 grams as you would need to supplement the 7-8-6. 5 fluid ounces of stock solution going into a gallon of watering solution stays the same.

Given my 10 years of tested and proven performance, IMO Dyna-Gro is the "gold standard" -- regardless of whether you go with the 7-7-7 or 7-8-6, you'll be pleased with the results.
C And D wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 4:04 pmIt looks like dried up rot to me
I would try to remove some of it, or not.
I sure wouldn't sell a plant that looks like that, and would send a replacement or refund if I did.
Totally agree with Craig. Joe, now would be a good time to give you a list of sellers you can trust:
  • Miles' To Go -- http://www.miles2go.com/. Miles Anderson is one of the best in the business, and very helpful too, so don't be shy about emailing him with questions if you need advice on the plants you buy from him.
  • CoronaCactus Nursery -- https://coronacactus.com/. Darryl Craig was active on the forum, and after I joined in November 2011, he recommended the Dyna-Gro 7-7-7, and he taught me how to acidify my tap water without overdoing or underdoing it. He's another excellent grower.
  • Kyle's Plants -- https://kylesplants.com/. Located in Thousand Oaks CA, I had the pleasure of meeting Kyle Williams right before he started his nursery business. Good guy and a wonderful grower.
  • Planet Desert -- https://planetdesert.com/. Although I haven't purchased any cacti from PD, the nursery seems to have a good reputation based on what I've heard from other members on the forum. I do have some free space on my plant bench, so I added PD to my list of sources I should investigate for some new cactus shopping.
Sorry to be so negative, but Torch Cactus should've done a much better job of cleaning the roots before the people there shipped your plants. Kinda tells us that they still have a lot to learn when it comes to the cacti they're growing and selling.

You all are such a GOOD resource to caregiver thrive giving to the obsession hobby cacti!!!

Thank you so very much.

As I said last week my biggest mistake has only been making cactiguide last when it should have been first 2 thousand dollars ago.

There’s no place like home. Thank you to ALL who have taken the time to share to invest in a newbie willing to learn willing to obey. 🙏🏽
My name is Joe I Live in Hickory NC USA four equal perfect seasons.
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JCcares
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Re: Expectations when purchase new cacti Question?

Post by JCcares »

Steve Johnson wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 9:12 pm
JCcares wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 6:58 pmThe best Steve!!! Thank you very much!!! I’m on it now!!

Excellent! If you decide to go with the Dyna-Gro 7-7-7, your stock solution should be 7 grams of Potassium sulfate per gallon of water, not 8 grams as you would need to supplement the 7-8-6. 5 fluid ounces of stock solution going into a gallon of watering solution stays the same.

Given my 10 years of tested and proven performance, IMO Dyna-Gro is the "gold standard" -- regardless of whether you go with the 7-7-7 or 7-8-6, you'll be pleased with the results.
C And D wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 4:04 pmIt looks like dried up rot to me
I would try to remove some of it, or not.
I sure wouldn't sell a plant that looks like that, and would send a replacement or refund if I did.
Totally agree with Craig. Joe, now would be a good time to give you a list of sellers you can trust:
  • Miles' To Go -- http://www.miles2go.com/. Miles Anderson is one of the best in the business, and very helpful too, so don't be shy about emailing him with questions if you need advice on the plants you buy from him.
  • CoronaCactus Nursery -- https://coronacactus.com/. Darryl Craig was active on the forum, and after I joined in November 2011, he recommended the Dyna-Gro 7-7-7, and he taught me how to acidify my tap water without overdoing or underdoing it. He's another excellent grower.
  • Kyle's Plants -- https://kylesplants.com/. Located in Thousand Oaks CA, I had the pleasure of meeting Kyle Williams right before he started his nursery business. Good guy and a wonderful grower.
  • Planet Desert -- https://planetdesert.com/. Although I haven't purchased any cacti from PD, the nursery seems to have a good reputation based on what I've heard from other members on the forum. I do have some free space on my plant bench, so I added PD to my list of sources I should investigate for some new cactus shopping.
Sorry to be so negative, but Torch Cactus should've done a much better job of cleaning the roots before the people there shipped your plants. Kinda tells us that they still have a lot to learn when it comes to the cacti they're growing and selling.



Steve I can say with 100% accuracy that “ planet desert “ is where I have purchased ALL but my last 8 cacti. They do an EXCELLENT job shipping and EACH and every plant I have ever Purchased from them ($1400 worth) have been in prime excellent condition. I only strayed to torch cactus because of their BEAUTIFUL hybrids.
My name is Joe I Live in Hickory NC USA four equal perfect seasons.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Expectations when purchase new cacti Question?

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JCcares wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 11:17 pmSteve I can say with 100% accuracy that “ planet desert “ is where I have purchased ALL but my last 8 cacti. They do an EXCELLENT job shipping and EACH and every plant I have ever Purchased from them ($1400 worth) have been in prime excellent condition.
Thanks for the vote of confidence regarding PD -- their website has an amazing selection, so I have it at the top of my list. Being an apartment-dweller, 12 square feet of growing space is all I have to work with, but it works out fine given my lifelong fascination with miniature species. With free space at a premium, I'll be looking for 3 or 4 cacti I haven't grown before that are small, globular -- and slow-growing. Hopefully they'll be from Planet Desert, so wish me luck! :)
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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JCcares
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Re: Expectations when purchase new cacti Question?

Post by JCcares »

JCcares wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 6:58 pm
Steve Johnson wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 6:42 am
JCcares wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 9:17 pmSteve you asked what kind of fertilizer I was using...Let me know please if do you have a superior recommendation.
I appreciate the fact that you're a fellow perfectionist, so I think you may be able to make good use of the following...

My fertilizer of choice since 2012 has been Dyna-Gro All-Pro 7-7-7, and here is the chemical analysis:

Image

The best Steve!!! Thank you very much!!! I’m on it now!!

Dilution is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water, and I add a little bit of Potassium sulfate to the watering solution. Unfortunately the 7-7-7 comes only by the gallon, which makes it expensive. Since you have a small collection, I'll recommend the next-best thing -- Dyna-Gro Orchid-Pro 7-8-6 available on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/Dyna-Gro-Orchid- ... 141&sr=8-2

If you're willing to go that far, here are the instructions for making a gallon of Potassium sulfate stock solution.
  • If you don't already have one, buy a digital kitchen scale on Amazon, and I'm seeing them there for less than 10 bucks. The scale reads in lbs/oz and kilograms/grams, so set it to kg/g and measure out 8 g of Potassium sulfate. If your scale reads in tenths or hundredths, you can be a little more accurate -- 8.1 or 8.13 g.
  • Pour the Potassium sulfate into a gallon of distilled water or rainwater, not tap or well water. Give it plenty of time to dissolve thoroughly -- if you see specks of Potassium sulfate floating around in the water, it hasn't dissolved thoroughly enough yet. Heat helps to get it into solution, and believe this or not, putting the jug outside on a hot day for a few hours will be good enough to do the job.
For your watering solution going to the cacti, add 1/2 tsp. of the 7-8-6 and 5 fluid ounces of the Potassium sulfate stock solution to a gallon of water, cap the jug and shake well, then water away.

Why the Potassium sulfate? There are two reasons for it:
  • Cacti and succulents thrive when P is lower than N and K is higher than both. The P in the 7-8-6 is reported as P2O5 -- the Oxygen has no nutrient value, so the actual P available to the plants is 3. That's a very good balance between N and P. By adding the prescribed amount of Potassium sulfate, the K will be about 1.5 times higher than N, and with that you'll have a well-balanced fert. Sorry, but the Schultz Cactus Plus is horrible.
  • Sulfur is an important minor nutrient, and the trace amount of S in the 7-8-6 won't cut it. Sulfur deficiency shows up as unnaturally pale (and in a number of species yellowish) skin, and the S in Potassium sulfate will correct it.
Because I grow the vast majority of my cacti in a soil-less mineral mix, I need to fertilize every time I water. Since you have soil in your mix, you won't need to fertilize as often -- off the top of my head, I believe fertilizing with every 3rd or 4th watering should be sufficient. Fertilizer salts might build up in the pot over time, so it's not a bad idea to flush the pots with plain water once a year in the growing season.
JCcares wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 9:17 pmThank you SO MUCH Steve.

Always glad to help!

“ Pour the Potassium sulfate into a gallon of distilled water or rainwater, not tap or well water. Give it plenty of time to dissolve thoroughly”

Pour the “4oz” of the Potassium Sulfate I just bought from eBay into a gallon of rain water correct Steve?
My name is Joe I Live in Hickory NC USA four equal perfect seasons.
keith
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Re: Expectations when purchase new cacti Question?

Post by keith »

Is it normal when one orders online and purchase 8 cacti possibly two of them have issues like the images attached? "

The seller should say "rooted cuttings" " freshly rooted" then yea you could expect funky looking roots . Otherwise no .
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Expectations when purchase new cacti Question?

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JCcares wrote: Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:54 amPour the “4oz” of the Potassium Sulfate I just bought from eBay into a gallon of rain water correct Steve?
Nope -- here are the instructions again:
  • If you don't already have a digital kitchen scale, you'll need to buy one on Amazon, and I'm seeing them there for less than 10 bucks. The scale will read in pounds (lbs)/ounces (oz) and kilograms (kg)/grams (g), so set it to kg/g. If you're making a gallon of Potassium sulfate stock solution to supplement the Dyna-Gro 7-7-7, measure out 7 grams and put it into the gallon of rainwater. If you're making the stock solution to supplement the 7-8-6, measure out 8 grams and put it into the gallon. If your scale reads in tenths or hundredths, you can be a little more accurate -- measure out 8.1 or 8.13 grams. Pouring 4 oz. of Potassium sulfate into the gallon is way, way, way, way too much, and that's why you need a digital scale.
Okay, you really don't need the scale, and if you don't want to buy one just to measure out Potassium sulfate (totally understandable), here's another option for you:
  • If you don't already have a set of measuring spoons, you should be able to easily buy one at the kitchen section of your local grocery store. Find a set that includes a 1/8 teaspoon measuring spoon. Add 1/8 level (not heaping!) teaspoon Potassium sulfate per gallon of water to make your stock solution, and you'll be able to use it for supplementing either the 7-7-7 or the 7-8-6. This does make things a little easier for you.
That's the upside, but here's the downside -- because the Potassium sulfate is a powder, a spoonful of powder contains a bunch of teeny-tiny airspaces, so you're actually getting a little less than a spoonful. I've been in the precision measuring business for 35 years, so I'd rather use a digital scale to be as precise as possible. Then again, cacti aren't precision instruments, so I don't think your plants would know the difference if you "short-changed" them a little bit by adding 1/8 tsp. of Potassium sulfate to the gallon of stock solution. Once again, make it level, not heaping -- if you heap it, you're overdoing it.

Here's where you'll want to be a little more precise when you whip up a gallon of watering solution to water your cacti:

Measuring_cup.jpg
Measuring_cup.jpg (92.61 KiB) Viewed 718 times
That's my plain old kitchen-variety clear measuring cup, which I marked indicating 5 fluid ounces. Add 1/2 tsp. of the Dyna-Gro fert (either 7-7-7 or 7-8-6) and 5 fluid ounces of the Potassium sulfate stock solution to your gallon of rainwater, cap it and shake well, then water away.

If you have any more questions about all this, please don't hesitate to ask.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Expectations when purchase new cacti Question?

Post by Steve Johnson »

Okay, I misjudged that one badly... ](*,)

When I measured out 1/8 tsp. of the Potassium sulfate powder on my digital scale, I was shocked to discover that it's only 1 gram. The equivalent of 7 grams is in fact 1 1/8 tsp. To make a gallon of stock solution supplementing the 7-7-7, put 1 1/8 tsp. into the gallon. To make a gallon of stock solution supplementing the 7-8-6, put 1 1/4 tsp. into the gallon. Don't forget that the spoonfuls of Potassium sulfate need to be level, not heaping. 5 fluid oz. of stock solution plus 1/2 tsp. Dyna-Gro per gallon for your watering solution is correct.

Joe, my sincerest apologies about the misjudgment. Hopefully I caught this before you started using the stock solution for your watering solution. And at least we know what the right measurements are so that people don't have to buy a scale just to measure out Potassium sulfate!
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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JCcares
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Re: Expectations when purchase new cacti Question?

Post by JCcares »

Steve Johnson wrote: Sun Jun 12, 2022 3:50 am
JCcares wrote: Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:54 amPour the “4oz” of the Potassium Sulfate I just bought from eBay into a gallon of rain water correct Steve?
Nope -- here are the instructions again:
  • If you don't already have a digital kitchen scale, you'll need to buy one on Amazon, and I'm seeing them there for less than 10 bucks. The scale will read in pounds (lbs)/ounces (oz) and kilograms (kg)/grams (g), so set it to kg/g. If you're making a gallon of Potassium sulfate stock solution to supplement the Dyna-Gro 7-7-7, measure out 7 grams and put it into the gallon of rainwater. If you're making the stock solution to supplement the 7-8-6, measure out 8 grams and put it into the gallon. If your scale reads in tenths or hundredths, you can be a little more accurate -- measure out 8.1 or 8.13 grams. Pouring 4 oz. of Potassium sulfate into the gallon is way, way, way, way too much, and that's why you need a digital scale.
Okay, you really don't need the scale, and if you don't want to buy one just to measure out Potassium sulfate (totally understandable), here's another option for you:
  • If you don't already have a set of measuring spoons, you should be able to easily buy one at the kitchen section of your local grocery store. Find a set that includes a 1/8 teaspoon measuring spoon. Add 1/8 level (not heaping!) teaspoon Potassium sulfate per gallon of water to make your stock solution, and you'll be able to use it for supplementing either the 7-7-7 or the 7-8-6. This does make things a little easier for you.
That's the upside, but here's the downside -- because the Potassium sulfate is a powder, a spoonful of powder contains a bunch of teeny-tiny airspaces, so you're actually getting a little less than a spoonful. I've been in the precision measuring business for 35 years, so I'd rather use a digital scale to be as precise as possible. Then again, cacti aren't precision instruments, so I don't think your plants would know the difference if you "short-changed" them a little bit by adding 1/8 tsp. of Potassium sulfate to the gallon of stock solution. Once again, make it level, not heaping -- if you heap it, you're overdoing it.

Here's where you'll want to be a little more precise when you whip up a gallon of watering solution to water your cacti:


Measuring_cup.jpg

That's my plain old kitchen-variety clear measuring cup, which I marked indicating 5 fluid ounces. Add 1/2 tsp. of the Dyna-Gro fert (either 7-7-7 or 7-8-6) and 5 fluid ounces of the Potassium sulfate stock solution to your gallon of rainwater, cap it and shake well, then water away.

If you have any more questions about all this, please don't hesitate to ask.
Thank you for your clarification Steve🙏🏽🙏🏽 Greatly appreciated
My name is Joe I Live in Hickory NC USA four equal perfect seasons.
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