My first success growing a "rare" cactus species from seed: Echinopsis coronata!

[TheORKINMan]

Got a pack of 20 seeds from Mesa Garden. Germ rate was so-so and I killed a few too but now I have five 1" diameter of these lil guys! They are all fat, green and looking good! Not sure how desirable these would be to collectors but I think I'm only going to keep a couple and share the wealth around eventually.

[Kipody]

They sure look healthy

[ossy96]

Nice one! can i ask what is your soil mix?

[TheORKINMan]

Sure! My mix is generally 2 parts sand, 2 parts potting soil, 1 part perlite or small stones. It seems to work really well for most species.

[DaveW]

Well grown. I am sure your Florida climate helps too!.

Not a species I know, but evidently named by Cardenas. Different authorities treat it as a separate species but David Hunt considered it Echinopsis bridgesii subsp. vallegrandensis, but then Hunt lumped a lot of things!

Cardenas published it in 1957 in the UK "National Cactus & Succulent Society" Journal (NCSS), forerunner of the present Journal of the British Cactus & Succulent Society.

Nation. Cact. Succ. J. 12(3): 63, ills. (p.62). 1957.

https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555 ... .lil001907

As with all things it depends whether you are a "Splitter" or "Lumper" if you maintain them as good species or reduce to synonymy under older species.

[TheORKINMan]

It’s north Florida so in Jan and Feb I have to protect most things from the deadly cold + wet combo but other than that yes they seem to grow well here!

Thanks so much for the additional info. I kinda grew it because there seemed to be so little info out there about it and it had a cool scientific name haha

[jerrytheplater]

It’s north Florida so in Jan and Feb I have to protect most things from the deadly cold + wet combo but other than that yes they seem to grow well here!

Question on your "deadly cold"!

I'm growing some Sarracenia pitcher plants (S. flava) that are seed grown from seed collected in Sumatra, FL. As well as others native from that area but without knowing their seed or division origin like S. leucophylla and hybrids. I have wondered what temperatures they see in their habitat. What are the low temps you see up in the panhandle?

[TheORKINMan]

Mid to low 20s for a few nights a year most years. Lots of low 30s-40s nights in Jan and Feb. not super cold by most places standards. The problem is most of those temps in the 20s or low 30s are immediately after heavy rain as we only get that when cold weather troughs dip down from the north and interact with the warm gulf air. So heavy rain and then the next day being 20s at night is no bueno for desert cacti

[jerrytheplater]

Mid to low 20s for a few nights a year most years. Lots of low 30s-40s nights in Jan and Feb. not super cold by most places standards. The problem is most of those temps in the 20s or low 30s are immediately after heavy rain as we only get that when cold weather troughs dip down from the north and interact with the warm gulf air. So heavy rain and then the next day being 20s at night is no bueno for desert cacti

Thanks. Another reason I ask is that S. leucophylla never puts out its best pitchers until October. Then it is in its prime. But for me that is frost time. I usually put it into storage around Thanksgiving (Nov 26 give or take, for those in other countries). But it still looks great and I hate cutting off all of the pitchers. So I've wondered if it photosynthesizes down in habitat for much longer than I allow it.

[TheORKINMan]

Absolutely. October temps here are still very warm. I don’t start winding things down to winter over plants until early December. I also grow tropical fruit trees, peppers, etc… and they all keep growing in October and November here

[jerrytheplater]

Absolutely. October temps here are still very warm. I don’t start winding things down to winter over plants until early December. I also grow tropical fruit trees, peppers, etc… and they all keep growing in October and November here

That explains why I see these S. leucophylla as weaker plants. I'm going to have to do some modifying of my storage practices