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Thanks for commenting. I've got lots of large cacti (mostly Trichocereus) but I'm trying to collect more of the small species now, these are certainly pretty additions!

Many thanks for your comment. I think for my seedlings the brightness is about right, but one trick I've used in the past is to place a piece of paper kitchen towel over seedlings that need less light. That way you can keep all the plants together but selectively dim on a per-pot basis. I've even cut holes in kitchen towel for a lesser dimming! With a diffuse light source this works well.

I've actually been planning to do this for about a year now, but it's taken me this long to find a variegated Gymnocalycium at all as they are not so common here. A friend actually had a fallen pup from one of these which I pointed out wouldn't survive due to lack of chlorophyll, but unfortunately it was in the wrong country for me to do anything about! Many thanks for your comment Lyn, I'll probably do an update on this sooner rather than later as I don't want to have to wait until next year. I'm not patient enough for that 🙂🌵💚

Thanks Lyn, I'll give them the best care I can in the hope that they will flower next year, which might give a better chance of a definite identification. The white spines are particularly striking on this and they are definitely what caught my attention. But ultimately, I bought them because they looked nice, rather than to fill a specific hole in my collection. Although of course if they match any holes I know about then that's a bonus! Wishing you and Hans a great week ahead from Northen Spain. 🙂🌵💚

@ZiggySearchfieldCactus yes I'm hoping for some double-headed monsters from these! Thanks for watching and commenting, have a lovely week. 😀🌵💚

I'm in two minds whether to graft some of the Gymnocalycium pups now or wait until next grow season. I generally use my mis-shapen or damaged plants as stock but due to a poor summer they are all rather etiolated - and I think growth has essentially stopped now. Perhaps I'll just do one or two and leave the rest. Thanks for watching and commenting 🙂🌵💚

Thanks Daz, it's still a bit soon to see the difference from the old lights but it's much easier to adjust the height of these which should also help. And that also reminds me to take the taller plants out and put them somewhere with some more "grown up" light! Wishing you and Edith a good evening and week ahead whilst I catch up with the backlog of your videos 🙂🌵💚

Thanks for your comment, I do have just one other Gymnocalycium Mihanovichii which flowered a few months back so I hope to be able to try some pollination next year. I've tried to grown some from seed (also some Friedrichii) but not had any success. I've heard they can be rather fussy to germinate.

I have a brighter (and more expensive) Spider Farmer light in my grow tent which I've been very happy with, it really is so much better than the unreliable light from a window! This Parodia was just a random purchase from somewhere before I really knew much about cacti, but it's been very satisfying to see it flower every year. Thanks for commenting Lyn, wishing you and Hans a lovely weekend from northern Spain. 😀💚🌵

Thanks for your comment - I think it's a matter of opinion whether or not they look good but to me it doesn't really look natural. It's more a means to an end than anything else, a bit like when people graft fruit trees.

Thanks for watching ans commenting Ziggy. There seems to be a view it's probably a Chrysacanthion, but having looked up a Haselbergii, it's obvious that I need to get one of these too. Wishing you a great weekend from northern Spain 😀💚🌵

@@DFJA01 Could be Donald 🙂You too my friend 😊😊🌵🌵

I'm hoping to see a big difference over time. The home made lights don't really give an even light distribution, but these look like they will be much better.

Thanks for your comment. This was an early experiment, based on seeing that others have successfully rooted cacti this way. Whilst I think it is possible to root many cacti this way, I have now established a pattern of rooting cacti in a mixture of grit and perlite (no organics) and that seems to work well for many cacti. I occasionally moisten the medium lightly, but it's really a case of mostly forgetting about them for a couple of months. I've not had a single cactus rot this way, and most have rooted successfully. There are a couple which have done nothing in 2 months; I've just placed the cut back into the medium, moistened it slightly again and will want another 2 months or even into next year if necessary, given we are now at the end of summer here.

@@DFJA01 You are clearly on your way to becoming a cactus-master, with your experimental attitude. ;) One extremely fun thing to do is grow ARIOCARPUS from seed, in sterilized, closed containers. This gets them through 1-2 year of slow seedling growth, with ZERO input from the grower. OR get some Pereskiopsis spathulata, keep it indoors and warm, and watch it grow like the jungle-weed it is. Then graft your ariocarpus seedlings onto it and see them grow extremely quickly.

@@KramRemin Growing Ariocarpus like that would be a challenge, but possibly one I should attempt. I've already gone down the Pereskiopsis Spathulata rabbit hole, it's a very robust plant and has survived both at the back of a darkened room and on a sunny outside windowsill. As for being a cactus master - my aim is to get fertile seeds from a plant that I have myself grown from seed. I've yet to have a flower from any of my own seedlings, but I've only been at it 2 years so it's early days yet :-)

@@DFJA01 (Sorry, bit slow at connecting the dots. You're the same grower who did the excellent video comparing growth rate on pere-grafted & non-grafted seedlings. That's science, that!)

Haha they do look rather like lollipops! :-)

Many thanks for your comment, it just goes to underline that when you buy something on the internet you don't always get quite what you expected, although in this case I'm happy with the plant itself. The branch I am growing now on its own roots is certainly producing a *lot* of side branches. Ziggy's cuttings are now all potted up and the already-rooted A. Subulata is showing some signs of having taken on water. I'm hoping there's enough warmth left for the other cuttings to send out roots quickly so they can get through the winter.

You can never have too many cacti 😂😂😂❤🌵💚

:-)

Thanks for commenting, I'm actually really excited about the Vestita, very happy that Ziggy sent me this one. A couple of years ago I did some timelapse videos of mung bean germination so a dancing cactus would be a great candidate for something similar.

@@DFJA01 That would be great! My most recent video is on this very subject!

@@newbotany Just watched it and subscribed to your channel, thanks for your comment. 🙂

@@DFJA01 Thanks!

Thanks Daz, yes originally your Pterocactus so I need to read up how to care for it :-). The others are now in grit so hopefully should root before the season ends. Wishing you and Edith a great evening.

Many thanks again, I've prepared some grit to root them in but it's a bit damp so will give it a couple of days to dry out before doing so. I just spotted the Pterocactus on your Cactus tour video, it's a beautiful and curious plant. I might have to get handy with a saw and prepare a similar box for it! 🙂🌵💚

@@DFJA01 Excellent stuff 🙂 Mines not flowered yet but I think Cactus Joe's has 🙂🙂🌵🌵

Many thanks - they've mostly continued to grow well although due to a very cloudy late spring, those that were indoors on the windowsill have etiolated somewhat.

Thanks for watching, glad you've seen the update. I'll probably follow this up again at some point next year with its progress.

Many thanks for watching and commenting - I hope yours turned out as you hoped for. I've now done an update video on this - the cuttings have started growing so have clearly rooted, which is very satisfying to see.

Thanks Daz for your comment, when I started out I was tempted to discard anything that "didn't come out right" but I'm very glad I didn't - the wonky ones seem to tell a story about how these plants cope in the wild, and they always do what they want rather than what I want! Wishing you and Edith a great week ahead, from a very rainly Cornwall today 🙂🌵💚

Haha the tongs were outside in the cafe and I was too lazy to go and get them, which was definitely a mistake! And I didn't expect it to be as tough to cut as this, but obviously as they get larger the get a woody core to support them. A couple of lessons learnt for next time. ❤🌵

Thanks Lyn, I was surprised to see the pups and roots so will post an update when they have developed further, bit it might not be until next year now. Wishing you and Hans a great weekend from sunny Devon today 🙂🌵💚

Thanks for your comment Lyn, I aspire to have a collection as beautiful as yours but it may take a few years! 🙂🌵💚

@UrbanHafner I don't think it's separated, but perhaps the scion no longer thinks it's getting enough water and nutrition, hence the new roots. I'm interested to see where the stock and bottom section goes from here - the top part should root easily and I've done that many times now. I had a couple of similar grafts where I buried the stock completely, allowing the scion roots to reach the soil. These have done very well so far, but I've been warned to watch out for rot setting in on the buried Pereskiopsis. Many thanks for commenting!

@@DFJA01 I'll be watching with interested. I just did my first three successful grafts (2x Carnegiea gigantea and 1x Astrophytum myriostigma) and that will all hopefully become relevant to me next year. :)

​@UrbanHafner oh that sounds good, I've not attempted to graft any of my Carnegia Gigantea seedlings. Good luck with them. I've attempted loads of Astrophytum grafts but very few have succeeded so far, except one Myriostigma that is absolutely rocking on the Myrtillocactus stock. 🙂

@@DFJA01 Two out of three Carnegiea on Pereskiposis so far ane one out of two for the Astrophytums (but the second one got knocked over). I'll continue as seedlings and stock permit, but it's easier than expected. And a lot of fun, of course. :)

​@UrbanHafner I have some Carnegia Gigantea seedlings that need repotting soon, I might try grafting a couple of them to Trichocereus or Myrtillocactus. I've also ordered a load of Gymnocalycium seeds, so hope to be able to graft them to Pereskiopsis once they germinate.

@ZiggySearchfieldCactus I was inspired to try this as a result of a video Lyn posted, but perhaps my expectations were a little ambitious. Very glad to see progress on this, my Parodia Magnifica has still done absolutely zilch but I haven't given up on it yet. Thanks for watching 🙂🌵💚

@ZiggySearchfieldCactus It was one of the ones I mostly ignored as it was "ugly", until I gave it a close look today. These plants never cease to surprise me! Thanks for watching, I might post an update on this next year. 🙂💚🌵

I actually fed it (along with most of my cacti) this evening, diluted feed in the hope that they will appreciate it over the next week which will be very hot. Many thanks for commenting, I'm intrigued by this now!

@@DFJA01 Think we've started something 😁😁🌵🌵

He's a Cactus Vanessa 🙂🙂🌵🌵

Austro = Southern (hemisphere). Cylindro = cylindrical form. Opuntia = a genus (now divided into several geni) of cactus that includes prickly pears. I love this species because it doesn't look like other cacti ❤

Many thanks for your comment - yes these are all grown from seeds from Jerry, although I do have some older seedlings from another supplier. I've been very pleased with the germination rates and general vigour of Jerry's seeds. They are even bigger now!

Many thanks for your comment Lyn. Looking back through my orders, it looks like I ordered some Ferocactus Histrix seeds, and also some "Ferocactus Mix" so it could actually be anything. It's definitely a very pretty plant and I'm keen to see what it looks like as an adult. Worth the effort to rescue and propagate!

Thanks for your comment Ziggy. It looks like I ordered some "Ferocactus Mix" seeds at one point so it could actually be anything. I'm sticking with Ferocactus for now, and looking forward to seeing it grow to an adult. Definitely pretty enough to be worth rescuing and propagating.

Many thanks for your reply - it sapped my enthusiasm for a few weeks, but I think I'm over it now. I still have loads of cacti out the front where they are vulnerable, but have been fairly careful to remove all the ones that are most valuable to me and put them somewhere more secure. The main problem is that the front is the sunny side of the house, and I don't have a lot of spare space. I made some wooden shelving to grow and display my cacti and that of necessity is at the front. However, I did think I should propagate my Opuntia Microdaysis and make a glochid-filled fence around them all! Or maybe a cholla or, as @ZiggySearchfieldCactus suggests Opuntia Stricta - I don't have any of those yet but it sounds awesome.

Thanks for your comment. It really depends on your climate, the species of cactus and even factors such as the soil type they are growing in. As a general rule for desert cacti you should keep the roots dry in winter when the cacti go dormant, and only water once it's warm enough for active growth. Even then, most cacti like to dry out completely between waterings. I also apply fertiliser, at half the norrmal strength, roughly one in four waterings. But others may have different thoughts on this.

Yes it is rather depressing, I don't feel I can leave anything in my prime sunny location now as a result of this. Many thanks for commenting Daz! 🙂🌵💚

Thanks Ziggy for the identification of this plant, I've compared it with photos from the internet and it definitely has the correct spine pattern and general form - I'd never even thought to look through Parodia photos to identify it. The thefts are infuriating - if someone had knocked at the door and asked for a cactus I'd happily have given them a very fine plant or two, just not the one I gave my wife as a present for a big birthday. I've subsequently removed most of the larger/better plants and put them indoors, although I don't have room for them all. No doubt their prime position against a south-west facing wall led to them growing so large in the first place.

@@DFJA01 I'll try to put a pic up when one of mine flowers 🙂 Put a sign in an empty flower pot outside telling whoever nicked it to seek medical attention because the spines are possibly lethal 😮😁😁🌵🌵

​@ZiggySearchfieldCactus I actually thought about surrounding them all with a fence of Opuntia Microdasys plants, which were briefly my favourite Opuntia until I met one in the flesh, literally 😂😡🌵

@@DFJA01 Opuntia stricta would be even better, I'm thinking about discontinuing it in the shop as it even gets people driving past on the A2 😁😁🌵🌵

Many thanks! I've done a load more but most of them failed, I'll try again in a few weeks and make another video about it.

Many thanks for your comment. It sounds like they might have got sunburnt or damaged by being moved to the sun too quickly. In my experience, tissue damaged in this way doesn't really recover but the plant can still give very healthy new growth. I'm glad to hear that they recovered, it sounds like you've got things under control.

Thanks for your comment - I've heard others recommend cutting off the roots and allowing new ones to form, but I'm not totally convinced about it if the existing roots are healthy as the plant will need to expend energy growing them. I'm open to being convinced otherwise - these ones have done very well but I have a few other plants that seem to be struggling due to poor roots, notable my Parodia Magnifica. I've not heard about dipping them in Aloe juice before, but I might give that a try.

@@DFJA01 I used to feel the same way about cutting the roots, but when I tried it, I had much faster recovery times after re-potting... I have only been at it for 5 years, but when I find these hacks, I try to share them... With or without cutting the roots, Aloe is the best for healing roots and getting them started or restarted! Can't wait to see your next video!

@@cactuscapacity I still have a small number of Trichocereus seedlings that need repotting, so when I do I'll give the roots a trim. I've only been at it 2 years so happy to learn from the experience of others!

Many thanks for your comment - I'm pleased with these results, but I've had many failed grafts and I don't always understand why. I'm hoping to do another video soon with another batch of attempted grafts. We've had such little sunshine the last month that a number of my plants are etiolating so I'm waiting for better growing conditions before I do any more.

@@DFJA01 one more thing about grafts is that some cacti have anti microbial activity, especially Trichocereus and Lophophora, so I find alcohol to be a waste of time for sterilization, considering the plant kills even more bacteria than alcohol. I had one graft failure and it was due to spidermite infection shortly after grafting... I have never used alcohol, but would consider it if I were grafting plants with no anti microbial traits.

@@cactuscapacity I'm mostly following what others do in their videos, but there is much to learn. I think the most important thing is to have both stock and scion actively growing - it's hard to tell from people's videos what the temperature, humidity and light conditions are for the plants they are grafting. But I had some seedlings that weren't doing well so I repotted them (not grafted) in lighter soil and put them in exactly the same place and suddenly they are growing again. If I'd grafted these seedlings instead, they probably wouldn't have taken.

@@DFJA01 I have had the most issues when using any top dressing,... it looks pretty but when I remove the top dressing the cactus grow and look more healthy. I am in the high desert so the conditions are 14% himidity right now and 90F. in the greenhouse 100F. I would think that more humidity, the less top dressing is needed... Great chatting with you, and I will be interested to see what you have next so please, keep sharing! Thanks again!

Thanks for commenting - it may not have been well enough calloused, but now I have more experience I don't attempt this technique at all. I allow to callous very well then put in dry well-draining soil, forget about it for a while then lighly moisten occasionally, pulling gently to see if roots are forming. Only then do I start watering more heavily. So far I've not had a single failure of a large cutting doing this.

@@DFJA01 Great :) I do the same but I don't check the roots... I water my well calloused cuttings the same as rooted growing cacti. Same schedule and everything just no fertilizer. After 2-4 weeks callousing I place on top of the substrate and just water as normal. I've yet to lose one this way but everyone's climate is a little different.

I think temperature might be important - it's pretty cold here in winter (even indoors!) so I keep them pretty dry, but rooting in summer (or in my heated grow tent) is a lot quicker and less risky. I've seen people root in one substrate then transplant, but I've not found this to be necessary.

I've had great success with Trichocereus in bought potting compost, but Astrophytum seedlings ended up rotting. This might have more to do with moisture retention than nutrients though, as there was no air in the mixture when I investigated. A sure recipe for root rot in sensitive species.

Many thanks for your feedback, I'd never thought of pre-cutting and allowing to callous before doing a final cut, but that would minimise the problem I had with this batch, namely that the exposed surfaces started to rot. I spotted it before it set in too deep, but I lost most of the scions. I'm waiting for a few more Trichos to be a bit larger but plan another batch very soon - just coming into the season here so plenty of time to experiment!

Great advice. 😊 I'll have to try it as well. Ps. I love your YT channel. You do some really cool stuff over there.

Many thanks for your comment Lyn - I just love the golden barrels and have 7 that are doing really well, but I wanted to grow a load more. I really don't know why as I won't have space for them when they are bigger, but they are just very satisfying! Wishing you and Hans all the best from a very rainy Northern Spain! 🙂

Thanks for your comment Ziggy. I've seen conflicting opinions on what the best germination substrate is, so wanted to try for myself. But I'm concluding that it's not that important as long as the moisture and temperature levels are suitable. Far more important is avoiding early death by mould or insect larvae, both of which I've had problems with.