What did you do in the yard today??

Watering time!! Not as easy as I thought. I have tried to stop top watering my collection but it is really hard to soak all the pots.

I watered cactus seedlings early in the morning.
Although it is not necessary to water 0~1 year old seedlings because they are kept in a wet-box, I have to water 2~3 years old seedlings frequently to maintain pottingmix as not too dry / not too wet.
The photo is 3 years old A. retusus related cultivars, set in 50 mm square tubes.
35 tubes are on a pad. I have may pads to water.

I water them by a small shower-head attached on a drinking bottle one by one.

What did I do in the yard today????

Weep over my GH and save what could be saved.

I harvested seeds of Echinocactus horizonhthalonius, from 5 plants in this morning.
The photo is one of them.


I bought a small vacuum cleaner lately for the cleaning of cacti.
I could suck seeds up from dry fruits by the cleaner.

Well. A pic is about 4 days old, but I have some details to work on...





....for some days forward.

Very nice project. Can't wait to see it full of cacti!!

That makes at least two of us.

Picked loads and loads of seeds in the past few weeks. It has been one of the best years for fruit set. I still can't believe how many Ariocarpus seeds are in one single fruit. Considering they sell for up to $5.00 per ten seed pack (over inflated e-bay price) it would make each fruit worth $30 or more.

Setting greenhouses for summer

I covered greenhouses over by 50% shade clothes.
I stared the job Saturday morning and completed in this morning.
This setting will be continued by the mid of March next year.
I try to keep the room temperature within 50 'C even if it was mid of summer.

Small one, asterias only greenhouse


Large one, for various cacti

Flower remains should be removed as soon as possible if you wanted cacti to be clean.
Unfortunately many remains attached on Ariocarpus in here.
They were in flower last autumn but remains were still on.
I removed many of them in this morning.
The photo is a A. kotschoubeyanus f Rio Verde, buds have been developed newly.

I agree with you hanazono. Removing the spent flower buds is very important. Especially in the tropics. It keeps disease, insects and stains away.

We recently had several weeks of heavy rain and high humidity which caused many of the old fruits and dead flowers to develop mould. Worst effected was some of my mammillaria's. The mould doesn't seem to damage the cacti but it is not worth the risk.

I have also found that old flowers tend to stain nice white wool.

Re-potting loads of young plants. I must have at least another 100 to go.

Re-potted a tray of seedlings that were overturned on the veranda floor this morning, unsure if it was cat or kids who knocked them off table. Quite a mess as they were all fairly small, oh well. Also watered everything else as looks like being the start of a hot week - high 30's and maybe even 40's here in Melbourne. Time to get out the extra shade cloth.

Since degrafted A. retusus cultivars had grown well and pushed pots out, I repotted them.
I started the job yesterday and completed in this morning.
The photo is repotted ones.

Having a funeral.  



I can't understand why it doesn't want to live with such roots?????

SO disappointing when cacti just keel over for no apparent reason. I feel you frustration majcka.

Fantastic ariocarpus selection hanazono!!!

SneakyCuttlefish wrote:

SO disappointing when cacti just keel over for no apparent reason. I feel you frustration majcka.

Thank you. It is winter here and I believe I will find some fine replacement soon.

It is mid of the flowering season of Ariocarpus.
I pollinated some species in this morning.
Since I already have many seedlings, targeted 2 fruits of each species only.

The photo is degrafted A. retusus v furfuraceus related cultivars.

I have been battling mouse problems. One big bastard mouse has been invading my greenhouse at night and chewing on my plants.

He had a go at one of the lophs last night. Must have been a wild ride because he shat himself all over the bench top.

Lol, I guess this the rats version of a ceremonial purge.

I bought a new camera last Saturday.
I took some photos by various ways  as the trial.
The attached photo is the inside of small greenhouse accommodated asterias cultivars.

Haha!! Mind warp!

Very cool photo, those plants are drool worthy!

The camera can take the photo of whole room when it was set n the center.
I need to study more but the photo can be adjust as you like.
The attached photo is adjusted one showing whole room.


All asterias in the photo have been propagated from seeds.
1st sowing was in 2003.
Old ones are around 20 cm in diameter.

Wow incredible, I have never seen one at that size before! Quite an achievement from seed, well done