new melocactus

here is my recently acquired Melocactus disciformis:


heaps of fruit and seed.

Nice one Lewis, so where did you find this one and ummmm how much

Also what size pot is it in?

Full of questions eh!!!!

um it cost a little bit
10in pot, big plant, very heavy too. and yes that is a Parodia leninghausii hitchhiker hanging in the melo pot on the background, it must have fallen in there as a seedling and grew and grew. its a good south american combo, both enjoy winter water so no problems there, although the leninghausi is a good deal more cold- tolerant than the melo im guessing. plus i don't want to separate them as the Melo would likely object to this treatment/die.

Nice Lewis, guess this is the one you told me about, its awsome!
Even a hitchhiker, but i would think removeing it wouldnt do the Melo too well.

Yes Michael its the one i told you about.
mature Melocacti with cephaliums have a bit of a reputation for dying sudden after repotting for no apparent reason, they just strongly dislike root disturbance. i was thinking of cutting the P.leninghausii off clean right at the base and then treating it like a cutting, but this would doubtless result in the remaining stump of the parodia producing heaps of offsets, which would probably drain much more water and nutrients than the big one is now. In fact the two seem quite happy together, a nice south american combo.

Hahaha its been growing together for so long now, i would just leave them both as they are

yeah, probably in excess of 7 years. the parodia is over 35cms tall so it isn't a baby 'seedling' now.

Wow Lewis thats a beauty.
I'm a little jealous actually. I might have to hasle you for seed for that one since there seems to be so much fruit.

The pattern at the meristem is really aesthetically pleasing.

Looking at the other cacti in the background, its alot bigger than i thought!

What great plant ! Good catch.

Thanks all.
Kanje i'll give you some fruit next CSSA meet no worries
I got alright germination with some i already sowed... well it is about as fresh as you can get, straight out of the fruit.