Astrophytum asterias

Astrophytum asterias

Friday 31 May 2013

Cactus / Onzuka

Continuing small cactus!
I have tried to regain numbers of Astrophytum mriostigma ve Onzuka because I lost matured Onzuka plants quite many recently.
The photo is a grafted Onzuka onto a Pereskiopsis stock.
I grafted 12 small Onzuka seedlings around 6 months ago.
This is one of them.

Thursday 30 May 2013

Cactus / Astrophytum hybrid

The attached  photo is an Astrophytum hybrid, fukuryuu hakujyou banjyaku.
Banjayku means the hybrid of myristigma x ornatum.
I grafted a very small pup 3 months ago.
It shows some flowering buds, seems very premature.

Wednesday 29 May 2013

Cactus / hanazono kabuto

Hanazono kabuto is also one of asterias cultivars developed by Japanese.
Unfortunately the history of the hanazono kabuto is unknown.
One of my degrafted hanazono kabuto was in flower this afternoon.
Since winter is around corner, the flower is very small.


Tuesday 28 May 2013

Cactus / asterias cultivar

One more asterias cultivar developed by a famous Japanese asterias collector was in flower yesterday.
It is called as "Ren Boshi" means aligned areoles.

Monday 27 May 2013

Cactus / miracle kabuto

An other asterias cultivar, milacle kabuto was in flower yesterday.
I have tried to increase numbers of the species and collected many seedlings.
Flecking of miracle kabuto is finer than that of super kabuto.
Miracle kabuto grows lager than super kabuto.

Sunday 26 May 2013

Cactus / super kabuto

It will be in winter very soon.
Although 1st of June is the starting day of the winter, some asterias are in flower.
The photo is an asterias cv super kabuto flowering in this afternoon.

Friday 24 May 2013

Cactus / placentiformis

Some of my collections have not been in flower yet.
The photo is one of them, Discocactus placentiformis v latespinus f major HU640.
I bought seeds and sowed on 06/08/2007 and grafted several seedlings.
I degrafted one of them 2 years ago which is shown on the photo, 13 cm diameter.
I am not sure when I can see the flower.

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Cactus / jauernigi

The flowering season of cacti has been finished but I can still see some flowers.
The photo is a Turbinicarpus jauernigi seedling, sown seeds on 27/07/2007.
T. jauernigi is a small plant potted in a 5 cm square tube.

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Cactus / hintonii

With a hard body and slow growing cactus is not easy to root.
As the trial, I used  pups of Aztekium hintonii.
Since I can feel a resistance when I push the plant slightly, I assume some roots have been developed.
The photo is one of hintoniis with crashed scoria rooting medium.

Monday 20 May 2013

Cactus / disciformis

After repeated failures, I have gotten a successful germination of Strombocactus disciformis.
I got seeds from my friend and sowed on 10th March this year.
The potting medium is crashed and sifted scoria.
The sizes of seedlings are less than 1 mm currently.
I can not to do any at moment and have to wait until they becomes 2 mm diameter which size I can graft.


Saturday 18 May 2013

Cactus / super kabuto seedlings

My seedlings of kabuto are repotted  into independent tubes when they are 2 years old in spring normally.
As a trial, I repotted some seedlings in this autumn. They are 1 and a half years old.
It should be less rotting out in relation to the repotting because of in autumn.
The tube is 5 cm square.


Friday 17 May 2013

Cactus / super kabuto

This is an Astrophytm asterias cv super kabuto, degrafted lately and under rooting process.
It has very thick flecking but the previous grafting affected on the appearance.
The diameter of the plant is 15 cm.

Thursday 16 May 2013

Cactus / Seiji

The photo is a degrafted Ariocapus retusus v furfuraceus cv Daruma Seiji.
I propagate this one from seed.
I bought seeds and sowed on 30/09/2004. The germination success rate was significant.
Several seedlings were grafted and degrafted later.
Seiji is one of my favorite species.

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Cactus / macdowellii

This is a degrafted Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus v macdowellii f albiflorus.
It seems very weak and looks like just surviving.
I bought seeds and sowed on 30/09/2004.
Several seedlings were grafted onto Hylocereus stocks and degrafted later.
Only one has survived.
I have to think about how I can increase numbers because I just have one plant.

Tuesday 14 May 2013

Cactus / intermedius

It is assumed Ariocarpus fissuratus v intermedius was hybridized naturally in habitat by crossing fissuratus x lloydii.
I have 2 plants currently.
One is own-rooted, shown on the photo and the other is grafted one.
Luckily 2 plants were in flower together, I did cross pollination.

Monday 13 May 2013

Cactus / lloydii

I bought seeds of variegated Ariocarpus fissuratus v lloydii and sowed on 11/08/2005.
3 young seedlings were grafted.
One of them was variegated plant and 2 others were normal ones.
Since variegated one was quite weak, it disappeared some years ago.
The photo is one of survival plants, degrafted and own-rooted.

Sunday 12 May 2013

Cactus / scapharostroides

This is one of Ariocarpus retusu variations, scapharostroides.
The shape of tubercle is different from other retusus variations.
I bought seeds and sowed on 31/08/2006.
Several seedlings were grafted but only 2 plants have survived.
I will increase numbers soon.


Saturday 11 May 2013

Cactus / scaphirostris

I bought seeds of Ariocarpus scaphirostris and sowed on 31/10/2003.
Several seedlings were grafted and degrafted later.
Unfortunately only 2 of them have survived.
The photo is one of them. It seems not to be healthy but is in flower.


Friday 10 May 2013

Cactus / Daruma Royal

This is my seedling of Ariocarpus retusus v major cv Daruma Royal, sown seeds on 12/11/2006.
The current size is 12 cm diameter, starting was in flower last year.
The potting mix is pumice which is under trial.
Although some of seedlings sown seeds same day are quite small, this one has grown well.

Thursday 9 May 2013

Cactus / elongatus

The flower color of Ariocarpus retusus v elongatus is light yellow.
A. retusus v trigonus has also light yellow color flowers.
Since body appearance is very similar, it is very hard to judge exactly.
The photo is a grafted A. retusus v elongatus f CSD45 sown seeds on 31/08/2006.

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Cactus / agavoides

This is a seedling of Ariocarpus agavoides sown seeds in 2006.
As same as this one, several agavoides sown seeds same day were in flower yesterday.
Tubercle tips of agavoides should be kept nicely.


Tuesday 7 May 2013

Cactus / kotschoubeyanus

The photo is a group Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus.
All of them are degrafted with short Pereskiopsis stocks.

Monday 6 May 2013

Cactus / kotschoubeyanus

This is another kotschoubeyanus, form Rio Verde.
This one was once grafted on a Pereskiopsis and degrafted with a short stock after grown up to a good size.
It is hard to make a large root-lump from a normal seedlings but the grafting allows to do so easily.


Sunday 5 May 2013

Cactus / kotschoubeyanus

Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus is one of my favorite cacti.
I have collected quite many.
The photo is a grated one, now in full bloom.

Saturday 4 May 2013

Cactus / agavoides

This grafted Ariocarpus agavoides is quite old.
I bought seeds and sowed on 29/07/2003.
Several young seedlings were grafted onto Hylocereus grafting stocks.
Although Hylocereus is considered as a non-permanent stock, the stock has still kept a healthy condition.
Since this plant has many flowers every year, I keep it for the seeds collection.

Friday 3 May 2013

Cactus / asterias

I normally repot asterias seedlings in spring but I have tried it in autumn.
The photo is 1 year old super kabuto seedlings.
I repotted each of them into 50 mm square tubes yesterday.
If this trail worked well, I can divide repotting jobs into two, in autumn and in spring.
The repotting jobs of asterias are quite heavy because I have so many seedlings.

Thursday 2 May 2013

Cactus / kotschoubeyanus

This is a  degrafted Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus.
I degrafted with a short vascular bundle of Hylocereus stock some years ago.
This one seemed very weak a while but recovered lately.
I assume the reason of the recovery is caused by own-roots development.

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Cactus / agavoides

If you grafted small Ariocarpus e.g. agavoides, kotschoubeyanus etc, you can see flowers within a short period. The photo is A. agavoides grafted onto a Pereskiopsis stock.
I sowed seeds on 12th October last year and grafted 12 of very young seedlings.
Although the body size is still very small, it pushes up flowering buds.
I expect being able to see flowers soon.