Astrophytum asterias

Astrophytum asterias

Wednesday 31 December 2014

Cactus / super kabuto

This is also one of many flowering aserias.
This super kabuto has grown well, 15 cm diameter.
Since super kabuto has relatively small body size, I can not expect additional growing so much.


Tuesday 30 December 2014

Cactus / variegated asterias

I have not counted but this one has been in flower several times in this season.
The balance of the variegation is maintained well and it still can be kept own-roots.
The balance of variegation is not consistent.
It may move to too much or disappear completely.


Thursday 18 December 2014

Cactus / asterias

Many Astrophytum aserias were in flower yesterday afternoon.
I am not sure why but they open flowers together, several times between spring to autumn.
I watered them in the beginning of  this week which may affected for the flowering.

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Cactus / castanea

A Frailea castanea was in flower yesterday.
Frailea makes fruit without opening flower normally but it was opened.
The standard castanea is very small plant but the species on the photo will grow more than 5 cm diameter because of a cultivar.


Monday 15 December 2014

Cactus / red flowering asterias

I have 20 aserias seedlings assumed red flowering.
One of them was in flower yesterday.
It was 3rd seedlings opened  flower and was red flowering.
3 of all were red flowerings.


Saturday 6 December 2014

Cactus / horizontalonius

One of Echinocactus horizontalonius was in flower yesterday afternoon.
I bought seeds and sowed in 2006.
Although the germination rate was poor, I could get several seedlings and grafted them.
I degrafted them 3 years ago.
This is the 1st flowering of the cactus.


Wednesday 3 December 2014

Cactus / fukuryu-banjyaku

A friend gave me cactus seeds and said they were nudum fukuryu-banjyaku.
I sowed those seeds on 17th July this year.
24 young seedlings were grafted on Pereskiopsis stocks in the beginning of September.
They show various faces, are not nudum only.
The photo is one of them, hakujyou fukuryu-banjyaku, 3 cm diameter.
Banjyaku is the name of Astrophytum hybrid, ornaum x myriostigma.



Tuesday 2 December 2014

Cactus / aselliformis

A degrafted Pelecyphora aselliformis was in flower yesterday afternoon.
The growing speed of aselliformis seedlings are very slow and their body shapes are very thin.
I sowed seeds in 2012 and grafted 12 seedlings.
They were degrafted in September this year.
The rooting of aselliformis is not so difficult.


Monday 1 December 2014

Cactus / strobiliformis

The flowering of cacti had been interrupted a while but a Pelecyphora strobiliformis was in flower in this afternoon.
I propagated this one from cuttings.
It is in 50 mm square tube.
Another 3 cuttings are under rooting process which are buried in potting-mix.

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Cactus / super kabuto

This super kabuto has a different flower color from standard one.
I can see several super kabutos with similar to this flower color.

Monday 24 November 2014

Cactus / super kabuto

This is a typical super kabuto in my greenhouses.
It is 13 cm diameter of body size with large flecking.

Sunday 23 November 2014

Cactus / asterias

Many asterias were in flower in the afternoon.
The photo is one of them, a matured asterias
I assume the seed was sown in 2003.
The character of hanazono has been shown on the body.

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Cactus / ruri kabuto

A ruri kabuto was in flower yesterday.
I like this body color.
It seems the shape of stigmas are abnormal.
They may not be able to make fruits even if  they were pollinated.



Monday 17 November 2014

Cactus / super kabuto

Many super kabutos were in flower in this afternoon.
The attached photo is one of them.
Soil around here is clay.
Very fine clay is brown into greenhouse in summer and turn white super kabuto to yellowish.
This one is kept as white relatively.


Saturday 15 November 2014

Cactus / hanazono kabuto

Many asterias are going to be in flower.
The photo is one of them, hanazono kabuto.
15 flowers are going to open.
I will cross with a red flowering asterias.

Friday 14 November 2014

Cactus / alonsoi

The attached photo is a degrafted Turbinicarpus alonsoi.
The plant shows abnormal appearance because of the grafting affected.
It is cristates twin heads.
The size of body is also quite large compared to a normal alonsoi.

Saturday 8 November 2014

Cactus / horizontharonius

An other Echinocactus horizontharonius was in flower yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday was a hot day.
The maximum temperature of outside was 37 'C and reached 50 'C in greenhouses.
I pollinated on this one by using stored pollen.


Friday 7 November 2014

Cactus / variegated asterias

A variegated, own-rooted asterias was in flower again.
Although I have no intention to collect variegated plant, I keep several variegated asterias.
This one has well balanced variegation and growing slowly.

Thursday 6 November 2014

Cactus / fukuryu-banjyaku

The photo is an Astrophytum hybrid, fukuryu-banjyaku.
Banjyaku means the hybrid of ornatum x myriostigma.
This plant came from my friend's place.
The body is quite small and makes a lot of offsets.

Wednesday 5 November 2014

Cactus / khoyo

The photo is a 2 years old Astrophytum myriostigma cv khoyo.
I grafted a young seedling onto a Pereskiopsis stock and degrafted it in this spring.
The body color has turned slightly.
This one is also mixed kikkou gene and I assume it will appear soon.

Tuesday 4 November 2014

Cactus / another new pot

World has bee small.
I received another pots mailed from overseas yesterday. It is quite short time from the order to the receiving.
Since the largest size of G-pot was 6, I tried to order similar to the one and size 7.
I found a pot called Noah-pot in the website of another supplier, which was similar to G-pot.
I repotted an Ariocarpus retusus v major into a Noah-pot, size 7 yesterday afternoon.

Monday 3 November 2014

Cactus / red flowering asterias

It is hard to get a true red flowering asterias.
I bought seeds in 2006 and following 3 more years.
I selected better ones and pollinated.
I sowed seeds in 2011 and got 20 seedlings.
These seedlings have started to be in flower.
The flower of asterias on the photo is quite good red color and so I will cross this one to a hanazono kabuto.


Sunday 2 November 2014

Cactus / asterias

It is hard to find a standard asterias from Japanese seed sources.
The asterias on the photo is not special one but it has 13 ribs and hanazono character.
This one looked a standard asterias when it was juvenile.
The appearance tuned to the current looking when it reached to a mature age.


Thursday 30 October 2014

Cactus / hanazono kabuto

Many asterias were in flower in the afternoon.
The attached photo is a hanazono kabuto, one of them.
Since the plant has been propagated from seed, it is very flat shape.


Tuesday 28 October 2014

Cactus / Ariocarpus seedings

The growing speed of Ariocarpus seedlings is slow.
I sow seeds every year since 2006.
I could see flowers except 1 species.
It is A. brevoanus v hintonii which grows very very slowly.
The photo is a seedling sown seeds in 2006, still in a 50 mm square tube.
I expect the flowering next autumn.


Monday 27 October 2014

Cactus / New pots

I collect cacti for the ornamental purpose.
Pot is a key element of the purpose.
I bought 2 types of new pots lately from overseas for matured asterias and Ariocarpus.
The photo is a miracle kabuto in one of  new pots called G-pot.


Saturday 25 October 2014

Cactus / asterias seedlings

3 asterias cultivar seedlings were in flower in the afternoon.
They are very young, sown seeds on 25th October 2011, means 3 years old.
They are ruri kabuto x miracle kabuto and showing both parents characters.
It is the 1st flowering for them.



Thursday 23 October 2014

Cactus / hetarochromus

4 of Thelocactus hetarochromus were in flower together yesterday.
Their flowers are quite large and shining like a metal.
No rain in this month and air is very dry now.

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Cactus / spegazzinii

My main collection is North American cacti. The collection of South American is small.
The photo is a typical South American, Gymnocalycium spegazzinii v loricatun.
I propagated this one from seeds, sown on 16th November 2003.
Since this one has short spines, the flower can open easily.



Monday 20 October 2014

Cactus / horizontharonius

An Echinocactus horizontharonius was in flower yesterday.
It was just one plant but I reserved pollen collected another plant which was in flower 3 days ago.
I will pollinate when the stigma was open completely, possibly today.

Saturday 18 October 2014

Cactus / asterias seedling

A very young red flowering asterias was in flower.
I sowed seeds on 8th October 2011, means 3 years old.
Seeds were harvested from my plants.
20 seedlings have survived and they are 3 to 4 cm diameter.

Friday 17 October 2014

Cactus / asterias

This asterias pushes flowers from odd locations.
I believe the gene of hanazono is mixed in this one.
The plant is 12 cm diameter, a mature age.

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Cactus / asterias

Many asterias were in flower in this afternoon.
Astrophytum asterias are my main collection and keep them in my 2nd greenhouse.
The photo is in my 2nd greenhouse.

Monday 13 October 2014

Cactus / hanazono kabuto

An Astrophytum asterias cv hanazono (flower-garden) was in flower yesterday.
This Japanese cultivar will push flowers from everywhere over the body.
I degrafted this one with a short vascular bundle of hylocereus stock some years ago.
It was weak a while but it seems recovered now.

Wednesday 8 October 2014

Cactus / pectinatus

Only 4 plants of Echinocereus are in my greenhouse.
The photo is one of them, E. pectinatus v castneus.
I bought the seedling 10 years ago.
The flower color of Echinocereus is very attractive.

Monday 6 October 2014

Cactus / super kabuto

The maximum temperature of yesterday was 31 'C, warmed up.
Many asterias were in flower yesterday.
The photo is one of them, super kabuto.

Sunday 5 October 2014

Cactus / horstii

A grafted Discocactus horstii was in flower.
This flower has a very nice scent.
I hope the technology allows to attach scent on website someday.

Friday 3 October 2014

Cactus / aselliformis

Peleciphora aselliformis propagated from cuttings were in flower together yesterday.
It is not so hard to root aselliformis cuttings if the plant size was more than 3 cm diameter.
On the other hand, seedlings will maintain very thin shape and need years to make a flowering size of plants.

Thursday 2 October 2014

Cactus / myriostigma

There are many cultivars in relation to myriostigma and is hard to find a standard form.
I believe this is the standard one.

Monday 29 September 2014

Cactus / Onzuka

This is an Astrophytum myriostigma cv Onzuka.
The plant is degrafted, own-root.
Unfortunately the body shape is elongated.

Sunday 28 September 2014

Cactus / ginsya

This cultivar of Astrophytum myriostigma is called "ginsya", white sands.
I bought 10 seeds and sowed in 2003.
Only 1 plant survives  currently.
The pattern over the body looks like white sands as the name of cultivar.

Saturday 27 September 2014

Cactus / kikkou

I bought 10 seeds of Astrophytum myriostigma cv kikkou, khoyo and sowed in 2003.
Several plants have remained and they have reached to a mature age.
They changed body color whey they were juvenile but no longer.
One of them was in flower yesterday afternoon.

Friday 26 September 2014

Cactus / alonsoi

One of degrafted Turbinicarpus was in flower yesterday.
This one still has had a short grafting stock buried in the potting-mix.
T. alonsoi is a small plant but this one has grown a large plant because of grafted once.

Thursday 25 September 2014

Cactus / hetarochromus

A Therocactus hetarochromus was in flower in the afternoon.
This is the 1st flowering in this season.
Hetarochromus will be in flower several times through spring to autumn.

Wednesday 24 September 2014

Cactus / asterias

More than 10 asterias need repotting.
They have reached to a mature age and pushed 12 cm pots out.
The photo is on of them, having a reddish flower.

Tuesday 23 September 2014

Cactus / strobiformis

This small cactus is a Pelecyphora strobiformis.
I have several grafted flowering size plants but I have never been able to harvest seeds.
This one is propagated from pup- cuttings.
The plant is in a 50 mm square tube.

Sunday 21 September 2014

Cactus / asterias

I am quite sure this one is neither super kabuto nor miracle kabuto.
The pattern of flecking looks like a dream kabuto but the flecking is fluffy and thicker than the dream kabuto.
It comes out from my seeds but I do not have similar parents.
I assume a gene mixed in history has come out on the plant.
The plant is still young, 8 cm  diameter.

Saturday 20 September 2014

Cactus / asterias

This asterias has reached to a mature age and shown Hanazono character.
It was very weak a while but recovered lately after the repotting.
The size is 12 cm diameter.

Friday 19 September 2014

Cactus / humbolditii

One of Mammillaria humbolditii v caespitosas was in flower in this morning.
I bought seeds and sown in 2004.
It has not been a full blooming yet.
I believe the number of flowers will be increased soon.

Thursday 18 September 2014

Cactus / super kabuto

The weather of cool and warm are repeated frequently, which is the evidence of early spring.
Yesterday was warm but it seems a cool day today.
A mature aged super kabuto was in flower yesterday.