Cactus / asterias varigated

This is Astrophytum asterias varigated, propagated from seed, collected from my own plant.
The varigated plant is weaker than normal one. I found several varigated seedlings from a same seed batch but they died one by one and remained this plant only. This plant also was very weak in spring and summer but it seemed recovering in autumn. The flowering is a good evidence of the recovering.

Cactus / retusus

This is my 1st Ariocarpus plant, germinated from seeds and grown quickly by seedling grafting and degrafted later. Currently the plant is grown own-roots, Ariocarpus retusus around 20 cm diameter.

Cactus / Suguri Cauliflower

This is Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Sugri Cauliflower.
I bought seeds and sowed on 31/08/2005. I grafted young seedlings and 2 plants were survived furtunately. I collected seeds from these 2 plants and increased numbers. I have another 5 grafted floweing size plants and mored than 100 of own-roots small seedlings. Only 1 plant was in flower this time and I could not cross pollen.

Cactus / mituibo botan

This is Ariocarpus retusus v major cv mituibo botan.
I bought seeds and sowed on 11/08/2005. I bought seeds of varigated plant but seedlings did not show varigation and mituibo characters.
I believe flower are very nice.

cactus / intermedis

This is Ariocarpus fissuratus v intermedis. Intermedis is created naturally by crossing fissuratus and lloydi in habitat.
I bought varigated intermedis seeds and sowed on 11/08/2005 but I could not see any varigated plant. I grafted young seedlings.

Cactus / retusus

The plant, on the attached photo is Ariocarpus retusus v bicolor n.prov KMR61. I bought seeds and sowed on 31/08/2006. Young seedlings were grafted.
This is one of them. Own roots seedlings, collected seeds from his plant have also been growing well.

Cactus / Astrophytum asterias

Today's note is not about Ariocarpus, is Astrophytum asterias f red flower.
Normal asterias flower is yellow color.
Astrophytum is in flower in spring normally but this plant is in flower in autumn.
It was hard to get true red flower seeds. I started to buy red flower seeds from 2003 and bought every year but almost all plants were in flowers with not true red, apricot color. I bought seeds in 2007 also and found only one plant showed a true red. I assume this red color gene is quite positive and the stigma is also red color.
Unfortunately this plant can not make seeds becuse of the abnormal stigma.

Cactus / Ariocarpus elongatus

I bought seeds of ariocarpus retusus v elongatus f CDS45 and sowed seeds on 31/08/2006. I grafted young seedlings.
It is difficult to fined differences between elongatus and torigonus but I assume this is a true elongatus. Both species will have light-yellow flowers. Two plants werer in flowers and I crossed them. I can collect seeds next spring.

Cactus / fissuratus

This grafted Ariocarpus fissuratus has been propagated from my own seeds.
I just had 1 fissuratus at that time and crossed with a fissuratus f Big Bend. The appearance of the plant is mixed, a standard fissuratus and a form Big Bend. I now have several standard fissuratus and am not necessary to cross with another forms.
This plant is in flower every year in this season.

Cactus / Unknown Ariocarpus

I bought seeds named Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus v albiflora, shown in the photo. Although it has white flowers,the appearence is not kotschoubeyanus at all.
It seems retusus hybrid but I can not know the name unfortunately.
It is happend sometime same problem when you bought cactus seeds from others.

Cactus / fissuratus

This plant is Ariocarpus fissuratus f Big Bend. I assume the origianl habitat is Big Bend National Park near Rio Grande in Texas. This form has shallower gathers than the normal form.
I bought seeds and sowed on 31/08/03. This also was grafted the seedling and degrafted with a short vascular bandles. It is difficult to degraft fissuratus because the liquid running out from body would never stop when you cut a part of body.

Cactus / Pereskiopsis

Pereskiopsis is one of temporary grafting stocks for seedlings. I started to use this lately. Since this stock was quite new for me I tried various methods of grafting. The current best method is using a wet-box. I use a plastic box filled in water on the bottm. Scoins are just sat on stoks without any pressure. The grafting process will be completed in a week.
I grafted around 30 seedlings 4 weeks ago. The stock are Pereskiopsis diguetii and the scion are Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Sugri Cauliflower. The photo is grafted seedlings on Pereskiopsis.

Autumn

Cactus know when autumn has come.
I believe they can recognize autumn by maximum and minimum temperatures changes and also reducing daylight length.
Ariocarpus is in flower in autumn.
One of Ariocarpus opened flowers this morning shown as the attached photo.
The plant is Ariocarpus bravoanus v hintonii. I bought seeds and sowed on 31/10/03. A young seedling was gradted on a Hylocereus and degrafted later attached with a short vascular bandles of the stock.
The plant relied on roots coming from the vascular bandles initially but they were changed over to own roos later.

Cactus / Seedling grafting

It is impossible to inport plants in here and is very difficult inport seeds either. There was only one cactus seeds supplier in here but he finished his business.
I collect cactus seeds from myown plants and sow around 30 species every year. Normal cactus grows very slowly and I graft very young seedlings to accelerate the growing speed.
The attache photo is Ariocarpus hybrid kotschoubeyanus x scaphirostris, sown seeds on 25/11/10. I grafted 20 days old seedlings.

Starting day

Frank, a hobby cactus collector established this blog on 11th March 2011.
The centre of the continent in Sothern Hemisphere is an arid land.
Frank lives in the south of the arid land.
He spends almost all time in his backyard and looks after various cactus.
His main collections are Astrophytum and Ariocarpus.
The attached photo is one of his collections, Astrophytum asterias cv Miracle kabuto.