Cactus / herrerae

This is a Mammillaria herrerae flowering yesterday. I also propagate this cacti from cuttings. There is white flowering one, called albiflora but this is standard color flower.

Cactus / aselliformis

A Pelecyphora aselliformis was in flower yesterday. I propagate this cacti from cuttings.

Seedlings of aselliformis are very thin and growing slowly, too slow. The best way to make a normal shape, own-root plant is grafting seedlings. You can cut pups from a grafted plant and rooted.

Cactus / pectinatus

I do not keep many Echinocereus. An Echinocereus pectinatus v dasyacanthus was in flower. The flower of Echinocereus is quite large and the stigma has a distinct color.

Cactus / Astrophytum hybrid 2

This cacti is same as yesterday one, niveum x super kabuto.

I grafted an abnormal seedling. Body color is yellow and its life will be short.

Cactus / Astrophytum hybrid

This grafted cacti is Astrophytum hybrid, capricorne v niveum x asterias cv super kabuto.

I sowed seeds on 28/08/2010. The germination sucsess retio was not too bad but abnormal seedlings were included quite many. I think both of capricorne and asterias are Astrophytum but are in different flower groups and makes this stressed gene issue. I grafted two seedlings. One was a normal seedling and the other was abnormal one. This one was normal.

Cactus/ rioverdensis

I bought 10 seeds of Turbinicarpus rioverdensis and sowed on 31/08/2006. I grafted young seedlings.

This is one of them, flowering currently.

Cactus / ritteri

A grafted Aztekium ritteri is in flower today.

I grafted several pups a few years ago. This is one of them.
I bought seeds and tried to propagat several times but I could not get any successful result.
I collected some seeds from my plants last year. I will try to propagate again.

Cactus / Ariocarpus seedlings

I sowed Ariocarpus seeds on 03/09/2011.

I use heating pads for seeds germination. I can set 18 of 10 cm square pots at one batch. 1st batch of germination was campleted in this morning.
The photo is one of pots, Ariocarpus retusus v jermilae. All seeds were collected from my own plants.

Cactus / miracle kabuto seedling

I sowed seeds of miracle kabuto quite many on 30/11/2010.

1st repottings of these seedlings have been completed. The photo is one of seedlings, almost one year old. The diameter is 11 mm. This seeling was nudum a while but large flecks started to appear lately.
I think a good miracle kabuto will start as a nudum form and change suddenly.
I believe this seedling will be a good one in future.

Cactus / agavoides

The repotting of Ariocarpus seedlings has almost been completed. I repotted agavoides this morning.

I sowed seeds in 2006. Seeds were collected from my grafted plants. You can see a white tap-root. The body grows very slowly but the root grow in a good speed. You have to maintain tubercle tips well when you propagate agavoides but one of tubercle tips is dead.

Cactus / a short grafting stock

When you graft a cacti, the scion may show a differnt character from original one. It depends upon the type of the grafting stock. The special character in relation to the grafting will disappear when you degraft.

If you want to keep the grafted character, you can remain a short stock. The short stock is buried in pottingmix. I cut stock last autumn and set the cacti on a empty black pot. It is the time of potting because roots have come out from the short stock.
The photo is Echinocactus horizontalonius.

Cactus / Astrophytum hybrid

This is an Astrophytum hybrid, 1st filial of coahuilence x asterias cv super kabuto.

The number of ribs is 7, more than coahuilence and less than asterias. It has white flecks over the body as same as super kabuto. I sowed seeds in 2005. The current size is around 10 cm diameter.

Cactus / luethyi

A Mammillaria luethyi was in flower yesterday.

I have a lot of luethyis propagated by graftings. This one is a cuttings from a pup of grafted plant, set last summer. I believe the plant is rooted completely.

Cactus / Flowers of asterias

I keep various asterias in this greenhouse.

It was warmed up in the afternoon yeasterday and in flower quite many asterias. It has been spring in here.

Cactus / pectinifera

I bought 25 seeds of Uebelmannia pectinifera v multicostata and sowed on 28/09/2005. 2 young seedlings were grafted and remained 5 own-root seedlings.

The photo is one of grafted plant. Flowers of Uebelmannia are very small. I have tried to get seeds but it has never succeeded.

Cactus / valdezianus

I bought this plant, Turbinicarpus valdezianus in 2004 from a cactus nersery in VIC. This cacti never moved since, not die and not growing at all but it flowerd every year. I think this is the size of matured plant.

There are two colors of flower. This one has pink flowers.

Cactus / hanazono-super kabuto

I repot almost all asterias every spring. I started repotting 2 weeks ago and it has been continued.

I found one of repotted asterias (kabuto) showing both of characters, hanazono and super yeasterday. As youcan see, several brown flowering buds have come out between ribs (valley)on the super kabuto. Normal asterias has 8 ribs but this one just has 7 ribs only unfortunately. The size of the cacti is around 8 cm diameter.

Cactus / strobiliformis

This is a grafted Pelecyphora strobliformis flowering yesterday.

I bought 20 seeds and sowed 31/08/2006. I grafted young seedlings. It survive just 3 plants currently. I tried to get seeds and crossed last several years but I could not. I am not sure why but it seems the stigma of this plant does not open. It may be the reason why I can not get seeds.

Cactus / rioverdensis

I removed several pups from grafted Turbinicarpus rioverdensis last year and rooted.

One of cuttings in 5 cm square tube was in flower yesterday.

Cactus / coahuilense

One of Astrophytum coahuilenses was in flower yesterday.

I bought this cacti several years ago. Unfortunately the body shape has been elongated slightly. Coahuilense has a yellow prtals and orange throught flower as same as asterias. It can cross easily with asterias.

Cactus / superkabuto

This is best 12 of super kabuto seedling which I repotted yesterday.

As same as miracle kabutos, I sowed seeds in 2006.
The gene of super kabuto is quite positive. It is not 100% but almost all seedlings germinated from super kabuto seeds will be super kabuto.
There will be differnet degree of flecks density because the super kabuto started from just one plant and mixed with various asterias in history.

Flecks size of super kabuto is larger than that of miracle kabuto.

Cactus / miracle kabuto

I started repotting larger asterias yesterday.

The photo is selected asterias cv miracle kabutos, best 12. I sowed seeds on 30/09/2006. Seedlings germinated for miracle kabuto seeds will not be all miracle kabutos. You have to select seedlings shown the character of miracle kabuto. I could select 36 seedlings from year 2006 germination.

The diameter of plants are around 8 cm.

Cactus / myriostigma

Spring has come and grafted cactus have started to grow.

This is an Astrophytum myriostigma v nudum cv red bean khoyo, kikkou. I grafted a seedling last autumn. This cacti has 2 special characters. It turns color in red in winter and spring during juvenile and shows kikkou shape when the cacti becomes a mature age.

Cactus / retusus seedling

I have continued repotting of seedlings.

Ariocarpus seedlings are growing very slowly and some peoples called as "Living rocks".I feed a lot of water in summer under soft sunlight. This will give a better growing speed.

Retusus v major cv Daruma Royals have grown well and repotted.
I sowed seeds on 12/11/2006. The current diameter is around 9 cm. I lift the joint between tubercles and tap root from soli top. This can minimize the chance of rotting even if you fed a lot of water in summer.

Cactus / rioverdensis

A grafted Turbinicarpus rioverdensis is in flower.

I bought 10 seeds and sowed on 11/08/2006 and grafted young seedlings. The photo is one of them. Rioverdensis is a small Turbinicarpus but this cacti has grown as a quite large size because of grafted.