Cactus / super kabuto

This is a super kabuto with typical arrows pattern.
The body shape is not flat becase this plant was once grafted and de-grafted.
Asterias should be flat body shape but I remaine this one for seeds collectong.

Cactus / hanazono kabuto

This is a hanazono(flower garden) kabuto. I sowed seeds in 2003.
Since this is an own-root plant, the character of hanazono appearance has been shown late.
The current diameter is around 15 cm. Numbers of ribs have also been incleased.

Cactus / Miracle kabuto

My selected miracle kabutos are flowering size.
I sowed seeds in 2006 and selected 36 good seedlings last year.
I will collect more than 1000 seeds this year and will sow.
The photo is one of my selected seedlings.

Cactus / super kabuto

Recent weather went up and down and many kabutos confused the flowering timing.
We have good sunshine yesterday and some kabutos were in flower.

The photo is one of super kabuto with smaller flecks over the body. Super kabuto has various appearances because of many times of crossing in history. I like this pattern.

Cactus / Obregonia

I collected seeds of Obregonia denegrii from my plants and sowed on 08/10/2011.
The successful germination ratio was not too bad.
I grafted 4 seedings on 17/11/2011.
It seems they have been taken well.

Cactus / another red flower asterias

One of grafted red flowering asterias was in flower this afternoon.

This one is nudum form. I assume the origin of this asterias in Europe. I believe the flower is very nice but the size of body is too small.

Cactus / small seedlings

Some cactus seeds and seedlings are very small.
It is hard to see details visually.

I sowed seeds of Uebelmannia buiningii on 08/10/2011.
The successful germination ratio was not too bad. They are still very young and small but I took a photo.

Cactus / a flower of grafting stock

This is a hybrid grafting stock whic I use normally. The stock plant is night flowering with a good scent.
I took this photo in this morning.
Although I have never tried, I believe the fruit is eatable.

The grafted scion is Astrophytum caput-medusae.

Cactus / seedling grafting

I lost several good mature plants, Astrophytum myriostigma cultivars lately. I have to rebuild numbers again.
Several 1 year old seedlings were remained and I grafted 4 days ago.
When you graft very young seedling 10~30 day old after germination, you do not need any pressure onto the scion but you need some pressure to compensate body shrinkage when the seedling was older.

I used a small piece of pantyhose to give pressure onto the scion before but I tried  a plastic lapping sheet this time. You can see the condition of the scion easily when you used a plastic sheet.
The scion is Astrophytum myriostigma v nudum cv khoyo, kikkou.

Cactus / Ariocarpus hybrid

This is an Ariocarpus hybrid, kotschoubeyanus x bravoanus v hintonii.

I sowed seeds on 7th Septmeber 2009 and grafted young seedlings, 10 or so.
I could see some flowers in 2010.
The flowering season of Ariocarpus is in autumn but this one has a flowering bud already.
I believe it makes a mistake of the season and can  not open the flower.

I can see various faces in this hybrids but this one shows well balance of parents.

Cactus / Aztekium

This is a grafted Aztekium ritteri flowering in this morning.
I do somethings every day for cactus but there is no significant happenings in here.
Current main job is the collection of cactus seeds from Astrophytum and Ariocarpus.

Cactus / myroistigma cv kohyo

I lost several good mature plants of Astrophytum myriostigma v nudum cv kohyo, kikkou lately.
I like this cultivar and have to rebuild numbers again.
The photo is one of young grafted plants, myriostigma v nudum cv red bean kohyo, kikkou.
I sowed seeds last year and grafted a young seedling.

Cactus / Astrostigma

This is a hybrid, Astrophytum myristigma x caput medusae.
The shape is very similar to the mother, myriostigam but the body color gives a hint of the hybrid.

I failed last year but I try to make an intergeneric hybrid crossed with some other genera in this year.

Cactus / hanazono super

This cactus is Astrophytum asterias cv super kabuto but it starts to show hanazono character also.
You can see a brown flowering bud coming out from a bottom of ribs (valley).
Normal asterias flowers come out from tubercles which are on the top of ribs.
Flowers of hanazono come out from anyplace of the body.
This cacti will be a hanazono super kabuto.

Cactus / Onzuka

This is Astrophytum v myriostigam cv Onzuka rampo-gyoku.
This cultivar was developed y Mr Onzuka of Okayama prefecture in Japan.

I had collected quite many good mature plants but lost some in this spring.
I have to accumlate numbers again.

Cactus / Ariocarpus retusus cultivar

The name of cultivar is quite unique and included inspiration of the developer.
This cultiver is toku daruma royal tama-botan, retusus v major with very lage roud tubercles.
I have no idea why the word of "Royal"added on the name.

Since tubercle size is only possible to confirm by own-root, I keep quite many seedlings.
The photo is one of my seedlings, sown seeds on 12th November 2006.
The current plant diameter is around 10 cm.
Seeds were collected from my grafted plants.

Cactus / ruri kabuto

This is Astrophytum asterias cv ruri kabuto. It seems v nudum but ruri kabuto has the gene of capricorne v major.

I tried to make ruri kabuto nishiki (varigated ruri kabuto) and crossed varigated asterias pollen on the ruri kabuto showing below.

Cactus / Ariocarpus hybrid

This is an Ariocarpus hybrid, kotschoubeyanus x bravoanus v hintonii.
I sowed seeds on 07/10/ 2009 and grafted very young seedlings, 3 days old, 10 scions or so.
It was my 1st creation of Ariocarpus hybrid.

Scions showed various mixed faces and some of them were in flower in 2010.
This one shows well mixed parents face, I think.
Although it has still been late spring in here but flowering buds have been lifted up already.