Cactus / asterias

I have not seen rain a while.
We need rain.
The photo is A. asterias.
I think the plant is going to reach a mature age and shows some Hanazono characters.

Cactus / alonsoi

This is a degrafted Turbinicarpus alonsoi.
Alonsoi is in flower many times through spring to autumn.
It seems alonsoi is possible inter-generic hybridization with Ariocarpus.
I will try it in coming autumn.

Cactus / denegrii

Seedlings of Obregonia denigrii grow very slowly.
I bought seeds and sowed on 28/09/2005.
The photo is one of seedlings, around 7 cm diameter.
They started flowering last year.
More than 10 plants have survived and so I have been able to collect seeds from my plants.

Cactus / super kabuto

Super kabutos show various appearances because of frequent crossings in history.
This one shows large fleckings and starfish shape.

Cactus / Onzuka

Astrophytum myriostigma cv Onzuka rampos were in flower agin.
I did cross pollination.
I have tried to regain numdrs of Onzuka.

Cactus / myriostigma

This is an Astrophytum myriostigma v nudum cv khoyo.
I bought seeds and sowed on 08/10/2003.
Young seedlings were grafted and derafted  after grow to flowering size.
Khoyo turns body color during juvenil but stops turning body color when the plant was a mature age.
This one is a mature age plant but it shows a hint of khoyo character.

Cactus / super kabuto

A super kabuto, a typical starfish shape was in flower yeserday.
The maximum temperature was 42 C' and was hard to go outside of the house in the afternoon.

Cactus / miracle kabuto

The maximum temperature was 35 C' yesterday.
Quite many asterias were in flower in the afternoon.
The photo is one of aserias, miracle kabuto, opened flower in the afternoon.
The forecast maximum temperature of today is 39 C'.

Cactus / fukuryu

I got small number of seeds this year and sowed on 27/07/2012.
I could manage to graft 5 seedlings.
They have grown quite well.
I grafted 2 offsets coming out from one of scions in this morning.
The photo is hakujou fukuryu banjyaku.
Banjyaku is a hybrid of myriostigma x ornatum.

Cactus / loricatum

I once collected Gymnocalycium species with strong spines.
It is no longer trying to increase numbers but still remained some species.
The photo is a spegazzinii v loricatum, propagated from seed, sown seed on 16/11/2003.

Cactus / ruri kabuto

I lost 3 flowering size ruri kabutos this year and remained just 3 plants only.
I grafted 8 seedlings to maintain numbers lately.
The photo is a flower of ruri kabuto.

Cactus / super kabuto

I have realized the germination ratio from super kabuto seeds in this year is not so good.
It may seeds are too old.
I should try very flesh seeds.
I did pollination on this plant and waiting a fruit.

Cactus / capricorne

This is Astrophytum capricorne, bought 2 plants years ago.
I lost one last year and this one was also very weak but it recoverd in this year.
The flower is lacking of centre orange and just yellow.

Cactus / asterias

Own- root Astrophytum asterias propagated from seeds show normal flowers.
Although this one is propagated from seed, shows an abnormal flower.
I can not find any specific reasons.
Since the shape of the stigma is abnormal, I think this plant can not make any seeds.

Cactus / ruti-super

This is a hybrid, Astrophytum asterias cv ruri kabuto x super kabuto which is propagated from seeds coming out a same seed pod of the ruri kabuto posted on 12th December.
The gene of super kabuto shows stronger on this plant.
It is 1st flowering of the plant.

Cactus / Astrophytum hybrid

This is a 1st filial hybrid, senil x super kabuto.
I degrafted last year. It is an own-root plant currently.
There are no spines but shows both parents characters.

Cactus / red flower asterias

Although I bought seeds of red flowering asterias many times, only 2 plants are almost red color.
This is one of them. Unfortunately the body of the plant is also very small.

Cactus / reddish flower

This Astrophytum asterias is propagated from seeds which I bought as red flower astrias.
I bought seeds of red flower asterias but  it was hard to get a true red flowering plant.
I assume this one was crossed many times in history and the body of plant is very small.

Cactus / ruri-kabuto

I tried to make a hybrid, ruri-kabuto x super kabuo.
Seedlings form the crossing show various faces, differnt degree of flecking.
This one is no flecking, similar to mother's appearance.

Cactus / miracle kabuto

Another asterias cultivar, miracle kabuto were in flower yeserday.
I have tried to increase numbers of miracle kabuto and been collecting a lot of seeds
I did cross pollination with several plants.

Cactus / super kabuto

Flowers of asterias came back again yesterday.
I took several photos.
The photo is an Asrophytum asterias cv super kabuto, mixed red flower gene.

Cactus / horstii

A Discocactus horstii was in flower last night. I took the photo in the morning.
It is the harvesting time of Descocactus fruits.
I collected several fruits also in the morning.

Cactus / minima

An Escobaria minima was in flower yesterday.
Escobaria is not my favorite genus.
I just keep several grafted and own-root minimas only.
The photo is a own-root plant.

Cactus / horizonthalonius

An Echinocactus horizonthalonius was in flower yesterday.
It was the second flowering in this season.
I kept pollen of another plant in fridge and did pollination by using it.

Cactus / aselliformis

Several Pelecyphora aselliformis propagated from cuttings were in flower yesterday afternoon.
It seems they repeat flowerings from spring to summer.
I believe an easy way for increasing numbers of flowering size aselliformis is cuttings.

Cactus / albiflora

This grafted Mammillaria albiflora was in flower yesterday afternoon.
I grafted a small offset 2 years ago.
It was 1st flowering of the plant.

Mammillaria albiflora is in flower early spring normally and this is out of season flowering.
I covered top of greenhouse by 50% shadecloth lately and it may be confused the season.

Cactus / heterochromus

2 of Thelocactus heterochromus f longispinus were in flower in the afternoon.
I did cross pollination.
I propagated both plants from seeds.
I sowed seeds on 31/08/2006.
Several young seedlings were grafted and degrafed when plants were grown to the flowering size.

Cactus / hadaka fukuryu banjyaku

This is an Astrophytum hybrid, hadaka fukuryu banjyaku which is a nudum form of fukuryu banjyaku. It is still very young but it already shows a hint of fukuryu form.

Cactus / asterias

I collect cacti as ornamental plants.
Some people like abnormal shaped cacti but I like clear-cut appearance ones.
The photo is A. aserias, well balanced 8 ribs and very flat which is a typical clear-cut appearance one.

Cactus / khoyo

An Astrophytum myriostigma v nudum cv khoyo, kikkou was in flower yesterday.
It was a poor-looking flower.
Since just one plant was in flower, I used reserved pollen for the pollination.

One of degrafted Turbinicarpus alonsois was in flower in the afternoon.
I bought seeds and sowed on 31/08/2006.
Several youg seedlings were grafted and degrafted 2 years ago.
This one is twin heads and each head is going to be cristates.

Cactus / variegated super kabuto

I selected well balanced variegated super kabuto seedlings and grafted them in this spring.
All of them have started to grow.
The degree of variegation is not fixed, moving around during growing.
Although I selected well balanced ones, this one is turning to a complete variegation unfortunately.

Cactus / hakujyou fukuryu banjyau

Astrophytum hybrid, hakujyou fukuryu banjyaku is very new in my place.
I got seeds from my friend and sowed on 27th July this year.
I grafted seedlings and 5 of them were taken.
The  photo is one of them, growing with a resnable speed.
I expect it will be in flower next spring.

Cactus / aselliformis

Seedlings of Pelecyphora aselliformis grow vey slowly.
Other problem of these seedlings are body shape.
Seedlings keep thin body, 2~3 mm diameter and are hard to be a round shape.

The best way to get a round plant is grafting and degrafting later.
I sowed seeds on 19/08/12 and 28/09/12, twice in this year.
I grafted seedlings germinated from 19/08/12 sowing.
It has not completed yet but I have tried to collect 12 grafted seedlings in total.
The photo is one of them, starting to grow.

Cactus / rooting trial

I have been trying a special technique for the rooting by using Ariocarpus.
I got the information of the technique in a Japanese website.

- Degrafting Ariocarpus scion with a short Pereskiopsis stock, 15 mm
- Buried the short stock in soil
- Roots come out from the stock initially and the scion relies upon the stock a while
- Roots come out from the scion just before the stock die and swapped over

I set 10 samples 2 years ago and checked root every year.
It was stock roots only at 1st year checking but some roots come out from the scion at 2nd year.
I asumme you need 3 ~4 years to complete the rooting prosess.
The photo is A. kotschoubeyanus f Rio Verde, 2nd year roots checking.

Cactus / nicholii

I bought 10 seeds of Echinocactus horizontalonius v nicholii and sowed on 28/09/2005.
Only 2 garminated and I grafted them.
One of them was in flower yesterday.
I did pollination by using pollen kept in fridge.

Cactus / heptacanthus

This is a Discocactus heptacanthus v griseus.
I bought seeds and sowed on 31/08/2006.
Several young seedlings were grafted and degrafted after grown to flowering size.
Plant appearances propagated form a seed packet are slightly different.
I am not sure this one is true v griseus or not.

Cactus / myriostigma

This is an Astrophytum  myriostigma v nudum cv red-bean khoyo, kikkou.
Since the plant has been a matured age, the body turns color no longer.
There are just 4 flowering size plants remained and is hard to make a good timing of pollination.
I collect pollen and kept in gelatin capsuels until other plants are in flower.

Cactus / super kabuto

I have tried to transfer the gene of red flowering asterias to super kabutos.
The super kabuto in the photo has reddish color flowers but they are not red enough.
I need more crossing.

Cactus / horstii

Discocactus horstii is one of my favorite cacti.
Discocactus is a night flowering plant and several plants are in flower together as if it was prearranged by nuknown reason.
12 plants were in flower last night.

Cactus / denegrii

This is an Obregonia denegrii f San Vincente.
I bought seeds and sowed on 28/09/2005, 7 years old.
Obregonia grows very slowly but I can collect seeds from my plants because several seedlings are now flowering size.

Catus / albiflora

It is late spring and is not season of Mammillaria flowering but a M. albiflora was in flower this afternoon. The temperature in my greenhouse was 53 'C and very hot.
I got a cuttings from my freind several years ago and grafted it.

Cactus / ornatum

I once collected Gymnocalycium with thick spines.
I do not intend to increase more but I keep them.
The photo is Gym spegazzinii v ornatum, sowed seeds in 2004.
The flower color of Gymnocalycium is attractive.

Cactus / cv benitaka

This is Thelocactus heterochromus with thick spines.
It was once popular in Japan and called "benitaka" means Red-hawk.
I have just 2 mature plants.

Cactus / white kabuto

This is an asterias cultivar, K. Sato white kabuto.
I assume Mr K. Sato developed this cultivar.
I bought seeds and sowed on 08/10/2003.
Only 2 flowering size plants have survived at moment.
I will try to regain numbers.

Cactus / hanazonokabuto

Several hanazono kabutos were in flower yesterday evening.
Since buds were not large enough to open in the morning, I thought they opened today.
In the evening, aroung 7:00 pm I found opened flowers and took the photo.

Cactus / seedling on seedling

I saw a person grafted a young seedling on a young stock in the website.
As my practical experience, I tried same method.
I grafted 12 seedlings for the 1st attempt. it seemed working well.
I grafted 12 more seedlings yesterday as the 2nd attempt.
The scion is a Pelecyphora aselliformis and the stock is a Cereus hybrid.
Both scion and stock seeds were sown on 19/08/2012.
The diameter of the scion is 2 mm.
The stock is held in a slit on a wet sponge rubber.

Cactus / asterias

When you propagate cactus from seeds, you can find various things.
Differnet appearance from parents seedlings come out quite often, especially cultivers.
I think normal cultivars are mixed various genes in hisory.
When I sowed seeds of miracle kabuto, around 40% is true miracle kabuto and all otheres are not.
The photo is not true miracle kabuto but propagated a seed comes from true miracle kabuto parents.

Cactus / asterias

I keep aserias cultivars in a separate greenhouse.
Aserias needs a special environment to grow well and keeping in one room is easier to control.
On a warm day, many asterias are in flower together.

Cactus / variegated asterias

A variegated asterias was in flower yesterday.
Own-root cacti are weaker and grow slower compared to nomal ones.