Cactus / Onzuka

An old Astrophytum myriostigma cv Onzuka was in flower in the afternoon.
I bought seeds and sowed in 2003.
This is the largest Onzuka in my place.

Cactus / denegrii

I tried to create crested Obregonia denegrii and grafted 24 seedlings.
It is told the boosting growing speed by grafting is possible to make crested one.
Unfortunately it was not happened at all.
The photo is one of them, degrafted 3 years old.

Cactus / aselliformis

The germination rate of Pelecyphora aseliformis is quite good.
Own-root seedlings grow with very thin body by unknown reason in here.
I normally graft them and degraft later to get a thick body.
The photo is a degrafted and rooted one.

Cactus / Astrophytum hybrid

The photo is a 2nd filial Astrophytum hybrid, hakuran-super (coahuilense x super kabuto).
Although the 1st filial has a good body size, this one is quite small, just 5 cm in diameter.
The hybridization must be affected on the body size.

Cactus / super kabuto

This is an other super kabuto.
The body shape is quite flat, a very good shape.
The size of flower is relatively small.
Although autumn flower is normally small, it is the beginning of summer.

Cactus / super kabuto

I have kept around 350 of matured Japanese cultivar asterias.
They are in flower repeatedly between spring and autumn.
The photo is one of them, a super kabuto.
Unfortunately it is elongated slightly.

Cactus / red flowering hanazono kabuto

A hanazono kabuto posted before was in flower.
The color of petals was red.
It is the asterias which I have tried to develop, "red flowering hanazono kabuto".

Cactus / a new asterias

I tried to develop a red flowering hanazono kabuto and sowed seeds last year.
24 seedlings in total were grafted onto Pereskiopsis.
12: hanazono kabuto x red flowering asterias
12: red flowering asterias x hanazono kabuto

They have started to be in flower and it seems all of them are red flowering.
Only one of them has showing the character of hanazono kabuto.
I have not seen its flower yet but the bud gives the hint of color.

Cactus / heterochromus

The photo is Thelocactus heterochromus f longispinus (Benitaka).
6 cacti were in flower together.
I bought seeds and sowed on 31st August 2006.

Cactus / Onzuka

A young Astrophytum myriostigma cv Onzuka was in flower.
This one was grafted once and degrated last year, 3 years old.
When you grown Onzuka from seeds, the seedlings tend to elongate.
The process of grafting and degrafting can minimize the elongation.

Cactus / aserias

It was hot day today.
The maximum temperature reached to 36 'C.
Many asterias were in flower in the afternoon.

Cactus / miracle kabuto

I have to cover my greenhouse by 50% shade-cloth very soon for summer setting.
My asterias are continuously in flower.
The photo is a miracle kabuto.

Cactus / asterias

This young asterias is 1st filial ruri kabuto x super kabuto, 4 years old.
A flowering bud has been pushed up.
This is 1st flowering for the cactus.

Cactus / horridispinum

I have not enough confidence for the name but the name tag of seeds was shown as  "Gymnocalycium hossei v horridispinum".
I sowed seeds in 2004.

Cactus / armatum

It is hard to open flowers completely on Gymnocalycium species with strong spines.
The photo is G. spegazzinii v armatum sp nova.
I bought seeds and sowed on 16th November 2003, means 12 years old.

Cactus / horizontharonius

The photo is the 1st flower of Echinocactus horizotharonius in this season.
I collected many seeds last season and have no intention to pollinate in this season.
I like the body color of E. horizontharonius.

Cactus / asterias

This asterias is the 1st filial of ruri kabuto x super kabuto.
The contrast of dark green body and withe flecking is attractive but the body size is quite small.

Cactus / asterias

This asterias is a mature age one.
The body has turned to multiple ribs and also has shown a hanazono character.

Cactus / horstii

Several Discocactus were in flower last night.
I took photos early in this morning.
The scent of Discocactus flower is very nice and I can recognize the flowering when I step in the greenhouse.
The photo is D. horstii.

Cactus / hanazono kabuto

Another hanazono kabuto was in flower yesterday.
I have 7 hanazono kabutos sown seeds on same day.
The photo is on e of them.

Cactus / cauliflower

It is the harvesting time of Ariocarpus seeds.
Ariocarpus were pollinated last autumn and fruits are pushed out currently.
The photo is an A. retusus v furfuraceus cv Suguri-cauliflower.

Cactus / asterias

I am not sure the exact reason but many asterias open flowers together.
The photo is in my 2nd greenhouse kept asterias only.

Cactus / miracle kabuto

Several miracle kabutos were in flower yesterday.
Although the densities of flecking are varied, this one is a typical my miracle kabuto.

Cactus / ruri kabuto

An Astrophytum  asterias cv ruri kabuto was in flower yesterday afternoon.
Unfortunately the body was slightly elongated during last one year by unknown reason.

Cactus / disciformis

I got 2 grafted Strombocactus disciformis from my friend a few months ago.
One of them were in flower yesterday.
I pollinated with T. alonsoi as a trial.

Cactus / spegazzinii v loricatum

I bought 50 seeds and sowed on 16th November 2003.
Only 6 cacti have remained because died many by various reasons.
Spine lengths are varied by unknown reason.
This one has very short spines.

Cactus / asterias

Astrophytum asterias shows a distinctive personality when it reached a mature age.
The photo is a matured asterias, sown seeds in 2000.
The diameter is 16 cm currently.

Cactus / super kabuto

It is not so easy to get true red flowering asterias.
This super kabuto has reddish color flowers.
I have attempted to improve this color.

Cactus / red flowering asterias

This grafted cactus, Astrophytum hanazono kabuto x red flowering asterias is very young.
I sowed seeds last year and grafted 12 seedlings onto Pereskiopsis.
I have tried to create red flowering hanazono kabuto.
The scion is the 1st filial.

Cactus / hanazono kabuto

Many asterias have stared to be in flower.
This is one of them, hanazono kabuto.
I bought seeds and sowed in 2003.

Cactus / Onzuka

An Astrophytum Japanese cultivar, myriostigma cv Onzuka was in flower in the afternoon.
I bought seeds and sowed in 2003.
This cactus has also reached a mature age and additional ribs have been developed.

Cactus / ambatoense

I collected positively Gymnocalycium species with strong spines once.
Some species have still remained.
The photo is a G. ambatoense.
I like the flower color.

Cactus / heterchromus

SinceThelocactus is not my main collection, I keep only this species.
This species is called as "benitaka" in Japan.
I bought 10 seeds and sowed on 31st August 2006.
The flower of heterchromus is quite large.

Cactus / Kikkou

I bought 40 seeds of Astrophytum myriostigma v nudum cv khoyo, kikkou and sowed on 17th September 2004.
The germination rate was not too bad but lost many seedlings by various reasons.
Just 2 plants  have been remained.
Since the plant has reached to a mature age, the body color tunes no longer.
Additional ribs have been developed.

Cactus / denegrii

3 years old, degrafted Obregonia denegrii have started to be in flower.
Short Pereskiopsis stocks have been remained on the bottom of cacti and buried in the potting-mix.

Cactus / hakuran-super

An Astrophytum 1st filial hybrid, hakuran-super (coahuilense x super kabuto) was in flower in the afternoon.
It is possible to make a whiter cactus in 2nd filial but the body size will be very small.
It will be just 5 cm in diameter even a mature age plant.

Cactus / Tiger super kabuto

This asterias has various names but I just stick on the name from the seed supplier.
Seeds were sown in 2003.
Unfortunately only 2 plants have survived.

Cactus / miracle kabuto

It was quite warm afternoon today.
Many asterias were in flower including a miracle kabuto attached in here.

Cactus / strobiliformis

I degrafted 3 of Pelecyphora strobiliformis scions and rooted last spring.
1 of them were in flower yesterday.

Cactus / asterias

An Astrophytum asterias was in flower in the afternoon.
This matured asterias is 13 cm in diameter, showing a sort of dignity.

Cactus / Super kabuto

Spring has come, waited this season a while.
I started watering to asterias one week ago and one of super kabutos were in flower yesterday afternoon.
It is 1st flowering of aterias in this spring.

Cactus / Grafted offsets 3

This Geohintonia mexicana was also grafted last spring.
I just could take 1 offset in this season.
I sowed seeds in 2006 initially, and keep several plants but I have not seen any flowers yet.

Cactus / Grafted offsets 2

This is a grafted offset of Aztekium ritteri onto Pereskiopsis.
I grafted 4 offsets last October.
It has been growing vigorously and pushing many offsets up.

Cactus / Grafted offset

The body tissue of an offset is harder than that of seedlings.
An offset of Aztekium is hard especially.
You need pressure onto the scion when you grafted a hard offset normally but I found you do not need any pressure for these scions if you used Pereskiopsis as the stock.
I grafted 7 of Aztekium hintonii offsets in October last year.
The success rate of the grafting will be lower than seedling but it will be high enough if you use more than 10 mm diameter.
The photo is 1 of them, 40 mm diameter currently.

Cactus / Grafted seedlings 10

This scion is an Ariocarpus retusus v major cv Daruma royal.
I grafted 24 seedlings in November last year.
Since they were grafted a bit late, the body size is smaller than others.

Cactus / Grafted seedlings 9

This one is also less than 1 years old.
I grafted 24 of  Arocarpus kotschoubeyanus seedlings last spring.
All of them were in flower in the autumn.

Cactus / Grafted seedlings 8

Small type of Ariocarpus will be in flower within a year if seedlings were grafted.
This fissuratus v intermedius is one of them.
I grafted 24 seedlings last October.
The plant on the photo was in flower several times in this autumn.

Cactus / Grafted seedling 7

The photo is a grafted Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Seiji.
I grafted 24 seedlings last spring.
The formation of thick white hair is affected by the grafting.

Cactus / Grafted seedling 6

Grafted seedlings grow quite rapidly if you sowed seeds early spring and could use growing season fully.
The photo is an Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Suguri-cauliflower.
I sowed seeds in July and grafted 24 seedlings in September last year.
The current size is around 7 cm in diameter.

Cactus / Grafted seedling 5

It seems various theories for positive/negative genes of the crossing cacti.
I have been still not sure mother or father genes to work positively for children.

Yesterday's post was Hanazono kabuto x red flowering asterius but today's one is red flowering asterias x Hanazono kabuto.
I have grafted 12 of each.