Lophophora from seed – II

A month after sowing the Lophophora seeds the germination rates are:

• 17/30 - L. diffusa (RS 1193; Peña Miller, Queretaro)
  
• 13/30 - L. williamsii (La Soledad, Coahuila)
  
• 23/30 - L. williamsii (RS 428A; Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila)
  

Not impressive rates compared with previous years. I’m using a new seed supplier and a new sowing method – both could be the culprit. Lophophora williamsii seedling a month after sowing Anyway, the seedlings are doing well. Most are growing their first areoles like the L. williamsii (RS 428A; Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila) seedling pictured above. < previous |

Happy Vernal Equinox

Let’s all celebrate today’s vernal equinox (anyway, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere). Anything from a silent contemplation of the renewed growth of your cacti to a bacchanalian spring rite will do ;-)

It’s getting better all the time...

Obregonia and Ariocarpus from seed - III

Very few of my Ariocarpus fissuratus seed have germinated. Currently I have 3 thriving seedlings - and a corresponding number that dampened off. I'll keep the seedlings in a varm, humid environment for a while; hopefully more seed will germinate. I'm not sure if I'm treating the seed wrong, if the quality of the seed were inferior, or if A. fissuratus is just hard to grow from seed.

The germination rate of the Obregonia denegrii seed is close to a 100% (the seed were treated in exactly the same way as the A. fissuratus seed). The seedlings have been moved to a slightly cooler location, and soon I'll slowly introduce them to the harsh world outside the growing bag.

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Huntington Botanical Gardens

Saturday (March 05, 2005) I visited Huntington Botanical Gardens with high expectations. Initially I was a bit disappointed by the Desert Garden – the focus seems to be more on gardening than on botanical aspects, i.e. the plants were primarily grouped by appearance instead of by biotopes, many of the plants were unmarked etc. I should have been warned by the welcoming sign saying: The garden before you is hardly a desert ;-) Also a lot of the paths were closed with “do not enter” and “no admittance” signs! That being said, I ended up spending more than 3 hours studying the various species of cacti.


An impressive group of Echinocactus grusonii

Unfortunately very few of the cacti were blooming – I would like to return in a month or two when the flowering is in full swing.


Flowering Ferocactus echidne var. victoriensis

I took a lot of pictures. As time permits I’ll process and upload them to a photo gallery.