Hi Diane, I saw this thread only now, what a pity, you have a great collection in every sense . The bench with your Agaves looks ready for some Show, is there any special variegated A. victoriae-reginae among them?
Lovely Conos and Lithops, I love those optica rubra ones!
Diane's Greenhouse
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Re: Diane's Greenhouse
Eve
Turin - Italy
Turin - Italy
- attilathethumb
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Re: Greenhouse Tour
love this collection they are my favourite kind are they easy to grow from seeds ????Diane wrote: Lithops
my website
http://naturesharvest.weebly.com
http://naturesharvest.weebly.com
- Diane
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Re: Diane's Greenhouse
Hi Eve, I bet you can guess which are the "special" variegated Agave victoriae-reginaes!! And all thanks to you!!
Attila, Lithops are not difficult to grow from seed - most of the ones you see were grown by me from seed. They just require a little patience.
Attila, Lithops are not difficult to grow from seed - most of the ones you see were grown by me from seed. They just require a little patience.
Diane - member of Kingston branch
Growing cacti - balm to the soul!
Growing cacti - balm to the soul!
- attilathethumb
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Re: Diane's Greenhouse
i think ill give some a go then from seed too if i can find a good supplier
thank you for the info
thank you for the info
my website
http://naturesharvest.weebly.com
http://naturesharvest.weebly.com
Re: Diane's Greenhouse
hi diane, i am lusting after that large perfectly grown a. retusus. i have recently purged most of my previous eclectic collection and have started maybe a thousand various a. fissuratus seedlings starting last spring. i continued this spring with the retusus types. i didn't realize how nice the retusoids are until i looked around the web. years ago i had one with the plain flat triangular tubercles, and didn't care that much for its looks. but i am hooked on the ones with fat rounded leaves. they look like sea anemones.
i'm glad to see you are such a fan of grafting. that's the other aspect that has got my attention. i guess i'm not so much of a collector but more a mad scientist who likes to play with biology. seed sowing and grafting gives me an interaction with my plants i find very fulfilling. i am hoping technology gets up to a point where we can do genetic engineering right at home.
here are some other grafting tricks i would like to try, esp the upside down graft. this summer i tossed away my scion bases, but maybe i should have tried grafting them as well:
http://sacredcactus.com/grafts.htm
i'm glad to see you are such a fan of grafting. that's the other aspect that has got my attention. i guess i'm not so much of a collector but more a mad scientist who likes to play with biology. seed sowing and grafting gives me an interaction with my plants i find very fulfilling. i am hoping technology gets up to a point where we can do genetic engineering right at home.
here are some other grafting tricks i would like to try, esp the upside down graft. this summer i tossed away my scion bases, but maybe i should have tried grafting them as well:
http://sacredcactus.com/grafts.htm
Re: Diane's Greenhouse
Fantastic collection. See kids, the little ones do grow big if you keep them long enough!
You know I love those Scleros!
But what's the double headed wooly one at front left of pic captioned Thelo etc? A Copiapoa?
You know I love those Scleros!
But what's the double headed wooly one at front left of pic captioned Thelo etc? A Copiapoa?
- Diane
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Re: Diane's Greenhouse
Hi 3bears, glad you like the retusus! You say you are growing a THOUSAND seedlings??? Wow, you must have a lot of space!
Re: grafting, I'm not a huge fan of it, but neither am I averse - needs must! Some plants are almost impossible to grow unless they get plenty of heat in a UK winter, and mine don't! So grafting is sometimes a necessary evil.
Hi DWD! You're right, time is what it takes for some of these "oldies" - I have been collecting for over 30 years, and it wasn't easy to get hold of the choice plants back then - there was no eBay for a start!
You're right, that plant is a Copiapoa barquitensis, and looking a bit better since I repotted into a plastic pot this year - it had been in a clay pot for years, and always looked a bit stressed.
Re: grafting, I'm not a huge fan of it, but neither am I averse - needs must! Some plants are almost impossible to grow unless they get plenty of heat in a UK winter, and mine don't! So grafting is sometimes a necessary evil.
Hi DWD! You're right, time is what it takes for some of these "oldies" - I have been collecting for over 30 years, and it wasn't easy to get hold of the choice plants back then - there was no eBay for a start!
You're right, that plant is a Copiapoa barquitensis, and looking a bit better since I repotted into a plastic pot this year - it had been in a clay pot for years, and always looked a bit stressed.
Diane - member of Kingston branch
Growing cacti - balm to the soul!
Growing cacti - balm to the soul!
Re: Diane's Greenhouse
"you must have a lot of space!"
well, a 1000 seedlings fits quite nicely in a standard 10X20 flat. the first batch is 18 months now, looks like they can stay there a couple more years. seeds are cheap, and the internet makes it so easy, i guess i went a little nuts. i bought a 6x8 mini greenhouse, which holds 24 seed flats quite nicely. in fact it was so useful, i bought a second one and have set it up in the basement with lights and fan for this winter. i am experimenting with shop lights, cfl's and leds. for the $75, it was worth it just for the racks, but it also holds in the heat from the lights, and keeps the cats/cat hair out!
i have just today finished putting bubblewrap up on the outside one, and will use it as a cold house for my larger yard cacti i used to store in my basement. the bubble wrap was a snap to install, as it slipped right between the frame and the plastic covering. i also have a fan and an electric space heater and a thermostat to install, which should easily hold temps 40F as a minimum. the only problem with these cheap greenhouses is you have to add your own screened vents, and the door zippers go bad. the vents were no problem, i glued some plastic screening reinforced with waterproof tape to both ends, and added a flap of plastic on top to seal it as needed. as for the zipper, it didn't matter in warm weather, but when i seal it up for winter, i won't plan on opening it up again til spring. and the unit i bought even came with an extra cover in case the current one becomes unusable.
well, a 1000 seedlings fits quite nicely in a standard 10X20 flat. the first batch is 18 months now, looks like they can stay there a couple more years. seeds are cheap, and the internet makes it so easy, i guess i went a little nuts. i bought a 6x8 mini greenhouse, which holds 24 seed flats quite nicely. in fact it was so useful, i bought a second one and have set it up in the basement with lights and fan for this winter. i am experimenting with shop lights, cfl's and leds. for the $75, it was worth it just for the racks, but it also holds in the heat from the lights, and keeps the cats/cat hair out!
i have just today finished putting bubblewrap up on the outside one, and will use it as a cold house for my larger yard cacti i used to store in my basement. the bubble wrap was a snap to install, as it slipped right between the frame and the plastic covering. i also have a fan and an electric space heater and a thermostat to install, which should easily hold temps 40F as a minimum. the only problem with these cheap greenhouses is you have to add your own screened vents, and the door zippers go bad. the vents were no problem, i glued some plastic screening reinforced with waterproof tape to both ends, and added a flap of plastic on top to seal it as needed. as for the zipper, it didn't matter in warm weather, but when i seal it up for winter, i won't plan on opening it up again til spring. and the unit i bought even came with an extra cover in case the current one becomes unusable.
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Re: Diane's Greenhouse
hi diane,
so much good looking plants you have and still more lovely mesembs very nice to see, i'm really envious...thx for sharing
so much good looking plants you have and still more lovely mesembs very nice to see, i'm really envious...thx for sharing
regards michael
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Re: Diane's Greenhouse
Great collection, Diane!
Great variety, but those Sclero's do stand out
Great variety, but those Sclero's do stand out