Cacti Seedlings 2011 (close-ups) plus some new housemates!

Good-day to all of you and nice that you're reading my blog. Probably you're bored as hell and have nothing better to do, but that's okay! I'm in the same position, typing this blog. ;-)

I was a little bit bored, so when I was watering and feeding (feeding?! Yes! But don't worry. I'm not trying to make them eat hamburgers or something like that! It's just some sort of liquid that I add to the water. It contains some stuff that they need to grow healthy.) the seedlings that I've sown at April 1st this year (2011), I've decided to give it a chance and make some cool close-ups.

Probably none of you (well... Maybe one of you have, so that would be 50% of my blog-readers!) have ever seen a cactus-seedling in his life, so now I'm giving you the possibility to be "one of the chosen ones". Blablabla...  Okay, here we go!

INDEX

1. The plan
2. 2 months after sowing
3. 1 year after sowing

Aztekium ritteri

One of the smallest cacti in the world! (They grow VERY slowly, so in about 15 year, their diameter will actually reach the size of 10 centimeter!  

Their rocky appearance, the color and form of the ribs are said to appear in the sculptures of the early Aztec Indians

 (full-grown one which isn't mine. HERE)

Carnegiea gigantea (the famous Saguaro!)

  These little friends are seedlings of biggest bad-ass cactus in the world, the symbol of Arizona, THE cactus that appears in any western movie: the Saguaro! Like I've said before (see the stuff I've posted some months ago) it will take about hundred years till they'll get their first branches, so probably I won't be around anymore. But besides that: it will be a nice present to our grandchildren! (I guess I should have kids myself first... Stephanie?! Ah! Well... We're not in a hurry, but if this guy here will have kids in the future, I'm hundred percent sure that there is no greater mother in the world than my wife Stephanie! (and of course every guy is saying that about his wife, but I'm sure about it!)

Echinopsis terscheckii (Cardon Grande)

Not as huge as the Saguaro, but these spiky balls that are famous under the name "Cardon Grande" will reach a height of 12 meters! And then I have some good news for my wife: they won't take 150 year to reach that height, but they'll be there a lot faster! I don't know where we're going to keep them, but I'm sure that Stephanie already has a place in mind: the trashcan!

 PEYOTE NEWS - Take II

Lophophora Williamsii (the Peyote)

 Right! More Peyote! 

The biggest fans of my blog will probably remember the tragic end of PEYOTE NEWS - Take I... This time I'm taking better care and like I've written on the end of "Take I": the ones I'm growing right now, already are twice as big! At the moment 45 are up! (I'm planning to sow more next year)

(HERE you can find a photo of a full-grown Peyote. The plant is not mine!)

Lophophora williamsii v. La Popa Nuevo Leon ( Peyote )

 This is just another variety: the same cactus, but with a different appearance. (and another photo of this plan when it is full-grown you can find HERE)

Lophophora williamsii v. Nuevo Yucatan ( Peyote )

 And another variety of the Peyote. Again: it's the same family and the same sub-specie. The difference is that it grows on another location which give a little bit of a different shape to it. (HERE another photo of the full-grown version)

I would also like to show you a photo taken outside that I've found on the internet. Just for you to understand why I think spineless cactus is so damn pretty. CLICK

 THE END of PEYOTE NEWS - Take II!

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Echinopsis bridgesii

Family of the San Pedro: also consumable! Right now you're probably thinking: Stan is going crazy! Within 10 to 20 years he'll turn up as a mescaline-junky! Don't worry! I'm not really planning to eat them... I just think they're pretty and when I'm older, balder and bored I'll decide again what to do!

Astrophytum asterias

Another spineless cactus and a very pretty one if you ask me. (HERE blablabla)

Browningia microsperma

 This one seems to be kind of rare in collections... I was actually just surfing the internet to find "the-most-pretty cactus around" and I ended up to chose this one. Probably my taste is kind of weird. Not that I'm trying to be different in purpose and to be honest: sometimes I rather to keep things quiet instead of bragging around (not that there is something to brag about... Accept my beautiful wife of course!).

HERE you can find another photo of a full-grown plant. This one is taken (not by me!) in it's natural habitat.

Uhhmmm... This was it for today and the upcoming weeks! Time to spend the rest of the weekend outside in the sun with my lovely wife, a pipe and a beer... Life can be great! =D

Echinopsis subdenudata flowering

Aloha! I'll try to keep it short this time, because... Actually there is no because, but I need to start with something!

As you probably know, I'm growing cacti at home. April 1st, I've sown a lot of different species. From the tiny Aztekium Ritteri to the great Saguaro. And of course I've also sown around sixty Peyotes (I have to think about the future! ;) ) A lot of them have popped up already and I think that right now I have more or less seventy-five seedlings. But this is not what I wanted to write about! Arg! This is the exact reason why my blogs always end up huge... I wanted to write something about a cactus that I already have for some years...

The Echinopsis subdenudata, not a very difficult cactus to grow, but I was really surprised when I saw it during the last week. Most people don't even know that cacti can have flowers, but if you treat it right, you'll have a very healthy plant that can have flowers every year.

Check out the following photos. (also see the dates and the hours to realize how fast it grows!)

11-5-2011

12-5-2011

13-5-2011 - 18:30

14-5-2011 - 0:30

14-5-2011 - 1:00

14-5-2011 - 12:00

I think this is something really amazing! How fast a flower - that is bigger than the cactus itself - grows in just a few days! I am really impressed with it. For someone that grows cacti, this is the coolest present you can get in return.

Ah! And have you seen how I'm turning into a great photographer? I don't want to brag, but... But... Of course you know I'm talking bullshit right now! But I'm finally understanding our "simple" camera. Do you recognize this problem? That you've bought something with a lot of functions, but never have taken the time to read the manual so that you can really use all these "amazing" functions?

Now it's time for......

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PEYOTE NEWS!

My wife has bashed the seedlings I've sown in 2010 on the floor with the vacuum-cleaner (for all the feminists: I also use this thing!) and now they're all dead: THE END!

Yeah... It sucks... After all it was my own mistake, because I've putted them on a weird spot for a while... On the other hand: they were kind of weak and weren't growing that well. It's really useful to first read a lot about something first and then start with it instead of the opposite! The seedlings I have right now are twice as big in only one and a half month. Temperature, sunlight and watering from the bottom is the key.

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Something completely different now. Last month I've had another pipe-smokers-meeting. This time in one of the only old tobacco-shops left here in Holland: Schimmel in Zutphen. A very nice place with a historical tobacco basement, which is already there since the seventeenth century. Very interesting to see!

I'll just add two photos, a group-photo in front of the place and one of my booty. ;-)

PRF-Meeting

The booty! A corncob-pipe, three cans of tobacco and some samples. (the ashtray isn't new)

I know that many of you think that smoking pipe is something for your grandpa and not for some "young" guy like me. I don't agree with that. (of course!) I smoke pipe because it makes me calm and helps me to order my thoughts. It kind of breaks the stressful routine of life and... I like the taste! 

It doesn't combine with everyone, because a lot of patience is needed and... Nowadays most of us don't have the time for patience. Wake-up and make some time! (if you want of course)

Uhhmmm... I wanted to show some photos of my flowering cactus and I'm already talking about stuff like pipe-smoking to "Idon'tknowwhoreadmyblog". Time to "brei" an end on it for today!

I feel like drinking some beer right now and play World of Warcraft now my wife isn't using the account! Till next blog! FOR THE HORDE!