SimonT wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2023 9:13 am ADBLPS, https://adblps-graines-cactus.com/index_EN.html, have now updated their seed lists.

My order placed.
Not so many as recent years as I’m growing a lot of Lithops from seed at the moment, but hoping my early order catches the Pterocacti I’m after, and maybe the Cintia.

I use desiccant dehumidifiers to aid drying out, but not usually until the temperatures drop a bit. The dehumidifiers put out a few hundred watts worth of heat and, on a cold night, they effectively take over from the heaters, so cost very little to run. If your heater isn’t needed, the heat is effe...

Nice one, Terry - is the flower consistent in its coloration from year to year? I'd be very happy to get an offset off this as part of a swap. All the best Ralph They do stay consistent year on year. They aren’t, on the whole, great offsetters, but you do get pups. Here is an old picture of one I h...

Stuart wrote: ↑Wed Jun 07, 2023 5:05 pm Isn’t it a Zeilmanniana?

Stuart

Yes, note hooked spines predominant.

Along came the sun….

This is labelled as pterocactus megliollii-australis KP170
I’m not sure myself of that name, I’m thinking more like fischeri.
But it’s a lovely rich red bloom, or would be if only the sun came out here in Lincolnshire.

Ribs.
I don’t think I need to say it, but I will. Echinocactus grusonii.

Thanks both. So the name and collection number go together.
But does anyone else feel that the plant doesn’t look like a megliolii? It’s nothing like any of the other megliolii plants in my collection.

I have this Pterocactus, labelled as P megliolii KP187. I cannot find this field number on Ralph’s database. I suspect that it is not megliolii, but more likely australis or fischeri. Looking at Sarnes’ online book the habitats of these do not overlap, so a natural hybrid appears unlikely. An hortic...

Again mathematically you can show that it takes more energy (and cost) to raise the temperature back from a lower temperature than to maintain it at a steady value. Erm….no. That is a myth. Heat loss is proportional to the differential between the warm part and the cold part. The warmer the house, ...