The trouble is such is the stupidity of the bureaucrats that administer CITES that these plants in line for clearance can be legally killed with herbicide, burnt, flooded or dug up, but if anybody tried to save one and bring it into cultivation in another country they would be prosecuted. Not only t...

Hugo,

If you hover your mouse arrow over the pictures the name of the file usually appears, and in this case with the plant names on it.

DaveW

No need to add them to the mix, I just use them as a top dressing on the pot using my standard compost for everything N. or S American. Then when you water the water going down through the limestone chips provides a bit of alkalinity. For the S. American stuff that usually prefers it more acid I use...

The thing to remember with some of these old collections is they often contain valuable genetic material that is not easy, or virtually impossible to get now, so rather than throwing away plants with collectors numbers because they are not show specimens or badly battered you should always try to pr...

Being in the building trade I get the bags of white limestone chips used to cover felt roofs to keep the sun from cracking the felt. These come in a large about 3/4 cwt bag and obviously much cheaper than garden centres etc. My chippings are about 1/4" - 3/8" in size. Try your local builde...

As Phil says some plants do grow initially towards the dark to find a host to climb:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phototropism

DaveW

Some people can keep plants corking free for a long time, but if not the result of scorch etc it should be regarded as natural on old plants just like the bark on a tree. The taller growing Cerei in habit do gain a natural bark on their lower sections, just as trees do. I suppose from a growers poin...

One of the few Echinocereus that does not have vivid green stigma lobes.

DaveW

Interested whether you need to correct the light balance in post processing with that set-up or does the cameras white balance cope with it OK?

DaveW

Nikon D200 set up as above but with 70mm-180mm Micro Nikkor.

[attachment 6383 purpureus.jpg]

DaveW