Feeding?

[Herts Mike]

A few mention low nitrogen. Have you tried with a nitrogenous feed? You might be surprised at the results.........

And not what we've been led to believe..........

Please tell us more, Mike.

There is an article (which might be on here somewhere) written by Elton Roberts one of America's foremost growers in which he decides to test nitrogenous feed (Ammonium sulphate) on his plants. The results were amazing and plants that had barely grown for years sprung into life and grew and flowered. And no soft growth. he is also a big advocate of acidic water. I was convinced and 2 years ago switched to a capful of clear vinegar, 1/4 strength tomato feed and 2 teaspoonfuls of ammonium sulphate to every 2 gallons tapwater (if you have rainwater omit the vinegar). The results were clear, the most noticeable on an old Cleistocactus which I have had for years doing nothing and which suddenly flowered profusely. You've seen some of my plants - they don't look too bad I think.

[Jim_Mercer]

There is an article (which might be on here somewhere) written by Elton Roberts one of America's foremost growers in which he decides to test nitrogenous feed (Ammonium sulphate) on his plants. The results were amazing and plants that had barely grown for years sprung into life and grew and flowered. And no soft growth. he is also a big advocate of acidic water.

In our journal (Cactus World vol 28 no 1 p26) there was an article by Ray Allcock in which he suggests the use of a low strength nitrogen feed. Prior to this article appearing he had told members of the Liverpool Branch of his findings and I have used Ammonium sulphate rather than the Ammonium nitrate that Ray used simply because that was all I could find locally. I am still using the original box as it is used at such a low strength - I am also using the original bottle of vinegar as I only need a couple of drops of that.

[3bears]

thanks to mike for pointing this out. ian got me to think a bit about alkaline soil and cactus. and i do grow a lot of arios. i think even steven brach mentions potting on ario seedlings in soil ammended with crushed limestone.

http://ralph.cs.cf.ac.uk/Cacti/Cactus%2 ... linity.pdf

<<Cacti and Limestone -- In the Chihuahuan Desert, especially, many desert plants are found
associated with limestone strata. This association with limestone is so strong that having
geological maps of the limestone areas is a good way to find these plants. These soils have been
measured as having a high pH value. The assumption then is that the soil is very alkaline.>>

<<The harder to grow genera that seem to love limestone,
Ariocarpus, Escobaria, Turbinicarpus, and other genera do not grow when given alkaline water,
but will immediately start growing when given acidic water.>>

but my original question still stands- does ariocarpus benefit from limestone added to their potting soil? elton roberts almost addressed it in the article, but cautioned against adding lime to soil, not limestone.

<<Warning -- The pH increase caused by limestone creates some confusion with cactus raisers.
We often see references to adding lime to your cactus soil. This is a big mistake since lime and
limestone are very different materials. Lime is calcium hydroxide and the pH of lime is so high
that it is deadly for the plants.>>

[Jim_Mercer]

but my original question still stands- does ariocarpus benefit from limestone added to their potting soil? elton roberts almost addressed it in the article, but cautioned against adding lime to soil, not limestone.

This site recommends 20% limestone chippings http://www.living-rocks.com/adult.htm

[Herts Mike]

I add no limestone. They grow fine.

[Peter Cupial-Jones]

I was encouraged by the Elton Roberts series of articles in the CSSJA and for the last 2 seasons have used pH adjusted (5.5 - 6) rainwater for all waterings and from April - September included a feed based on Micracle Gro with the Ammoniacal nitrogen level (rather than the Urea nitrogen level) adjusted to 100ppm with sulphate of ammonia. I am now convinced my plants grow better (better colour, stronger spines) and flower better/more profusely. I also find my small collection of stapeliads really seem to enjoy the feeding regime too.

[Mawa]

I have fed my mesembs with NPK 1-1-3 + a micronutrient mix. Most winter species started growing or flowering within a few days, but I think this is just a coincidence. This is time for them to finally spring into action, feed or no feed.