Mike P wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:03 pm

They look like the ones I bought from the AGS a couple of years ago. If they are they are the ones very good and take pencil well.

They probably were the same Mike. The SRGC and AGS used to split the packs into bundles of 100 to sell on at shows. For certain the SRGC got them from Anglo-Scottish.

https://www.angloscottish.net/plastic-s ... n-19-c.asp

These are superb. Last for many years and easily writable on with pencil. The SRGC used to sell them at alpine shows.

The downside is the carriage costs!

That is lovely Tony! My only tunilla is very floriferous but a pillar-box red flower. I must try to get more.

Thank you Mike. Ray. I was pretty amazed. I have had seed of geometricus before with no luck. This time: 5 different geometricus. Only one has not shown any germination. The others are around 60% up 2 different alexanderii - superb germination of both Fiambalensis and another species are up. Opuntia...

Thank you Ralph. No pterocactus in this lot -seed seems hard to get. Hi Christian. I tried the Sarnes method with most of the Austros. No pretreatment. Sown end Jan under same temp regime as above. Everything (24 packets) has some germination - around 30-50% except bertinii -and is still ongoing. I ...

Thank you Tony.

Hi Nick. Found a scientific paper comparing treatments of opuntia seed. They found that scarifying followed by a 24 hour soak in 3% hydrogen peroxide was the only reliable method. So tried this with them: Scarified with sandpaper, soaked 24 hours 3% hydrogen peroxide ( this is easily available onlin...

This year. 9 out of 11 packets up, mostly Tephrocactus from Succseed but also the sole Opuntia on this year's BCSS list. 60-70% germination across the board.

The 'alternatives to plastic' bit made me smile. I used to work in a factory that made (biodegradable) cellulose packaging film - 'cellophane' - until the place closed in the early 90s because it could not compete economically with plastic... That said - cellulose film manufacture involves a lot of ...

Related to this topic, I have a number of medusoid Euphorbia. I always see lots of buds on them at this time of year but they often abort. And the thinner-armed ones are looking a bit shrivelled. Should I start watering these earlier than most? My greenhouse is kept only just frost free, which reali...