A little help/advice

For the discussion of topics related to the conservation, cultivation, propagation and exhibition of cacti & other succulents.
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SimonT
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by SimonT »

For the remaining seedlings you could use a top dressing of fine gravel on the compost to try to slow the spread of fungal infections. Also I would remove any dead seedlings carefully, as they die, for the same reason. You can also try treating with a liquid fungicide, but then you need to let the seedlings dry a bit before putting them back.
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by John E »

Hi David
We are both keeping safe during this awful period. I remember when we started growing cacti that one of the hierarchy of the NCSS said 'if you have to ask for advice on how to grow a particular plant then you should not really be trying to grow the bloody thing'. Personally I believe that this advice is still good although I doubt many members of the BCSS will think the same way.
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by Phil_SK »

Thank goodness such off-putting views are largely a thing of the past! No wonder the Society's membership declined for so long if asking for cultivation advice was treated like that.
Phil Crewe, BCSS 38143. Mostly S. American cacti, esp. Lobivia, Sulcorebutia and little Opuntia
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by Pattock »

"Whether you are an expert grower or a novice – or are just thinking of starting up the hobby – the Society will guide you all the way."
https://www.society.bcss.org.uk

Perhaps we could say that if you don't know how to prevent sciarid fly infestation, you shouldn't be growing any plants at all? Any experienced grower...

No wonder the old ways are dying out if the ones who followed them treated them like the Mysteries of Samothrace.
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Stuart
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by Stuart »

John has been growing plants for even longer than I have and I'm always happy to hear his views. I had to explain to my 'voice activated label writer' why I was laughing at the screen reading about Acadama dust, or muesli as they call it down south. There used to be as natural progression through the hobby, start with the prettier cacti, progress to the less-pretty cacti, discover succulents will also grow in the same conditions, then specialise in one particular part of the hobby. Advice used to come from respected growers who had been in the hobby for ages. Now, all kinds of advice is at the end of a mouse click and it makes everything seem much more complicated that it needs to be.
The Forum is a great place for advice but, best of all, the best way to learn is from local Branch Meetings.

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juster
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by juster »

John E wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 11:16 am Hi David
We are both keeping safe during this awful period. I remember when we started growing cacti that one of the hierarchy of the NCSS said 'if you have to ask for advice on how to grow a particular plant then you should not really be trying to grow the bloody thing'. Personally I believe that this advice is still good although I doubt many members of the BCSS will think the same way.
Goodness I’m surprised that you weren’t put off completely! I joined the NCSS about 45 years ago and am glad to say that I received nothing but kindness and encouragement from my local branch members. I do agree with Stuart that the amount of information available now is rather bewildering for new people, and absolutely agree that the best place to learn is at a branch meeting.
Croydon Branch member, growing mainly cacti and Echeverias
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MatDz
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by MatDz »

Glad to see some not so patronising views shared as well. I wonder (and I wonder a lot reading this thread...) whether anyone should even be allowed to try to grow plants not personally collected in the vast wilderness of Africa, S. America or any other fancy locality, and only after visiting the particular location at least three times beforehand.

Luckily we have the Internet nowadays so both plants and advice are rather available, and the secret meetings in dusty basements are rather a thing of the past. The biggest problem now is to sieve the vast amounts of information, for which asking questions (sic!) on this forum feels to be quite a good approach.

Edit: A little formatting.
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John E
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by John E »

Whilst I agree with Juster that the best place for a beginner to learn to cultivate the plants properly is at a branch meeting,in the days of the NCSS I can remember a former Editor of the Journal who was very well respected in he Society stating that in his opinion far more seedlings died through lack of water than through being over watered. I found this to be wrong then and I still believe it to be incorrect today.
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by Chris L »

John E wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 1:32 pm Whilst I agree with Juster that the best place for a beginner to learn to cultivate the plants properly is at a branch meeting,in the days of the NCSS I can remember a former Editor of the Journal who was very well respected in he Society stating that in his opinion far more seedlings died through lack of water than through being over watered. I found this to be wrong then and I still believe it to be incorrect today.
All young seedlings need nourishment and nurturing to survive and grow, otherwise they wither away. :wink:
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Re: A little help/advice

Post by ralphrmartin »

I think the huge array of advice actually shows that the plants are very resilient, and will tolerate a huge range of different cultivation methods with regard to compost, watering, temperature, light, and so on.

Of course, some conditions will produce better plants than others (too little light can cause plants to become etiolated, without killing them, for example).

But even then, it is not clear what better means. For example, plants like Rebutias are often single headed in habitat. So if you grow your plant with that goal, is that better grown than one which fills a large pan with 100+ flowers? It is really a personal choice.

Ultimately, there is no correct answer to a lot of these questions, or one correct way of doing things. The best advice seems to be "if you find something that works for you, stick to it".

On the other hand, if you are getting started, I'd get a book, preferably by someone known as an expert, and follow the advice in that: it is likely to be more reliable than random stuff off the Internet. One such book is
Cacti and Succulents: An illustrated guide to the plants and their cultivation
Graham Charles
Ralph Martin
https://www.rrm.me.uk/Cacti/cacti.html
Members visiting the Llyn Peninsula are welcome to visit my collection.

Swaps and sales at https://www.rrm.me.uk/Cacti/forsale.php

My Field Number Database is at https://www.fieldnos.bcss.org.uk
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