They say a picture is worth a thousand words.... So, I thought I would share some more grafts made today with a few pictures detailing some of the features I don't always show.

I decided to get ready to graft during normal daylight hours today... when I discovered new mutants hiding out...

Norma anakie in first 2 picture (same plant )

Unknown in 3rd picture . Maybe bridgesii reynolds x ss02 or icaros but maybe not.

Looking good spiral, Be on the lookout for freaks... I sense some coming your way.

Meanwhile, another caterpillar ate my cacti babies today.... some more grafts made... and some candy to look at

Heh, problem with mescaline is the long onset, so the caterpillar made to eat a lot of the material before it started. But once it hit him ... oh God!

I can assure you, there are many caterpillars right now talking to the goddess in my very yard judging by the many seedling grafts that have gone missing.

Thinking of setting this out to entice the caterpillars away from my cacti...

LJ × Sharxxxxxxxx

TPM (peruvianus) × Sharxx

Very nice!

Keep us updated with how those grafts went cat!

Very cool astro there inyan (that is what it is right?)

Nice plump seedlings for those grafts of yours Cat!

Thought I would share a few pictures of grafts that need some work. As you can see, failure to trim the bush back results in the seedlings not growing or growing very slowly if at all.

Next picture shows dark green Pereskiopsis... grown in full sun.. and then top portion light green grown in shade. Note how the bottom stays dark green even upon exposure to that same shade. Only new growth exposed to shade grows light green with this variety.

Some more hybrid pictures tossed in from today at the end.

I thought I am OK when growing indoors but today I've found eaten top of peres in the growbox and bloody caterpillar few cm from there! The plants were outdoors before they were put into the growbox, so this is likely the way it got there. I am still not in the grafting phase, so I just lost the top of th peres, but I will have to be cautious, as there may be more of these creatures!

What were those bottles in your post? Is it supposed to stop them? If I find another caterpillar, I will have to act as well...

To prevent caterpillars keep your grass very short and well mowed. Do not put your cuttings or cacti directly under trees.

Lastly, if you are okay with it... provide a systemic insecticide spraying of the grass where you may intend to put your cacti or cuttings outside if that is the case.

The bottles you see is pejuta.

The bottles I personally use to control caterpillars and insects in general for my garden... a systemic called Malathion. It is safe for use with vegetables and such, but still one should leave enough time for it to get out of your prized vegetables and such before eating them. Sevin dust is another insecticide I will often use. Along with putting liberal amounts of diatomaceous earth in my soil mixtures and sometimes adding some to the top of the soil as a top dressing.

Thanks for info Wakinyan. I am planning to move the grafts finally outside after winter season, so I guess I will likely face the problems of outside growing even when I don't face them in the growbox.

As of right now, I have allowed Iktomi to take the wheel. As you can see below the graft Iktomi is standing guard ready to do battle.

Yellow Loph

Ayyye inyan Loving the iktomi .. I've got a whole small battalion of Iktomis forming in my greenhouse.. At least 1 out of 5 cacti is armed with one I'd guess... Pictures too come..

That yellow one... soooo nice

If you like the yellow one... a nice Lophophora jourdaniana .... here she is as she looks today.

Removed the parafilm from a few of my grafts today and revealed a baby Lophophora w. x Lophophora fricii

Very nice..

Iktomi needs to call in the troups en masee; these caterpillars can not be put up with.

A lil bit under 20 days and this LJ × Sharxx seedling is the first to start breakin thru the film