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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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What's a loph?
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: quack23] 4
#12647930 - 05/28/10 09:34 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Ok. Here's my contribution:
Lophophora williamsii
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Description: Solitary or (rarely) caespitose spineless cactus, normally unicephalous but becoming polycephalous with age or injury, Stem: Glaucous green, dull bluish or greyish green, very succulent, globular, top-shaped, or somewhat flattened up to 6 cm tall, 12 cm diameter, with a woolly top; The subterranean portion of the stem, which is as wide as the aerial portion, extends several cm below the surface of the ground and transitions smoothly (through a thin hypocotyl) into a large taproot which may extend over 25 cm below ground level. Ribs: (5 when young) 7 to 13 (very rarely 4 or 14 ) broad, rounded, straight, or spiralled, often tuberculate, sometimes irregular and indistinct, with transverse furrows forming more or less regular, polyhedral tubercles; Roots: Napiform, usually 8-11 cm long Areoles: Round spineless, bearing flowers only when young with some bunches of long erect, matted, wooly greyish hairs, up to 1 cm long. Flowers: Solitary, campanulate, 1.5-2.5 cm across when open usually pink (rarely whitish) outer perianth segments and scales ventrally greenish. They emerge from the mass of hairs at umbilicate centre of crown each surrounded by a mass of long hairs. Stigma-lobes 5-7, linear, pink. Blooming season: Flowers sporadically throughout summer. Fruit: Club-shaped, red to pinkish, 2 cm long or shorter which can be very delectable and sweet-tasting when eaten. Seeds: Small and black up to1 mm in diameter, with broad basal hilum, tuberculate-roughened.
Whole plant out of soil showing exposed taproot and the fine feeding roots that take up water and nutrients:

Development of the flower:
Emerging bud:

Flower about to open:

Flower open:

Development of fruit and resulting seed:
The start of two fruits:

Seeds from one fruit next to a matchstick for size comparison:

Cultivation and other information:
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Cultivation: All Lophophora species are extremely slow growing, often taking up to thirty years to reach flowering age in the wild (about the size of a golf ball, not including its root). Human cultivated specimens grow considerably faster, usually taking from six to ten years to go from seedling to mature flowering adult. Because of the tap root they are very rot prone, so use highly gritty compost with much drainage. Requires half shade to part sun. Waterings should be rather infrequent to keep the plant compact and not to become excessively elongated and unnatural in appearance, watering it properly is often difficult because this plant tends to crack open or rot if over-watered. The fact that the plant retracts into the soil and assume a grey-green colouring between watering, is perfectly natural and doesn’t cause any damage.
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Overwintering: Keep completely dry and cool in winter (An unheated greenhouse would be perfect) or when night temperatures remain below 10° C, it can survive low temperatures (appr. -7°C) for a short period. Assure a good ventilation.
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Propagation: Easy to propagate from seeds. The seeds require warm and humid conditions to germinate. 20°C+ (70°F+). Propagation by vegetative means is possible by removing the top of the plant and grafting or re-rooting on its own, but to ensure the rootstock survives some areoles must be left on the rootstock to let new emerging "pups" somewhere to grow from.
All quotes were taken from cactus-art's article on Lophophora with a few edits by myself. The full page can be found here
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: Big L] 2
#12648382 - 05/28/10 11:22 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Ieponumos said: What does a completely mature loph fruit look like?
Pretty much looks like this. From here it start to dry out and shrivel up until dry. Most people wait until the fruit has dried before harvesting the seed but I find you can harvest the seed as soon as the fruit is mature and just before it starts to shrivel.

Quote:
Big L said:
Quote:
karode13 said: What's a loph? 

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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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I had to goose you before you goosed me, I know how this works.....I look forward to your pics.
Quote:
ninja cat 09 said: Has anybody tried tasting the fruit?
It is similar in texture to a small piece of grape with the skin left on with a few gritty bits which is sand. They are quite sweet and reminiscent of cotton candy but the sweetness varies from fruit to fruit I've found.
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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The mescaline content in the fruit I would guess is negligible to none and you would have to eat a wheelbarrow full to maybe get any effects. If you want mescaline grow a Trichocereus.
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: Ieponumos] 2
#12651966 - 05/29/10 06:09 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Ieponumos said:
Quote:
karode13 said: The mescaline content in the fruit I would guess is negligible to none and you would have to eat a wheelbarrow full to maybe get any effects. If you want mescaline grow a Trichocereus.
It must be. Sugar ants love it. I came home this morning to my Loph covered in sugar ants with the flesh of one fruit almost completely missing.l They had just started to work on the other. so I pluck it off and manged to get 16 seeds out of the ordeal. Needless to say I was surprised.
I wonder if that is one of thier methods of seed dispersal. Next time it fruits, I'll see if I can film the phenomenon
Yeah ants love them. I'm sure this is one method the plant uses to disperse the seed as the fruit itself just dries up and retains the seed until something either eats it or a torrential downpour knocks them loose. What I do to protect them from ants is to put the plant on a brick in the middle of a water filled saucer. The brick raises the container above water level and the water creates a moat which which ants will not cross as they aren't keen on getting wet.
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: redeyesmj] 1
#12653323 - 05/29/10 11:13 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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There's many ways to skin a cat and there's many different mixes that can be used for propagating Lophophora from seed. The general rule with all of these mixtures is that they are free draining, gritty and light on the organic matter.
These days I just use a commercial seed raising mix which consists of sand, peat and a little bark. I remove the bark with a sieve, add about a third extra coarse sand and small grit to open up the mixture. I put this into a clear plastic container, moisten the soil, put the lid on loosely and then put it in the microwave for 4 minutes to pasteurize it. Other people do other things but they roughly all do the same job.
Here's my cactus seedling grow log for some ideas. Just don't leave them in the sun like I did. link
Also here is Cactusdan's Cactus germination tek. link
And of course Dr.uarewotueat's cactus germination tek. link
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Nice collection Mostly_Harmless!
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Quote:
ferrel_human said:
nice and beautiful tap roots.
i may be the only fool on here that gets excited seeing that.
No. You're not the only one. Nothing like a phat taproot.
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Nice projectzero! You were very lucky to be gifted with that. 
@Ubitsa: It doesn't look good but I can't see what the white pests are. Do they look like this at all?
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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I've always thought it was a cultivar of L. williamsii and L. fricii but I don't think it is really known for sure. I do know it is a cultivar that was discovered in cultivation.
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: Zepplin]
#12689983 - 06/05/10 06:06 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Zepplin said: These are about 10 years old, started from seed. The largest is about the size of a dime. Should they be bigger? How.. Look healthy? I know that these are lophophora williamsii...but what variety? How can I get them to bloom? BTW. Theses are my friend's, he lives in Canada.
They're a little small for 10 years but they're healthy so I wouldn't stress. They look as though they may of been damaged in the past too so that could of checked their growth some. By the looks of them they will bloom in a few more years and you will know when they're mature because they will form wool in the centre before doing so.
@Mostly_Harmless: That's a beauty indeed!
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: Ieponumos]
#12718070 - 06/09/10 11:11 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Maybe, although I can't see any discolouration where it may of been applied. Could just have exceptional feeder roots. Nonetheless, to me that thing is
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: SMUCKA]
#12719300 - 06/10/10 07:24 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: Big L]
#12759382 - 06/17/10 06:13 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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They're all badass! You've done a great job with those Big L.
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: Jackal]
#12800813 - 06/25/10 01:57 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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This thread always delivers...
@Jackal: That is one of the coolest grafts I've seen in while. 
Nice lophs Simisu. 
@projectzero: That's a nice specimen and I think it's an old williamsii although my id's of lophs have been a bit off lately so don't quote me on that.
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: Simisu]
#12801322 - 06/25/10 07:10 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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They sure are some beauties, the ones in flower are
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Here's a new Lophophora williamsii I managed to pick up yesterday. It's four years old and 3.8cm across or just about two inches.
A little scarred but nothing a bit of TLC wont fix.

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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Thanks man. I got it through the Aussie Ethno grapevine. They are legal here in all states but one that being Queensland where all mescaline containing plants are illegal, even the pedro's.
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Loph Growers Unite! [Re: SMUCKA]
#12810844 - 06/27/10 06:08 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Ouch SMUCKA! Looks like some will recover eventually if given time. Grafting is always an option.
I can relate though sort of. Lost a bunch of little seedlings earlier this year to full sun after moving them from their shady spot. It didn't take long either, three hours max and they were like little balls of soft dew. Only five out of twenty-something survived and have taken a shock but should grow again once Spring rears its head. They're tough little plants and can take some hits.
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