Auto-SummaryThe author proposes a theory suggesting that high constant humidity and hot temperatures in Southeast Asia lead to columnar growth in cacti, particularly Lophophora species. They share their personal experience of having Lophophora plants in their greenhouse, which resemble those found in Southeast Asia due to their humid and hot conditions. The author believes that strong red light also contributes to this growth pattern. They emphasize that heat is crucial for cacti, especially during winter and spring, and that LED lighting is not necessary for their cacti, as they prefer using HPS and MH bulbs. The author also discusses their greenhouse setup, which includes a mix of plants, dirt, worms, spiders, and bees, creating a balanced ecosystem that helps control pests without chemicals. They conclude by stating that while LED lighting is beneficial for cannabis growers, it is not necessary for their cacti and that they prefer using traditional growing lights to maintain heat and humidity levels critical for their plants' survival.
I have find out many ways to grow cobulars to form of columnar.
-High temperature with very high humidity cause this (that's why probably most cobular plants in southeast asia are growing columnar way, I have seen lots of lophs in asia, growing columar)
-Strong red light without any other spectrums, maybe humidity of air can increase this.
It's my theory, I have not live or grown cacti in southeast asia but seems high constant humidity and plant capability to take water trough epidermis from humid air and very hot temperatures causes someway this. I have not seen much of columar lophs than l. jourdaniana grown elsewhere.
Most lophs grow more columnar or shape of a egg seems there is something to do with constant high humidity over the year and high temperatures. OR in southeast asia are reddish spectrum of sun what human eye can't see maybe due to pollution in air or something.. I don't know for sure but most "columar peyote" are from area where is very hot and humid almost all year round and maybe that effects the lophs so much they grow to appearance of "water balloon" even their epidermis are like hard grown ones.
Anyone else have notice difference of lophs grown in very humid and hot?
Why I throw this theory? ...Last summer I had only 3 lophs in greenhouse, their appearance started to resemble of those lophs I have seen grown in southeast asia. Also my greenhouse are always humid and hot. I can't basically get so dry conditions because of climate I have. But this should be tested more before I declare this is fact.
Only I know from fact, no matter of species, strong red light makes all cacti grow lenght.
anne halonium said:
your cool.
they are just like any fully hydrated loph,
and acclimatize like any other......................
the more i read back thru this thread,
the more i realize how badly you guys need LED.
even if ya grow however ya grow, ya still need LED.
I don't need LED, not even think of it..
For cacti.
Cannabis is different. I need LED for it.
Cacti doesn't flower easily without HEAT.. It's obvious.
Gymnocalycium doesn't seems to flower even with heat of sun.
I need HEAT, I need strong light. Over winter, spring and summer I have sun.
I'm not defensive. I don't just care about what you think of me.
I feel you are some kind of hidden LED vendor, barking for money by trying to sell LED for ornament growers.
Fluoro is cheap for me to grow seedlings. HPS+MH combo is cheap for me to keep adults over winter indoors. Even they give some heat, it's better than +20C and total darkness. Without water I can get growth stunted and keep dormancy.
Why I don't need LED over here at arctic.. it's obvious, IF I don't need to build anything stealth like cannabis grow room.. Then I don't need LED because I need heat from light. Not even fluoro heat enough. They are for seedlings.
I don't care how long it takes I have my ornament. Slow growing way by let plants "suffer" dehydraton and then water them again and so on, does the work and appearance for peyote and other lophophora I like.
One maybe most critical reason I use now HPS+MH combo, it's best spectrum and I will have UV-B for plants. Also heat from them heat the house similar way compared to small heat radiator.
I have failed lots of seedlings beacause lack of heat. Well I use heat mat for seedlings but they are not good for adults, Commercial greenhouse lights are good for columns and keep them in shape, they are above south window, when I want day light with my HPS and MH bulb. I open curtains of the window, you can't say trichs and few other species doesn't like the environment. I care the excess heat off with fans to circulate air.
Why I do this?
If I want LED for my setup.. I should invest ~800-1000€ or more to get enough LUX and Lumen for all plants in my garden with LED. My fluoros are separated from stronger lights, I use fluoros above and heat mat below because fluoros doesn't generate enough heat.
Without heat, what happens? ..lophophora seedlings rot, trichocereus seedlings rot.. They doesn't tolerate a shit of water without daytime +30-40C heat and night time +17-20C.
Some seasons I shut my lights off at Jan or Feb. Keep dormant season to till May. There is short summer. Maybe too short because I can't use greenhouse many months but enough I can grow some of my spice and food there.. So I keep cacti also there time I have.
But with ornaments, I need to imitate nature from Sepember to May indoors. I use windowsill to get sun when it comes above horizon. I just open my curtains and let plants have sun, when sun shines enough, I can shut HPS and use only sun and MH. And when summer comes more, I can shut MH also.
I know fluoros are shit for trichocereus over 1year old. Best way to get them like they should be is add them to windowsill at summer time and forget fluoros and every light.
You are right, I need LED for cannabis grow room, HPS are generating too much heat, and my circumstances doesn't allow me to build big area... LED are perfect for that purpose. My cacti doesn't need LED and my wallet doesn't want to spent too much money for LED, it's fact from cannabis growers, same money spent to LED and same money spent to HPS, you can't get nearly as good harvest as you can get with HPS.
Ain't that tell you something? Why lots of commercial cannabis grow rooms use HPS, they don't use LED. Harvest are not enough compared to money spent to LED. Also I need to get as much harvest as possible, but with chili, paprika and few other plants.
I have two bulbs, blue and yellow. I can illuminate whole room size of 5x5meter and every corner of the room plants stay alive over the winter and are ready to transfer to greenhouse when it's summer.. And cost of my lights are only 150€ Because space are so big, I don't need much of fans to ensure air circulation. Few fan blowing air to plants tip under the HPS and MH are enough.
For me this ain't all about cacti.. It's all plants, food plants grown in greenhouse, I need to make my own way to keep them alive over hard winter there what lasts 8months.
Greenhouse are is just best for cacti.. There are small ecosystem already.. They are in "dirt" fertilized with compost produced from household organic garbage. I have worms in soil keep soil perfect, I have spiders hunting pests, I have bees pollinating flowers. That ~4-5months time in greenhouse what is heated at start and at end basically "clean off" all bugs what probably comes indoors to plants.
This is not so black and white we all need LED.
For fuck sake. I need heat to keep my plants alive, I have sun and professional growing lights I can use indoors and when there is enough warm outdoors, I move my plants to greenhouse and let nature do it's job. Because area where I live, one greenhouse are crawling of predatory bugs and I have balance in bug control without any chemicals about 1/3 of the year. More I would invest money for greenhouse and heating of greenhouse over winter and fall. No point of spent money to LED if I can't get heat what is critical for plants to stay alive. And critical for cacti to prevent them not to become prone to rot in "dirt" as you say..
Dirt isn't even same thing than living soil.
LSoares said:
anne halonium said:
i dont want a bunch of dirt ruining a 75$ manicure
This made me smile. 
Let us europeans idiots smile for this.
C'moooooooooooooon! 
Dirt ruin the cacti, soil doesn't.. There is difference about it.
Edited by intelligentlife (01/08/14 08:15 AM)
|
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
anne halonium 
theMallacht 
1 2 all )
kadakuda
JB201
RJLR
jackgreen
ytse
ToolTroll
Threaded
Previous
Index
Next
[Re: 
Edit 
Reply 
I'm done with you Anne. You won't see me post here again. You don't listen to reason and are really the complete antithesis of the scientific mind. Ignorant, don't listen to facts, and yet still think you're the best. Have fun continually looking for a pat on the back for your pointless work creating crappy looking Lophs!
D
me if you have any for trade
