Tuesday 20 November 2012

NatureSpirit Cacti Continued

Some new additions to the collection.

Lophophora Williamsii Caespitosa (Over 80 Pups)

 

13cm Trichocereus Grandiflorus


 5, 37cm Rooting Trichocereus Pachanoi's


 Trichocereus Pachanoi Crest


 Trichocereus Pachanoi Crest 2


 27cm Rooting Trichocereus Peruvianus


 20cm Trichocereus Scopulicola


 A bonus, Pereskiopsis Spathulata


UPDATE:

Trichocereus Schickendantzii


Myrtillocactus Geometrizans


Thursday 1 November 2012

NaturesSpirit Cacti Collection

Here is our small collection of cacti. Enjoy

5cm Trichocereus Bridgesii Monstrose rooted cutting.


 20cm, bigger and more established Trichocereus Bridgesii Monstrose.


 1.8 Meter Trichocereus Bridgesii.


 7.5cm Lophophora Williamsii, flowering age.


 5.5cm and 4cm 2 headed Lophophora Williamsii also in flowering age.


 15cm Trichocereus Pachanoi Montrose.


5.5cm Trichocereus Werdermannianus


Tuesday 25 September 2012

How To Grow Hoodia Gordonii From Seed

Introduction to Hoodia Gordonii

Hoodia Gordonii is a succulent plant. It is native to South Africa and Namibia. This succulent was discovered by Robert Jacob Gordon in 1779 but he first misidentified it as a closely related genus, Stapelia. Hoodia Gordonii has medicinal properties, it is used by the indigenous people of South Africa to treat indigestion and small infections, they also use this succulent for the main effect, appetite suppression, for long hunting trips through the Kalahari Desert.

How To Grow From Seed

Things you will need

Pots
Viable Hoodia Gordonii Seeds
Perlite
Horticultural Sand
Miracle Grow Potting Mix
Mini Greenhouse


First of all mix your potting ingredients, mix it using these ratios, 50% sand, 25% perlite and 25% miracle grow. Mix everything evenly. Put the mix in the pot and pat it down with a spoon lightly to make the surface flat.


Moisten the mix but make sure it is not too soggy, if it is the seeds will rot. Put each seed on your finger tip and lightly press it in to the mix. Now put the pots in your mini greenhouse and cover it with the top. Place the mini greenhouse in partial shade. Once or twice a day open the top to let in fresh air to prevent the stagnant air causing mould. Keep the greenhouse in temperatures between 20C - 24C. If you have fresh seeds they should germinate within 3 days (Mine took 2 days).


Here is a seedling that took 2 days to germinate and a extra day to drop the shell


This is five days later after germination. It is now alright to put the seedlings in a more brighter location, to receive more sunlight.


Here is a picture of the same seedling two weeks later in full sun.

Watering and Fertilizing

Watering should be done once the soil dries up. Fertilizing should be done after six months of growth and should be done once every two weeks. Personally I found that Maxicrop Cactus Fertilizer is best, it has a NPK ratios of  4.3   5.1   6.8

30.03.2013 UPDATE:

Saturday 18 August 2012

How To Grow Ipomoea Tricolor Heavenly Blue From Seed

Here is a simple guide on how to grow Ipomoea Tricolor Heavenly Blue from seed.

Introduction to Ipomoea Tricolor

Ipomoea Tricolor is a morning glory vine; it is from the family of Convolvulaceae. It is a twining (Perennial Climber) plant that grows 2-4 meters in height, the leaves are 3-7 cm long and the flowers are a trumpet shape with a size of 4-9 cm. Its flowering period is from June to September. This plant loves full sun and is only half-hardy (Zone 9). This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds.

How To Grow From Seed

Things you will need

Pots
Ipomoea Tricolor Seeds
Perlite
Miracle Grow Potting Mix
Humidity Tent (This time I used a mini greenhouse)



First, get your Miracle Grow and the perlite, mix it with a 50/50 ratio, and mix evenly. Pat it down but not to tight.



Moisten your prepared growing medium but not too much. Use a stick like object to make a hole 5mm deep, drop the seed in the hole and bury it lightly. Now place the pots in a humidity chamber/tent (Mini greenhouse). Now place your humidity chamber/tent in to partial shade. Once in a while open the chamber to let in fresh air, to prevent any rot. Keep the chamber warm, around 18C - 22C. The seeds should germinate within the week of planting them.



Here is one of my seedlings, it germinated very quickly, and it took 3 days. When this happens it is now OK to put them in full sun and let them grow.



This picture is 2 days later in full sun.



Once it grows up a bit more put a stick in the middle to help it twine up the stick. The second picture shows the first heart shaped leaf. When it grows more add more stick to support it and it will grow healthy.


1 month of growing in full sun.


Growing even more.

Watering and Fertilizing 

Watering should be done when the top layer of the soil dries up. Water quite a bit, as these plants love water. This plant also loves being fertilized, fertilize once every 2-3 weeks but only fertilize when the plant has grown for a minimum of 3 weeks.

Thursday 2 August 2012

Nature's Spirit Gallery

Here are some of our plants that we grow at Nature's Spirit.

Here is our Trichocereus Bridgesii Monstrose.


Hawaiian Baby Wood Rose (True Hawaiian Strain) grown from seed.


Sceletium Tortuosum (Kanna) grown from seed.


Psychotria Viridis grown from seed.


Psychotria Alba plants grown from fresh leaf cuttings.


Saturday 28 July 2012

Hoodia Gordonii: A Succulent With Appetite Suppressing Properties

Introduction to Hoodia Gordonii


Hoodia Gordonii is a succulent that looks like a cactus that grows mainly in South Africa but also grows in Namibia. It was first discovered in 1779 by Robert Jacob Gordon. Hoodia Gordonii has been used for a very long time by the people of South Africa, traditionally this succulent is used to treat indigestion, infections and to prevent hunger during long hunting trips by the Sun Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. This succulent prefers high temperatures and very low humidity while growing (Just like the Kalahari Desert in South Africa). 


Uses For People That Are Overweight


This succulent is gaining a lot of popularity around the world as an appetite suppressant for people with weight problems. Its key effects are, if you have eaten something and taken Hoodia Gordonii straight after, it will take a much longer time before hunger sets in again, if Hoodia is taken before a meal, the person will feel more "full" with eating less food. It's gained a lot of popularity because it is a cheaper and more effective alternative than the banned Ephedra. Many people prefer a natural composition than chemical made in a lab.  No side effects have been reported in scientific studies but people with diabetes should be cautious as Hoodia Gordonii is suspected of tricking the brain into thinking there is enough sugar in the blood stream, pregnant woman should also be cautious when using Hoodia.  Hoodia Gordonii is found in several forms on the internet, mainly powder, capsules and extract, but there are many vendors out there that sell fake Hoodia. Studies have been done and it shows that P57 compound is responsible for the appetite suppressing effects of Hoodia Gordonii. P57 is an oxypregnane steroidal glycoside. This succulent can also help with Gastric acid reduction, gastric acid is inhibited by the P57 compound.


Wednesday 25 July 2012

How To Grow Trichocereus Cacti From Seed

My first blog post, yay.

Intro to Trichocereus Species.

Trichocereus's are fast growing columnar cacti that usually grow in Peru but do grow in other places like Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Trichocereus's usually grow in altitudes between 2000m - 3000m. Trichoereus's vary in shades of green. Areoles are usually spaced apart 2cm, they grow up to about 6m in height. When a Trichocereus is mature it will flower, during the night. The flowers are big and appear at the end of the stems.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 8b - 10


Here is a method of germinating Trichocereus seeds, this method works for any Trichocereus.

Things you will need:

Perlite
Any good compost
Small pot (Around 7cm in diameter)
Humidity tent (Any clear bag, that's slightly bigger than the pot you are using)
Rubber band (To go around the pot to seal the tent)


First of get your compost, use 60%, and then get 40% of your store bought perlite, mix them both evenly and put the mixture in the pot. The mixture should be patted down lightly but not too much.


Moisten the mixture but do not get it too soggy, if the mixture is too soggy all the time the seed can rot. Now get your seed at the tip of your finger and lightly press it in to the moist mixture you made.


You have placed your seed in the pot with mixture, now lightly spray the top of the mixture with a mister, and make sure to use a small amount of water to prevent the dislodging of the seed you just planted. Now you are ready to put your humidity tent over the pot and seal using a basic rubber band.


Now you have placed the humidity tent over the pot, now place this pot in indirect sunlight with temperatures of about 18C - 24C, also keep the mixture moist and if your seeds are fresh and viable they should germinate in about 2 weeks.

Once the seed has germinated it is safe to take off the humidity tent. Here is one of my Trichocereus seedlings that I planted about 17 days ago.

Here is the same Trichocereus about 4 months later, it is around 2 - 2.5cm in height.



Watering and Fertilizing

Watering should be done when the top of the soil dries out in the pot, do not over water, water lightly. Fertilizing should be done when the cacti is at least one year old.


I hope you enjoyed my first post on my new botanical blog.