Strombocactus disciformis flower

Isometric · Post by **Isometric** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 4:39 am

My first flower for this plant, there are two more buds following closely. I feel like I should have got two of every plant so that I can pollinate. If there are two plants that came from the same mother plant, would one be fertile with the other?

Isometric · Post by **Isometric** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 4:42 am

How large do they get anyway?

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:07 pm

Strombo disciformis is self-fertile. The seed is tiny, like dust. Easy to germinate when fresh but very very slow and needs a humid enclosed environment for a good while.

They can get large-ish. Show plants can be several inches across.

peterb

iann · Post by **iann** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:13 pm

Strombo disciformis is self-fertile

S. disciformis is sometimes self-fertile. My solitary adult plant has never set seed.

You can get them to six inches across although you might not live that long!

Post by **daiv** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:16 pm

Isometric wrote:If there are two plants that came from the same mother plant, would one be fertile with the other?

On plants that are NOT self-fertile. If the two plants came from the same batch of seed, then yes, they would work. However, two offsets are the exact same plant as the mother so no that would not work.

Isometric · Post by **Isometric** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 11:08 pm

I'm happy to hear that they may be self fertile.

You can get them to six inches across although you might not live that long!

Surely they grow much faster when grafted.

...very very slow and needs a humid enclosed environment for a good while.

How slow exactly, couple of years? I use a chinese take away container, is that a good enough enclosed environment.

iann · Post by **iann** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:01 am

Strombocactus are faster than people give them credit for. If you've mastered the basic techniques of raising cactus seedlings then you won;t find them too hard. Here are some at six months, already quite happy to be living in the open although they'd probably develop faster still with 100% humidity and constant warmth. The little ones are the red subspecies esperanzae and I think the big ones are a couple of regular disciformis imposters.

I don't know much about grafted plants. Often they do grow faster, but who wants a deformed freak?

cantharis · Post by **cantharis** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 1:03 pm

The grafted plant looks too lush and green. Never a fan of grafts myself. But my own S. disciformis has produced seeds - self fertile.

cactuspolecat · Post by **cactuspolecat** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 7:55 pm

Mine has flowered three times this season and more buds coming... it's not self fertile, so I have to wait for it's sibling to flower before I can get seed

Cheers, CP.

iann · Post by **iann** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:23 pm

Mine has flowers coming too

Post by **daiv** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:13 pm

I never had one of these myself. Maybe I'll have to order some seeds and give them a try when I have more consistent success with that. Your plants are great.

Jurgen recently sent me a bunch of pics of this plant from habitat. These are on-line here:

http://www.cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Strombocactus

He said the second to last one under ssp. disciformis was eaten by a goat and is growing back.

Daiv

Isometric · Post by **Isometric** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 4:06 am

How long will the plant take to start developing fruit after pollination? I still don't see any signs of fruits yet, maybe it is not self fertile.

Strombocactus disciformis flower

Strombocactus disciformis flower

Re: Strombocactus disciformis flower