Well, with hybrids, these can quite easily turn out completely different to each other despite having the same parents. With species, it would be different. When they flower, any hybrid that doesn't make my grade will be given away or sold really cheap on ebay, haha. I'll not keep them unless they are special enough to be named. Still, one who grows from seed might as well have some spare space to grow them on in as they get bigger. As for care, I generally water from below but there are a couple of pots in the middle that dry out faster than the ones round the edge so, to save watering the other pots that don't need doing, I might carefully water those from the top but it doesn't seem to affect anything as long as you are careful not to dislodge seedlings and such. The propagator cover being on seems to keep the pots moist quite well so I don't need to water a lot. In the photo, the cover was taken off. I just give them a bit if they look like they are starting to get a bit dry. When the seedlings are a little older, allowing the surface of the medium to dry out between watering helps prevent the growth of fungus. Toni-Marie

Thanks Norma, I'm sorry if I came across as complaining about the size; it was just meant to be an observation. Some of the hybrids I have received from other sellers have been small also, some were not rooted and were more expensive. So I'm very happy with my Huntington order! And I was expecting my order to take 6 weeks and I got it in 4 so I was pleasantly surprised. I know Huntington Gardens' main business is not being a retail nursery so it is worth the wait to get these little gems. I hope they will always be available to the public. And thanks for the info about the Johnson hybrid. From an old catalog I have and pictures on the web, it sounds/looks like it is more of an apricot color. I found a source, but it is described as being light orange so I was just wondering. You are right about people seeing color differently and maybe light orange is apricot? Okay--I'm off to pot up my new lovelies. DZ

I have played around with this a little. I wanted to get bigger, more colourful flowers than what I was getting on my Soehrensias. What I did was pollinate the Soehrensias (formosa types) with a Trichocereus that was flowering at the time. A Tricho. similar to T.shcickendanzii, but flowered earlier when the Soehrensias have their first flowers. I got some nice plants with various shades of yellows and oranges. Bigger flowers, some with scent, some without and some that even though they were coloured, only opened in the evening like the Trichocereus, most opened with the sun like the Soehrensias. Using a Soehrensia with a very dark red flower, I have managed to get a couple of plants with large pink flowers, very special in my opinion. The trick is to get plants that are flowering together and go for it! Or, you will have to collect and store pollen. I was playing around with the bigger plants because I have the luxury of plenty of space and I like the big plants. However with Echinopsis and Lobivias you will be able to keep them in pots. I had a friend grow some of my hybrid seed up on the north coast of New South Wales where the climate was almost tropical. She had plants flowering in three years from seed!! As you could imagine, they grew very lush and didn't have a very nice shape about them. But they flowered. The long-term upkeep of these wasn't easy, they tended to rot and get black marks on them. It took five years for the same plants to flower for me with a cold winters rest, but the plants are compact, healthy and looking good. The smaller growing Lobivias and Echinopsis may be able to be 'forced' in the same way, I don't know. What I do know, it's fun! Good luck. Joylene.

It is tricky--they have to be a certain size, although I've gotten small pups from Huntington with buds on them. They have their methods down to a perfect science down, I believe. I moved several of the mid-sized pots to get more sun in late summer and it made an amazing amount of difference in plants that haven't bloomed before. But no afternoon sun. I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but I also use a very small amount of Ammonium Sulfate. Some people on the Forum dispute its use and the "Cactus Freak" (Greg, he's the one that does a lot of the time lapse bloom videos) told me that he didn't see too much difference when he used it. I do--maybe because Elton is more familiar with western US growing conditions. Greg lives in Florida so of course his conditions are much different. Read more here, about AS and vinegar: http://www.absolutelycactus.com/pages/eltons_corner/turbinicarpus_panarottoi_RH_151.html http://www.ccandss.com/cactus-care.html http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=26498 I also try to use dechlorinated water by letting it sit for a day or by using a chlorine filter if I don't have a day to wait. I don't check my pH every time I water, but I use the aquarium strips when I do. Easier than using a kit. I only use the AS during growing season and not every week. A few of the plants can't take this and they split so I have to be careful and tag the pot. Sorry for being so long winded. You have all winter to do your research so good luck. Let me know if you want me to send you some "babies" next spring.