LGBTQ+ Poultry Keepers

[ChickyCh00k]

So my hatch is hatching. 3 so far I will post pics once they are all hatched and fluffed up. They are just in time for my MIL's birthday tomorrow she will be 101. She lives with us I am teasing her and telling her that we are giving out the chicks as party favors

101!! Amazing! Happy bird-day to your MIL!

And congrats on the hatch! Can't wait to see pics!

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Found out yesterday that we have a police officer living right by us. Not the neighbor directly behind us but the house to their right.
They're from the Clark County Sheriff's office.

 

[TwoCrows]

@fluffycrow The alien plant is out of control! (with growth) How are your plants doing these days!

 

[fluffycrow]

@fluffycrow The alien plant is out of control! (with growth) How are your plants doing these days!

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SOOOO pretty and odd looking !
Is it a winter grower?

The succulents here are doing pretty good! Most have gotten repots, and have already grown a bit. Here is a recent gymnocalycium bloom in their new pot.

Decided to plant all the astrophytum in their same pot, they look great, not lets see if they grow at all.

How are all your other gorgeous plants doing? Are they slowing down, or entering a second growing period as the ones here are, now that the temps have dropped into the very comfortable high 20s and low 30s?

 

[TwoCrows]

SOOOO pretty and odd looking !
Is it a winter grower?

The succulents here are doing pretty good! Most have gotten repots, and have already grown a bit. Here is a recent gymnocalycium bloom in their new pot.
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Decided to plant all the astrophytum in their same pot, they look great, not lets see if they grow at all.View attachment 4216852

How are all your other gorgeous plants doing? Are they slowing down, or entering a second growing period as the ones here are, now that the temps have dropped into the very comfortable high 20s and low 30s?

OMG, I love the Astros! I am always keeping my eyes out for one but never seem to find one. Yours look so healthy! I have one Gymnocalycium, you can see it in the first photo in the middle, I REALLY love these plants and want more of them! Beautiful flowers you've got going there on your Gymnos!! The Alien Plant, Monanthes polyphylla does go dormant in the summer heat and winter, it's got one last growth spurt growing now before it shuts down. Everything is starting to slow in growth now otherwise.

I brought my crew of cacti inside last week, it gets into the low 40sF about 6C at night now. I had some big growth on many of them, some a bit slower but they all did well, didn't lose any this year either! The only funky thing that happened was I used a fertilizer with too much nitrogen and my Rebutia krainziana grew a bit funky and fast. She has recuperated and has grown 4 new pups! The columns grew a couple of inches, ignore the funky color on the last photo, the Fairy Tale cactus is all green. All the plants have a funky color under that grow light. Oh and my Haworthia is waking up and has a growing flower! (If you look closely top, left of center you can see it. Some of my plants below...

 

[fluffycrow]

OMG, I love the Astros! I am always keeping my eyes out for one but never seem to find one. Yours look so healthy! I have one Gymnocalycium, you can see it in the first photo in the middle, I REALLY love these plants and want more of them! Beautiful flowers you've got going there on your Gymnos!! The Alien Plant, Monanthes polyphylla does go dormant in the summer heat and winter, it's got one last growth spurt growing now before it shuts down. Everything is starting to slow in growth now otherwise.

I brought my crew of cacti inside last week, it gets into the low 40sF about 6C at night now. I had some big growth on many of them, some a bit slower but they all did well, didn't lose any this year either! The only funky thing that happened was I used a fertilizer with too much nitrogen and my Rebutia krainziana grew a bit funky and fast. She has recuperated and has grown 4 new pups! The columns grew a couple of inches, ignore the funky color on the last photo, the Fairy Tale cactus is all green. All the plants have a funky color under that grow light. Oh and my Haworthia is waking up and has a growing flower! (If you look closely top, left of center you can see it. Some of my plants below...

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Ugh, they’re so gorgeous, every single one of them TwoCrows! I’m jealous! They look SO healthy, green, and happy!

I really love your gymnasium, it’s not variegated like mine, and I’ve grown to love those more than the “unnatural” ones.

Your collection is always so impressive, and that haworthia is AMAZING(I see the little bloom stalk)!

I might need to learn more about that fertilising from you, I’ve never tried fertilising mine, so I don’t know how that would go, or what sort of fertiliser succulents would need.

In the first photo, at the back and in the far left, is that a euphorbia? What’s that on the far right? Very cool looking as well.
The rebutia really has grown in quite funky! It’s more than fine though, gives it character!

You know how I feel about the astrophytum! I love their blooms, probably some of my favourite blooms. But growth wise, ugh, I’m not sure. They’ve done a whole lot of nothing on me. Maybe I’ve just not noticed it, but I’m pretty sure I would have. Maybe it’s the lack of fertiliser that’s keeping them back. Not sure

 

[TwoCrows]

Ugh, they’re so gorgeous, every single one of them TwoCrows! I’m jealous! They look SO healthy, green, and happy!

Thanks Fluffy! Everything is doing quite well, with one exception. That pot in the foreground left in the second photo. It was a beautiful blue green all summer and then start yellowing out of nowhere. I unpotted it and it was pot bound sideways, not down. But the roots were growing into the pot, no dirt, just a mess. I didn't have a shallow pot so it's been repotted in that pot there. It's starting to grow blue green again so I think it's ok. I need to find a shallow wide pot. It's a Sedum, Himalayan Skies. And it really belongs in the garden where it can creep like a carpet.

I really love your gymnasium, it’s not variegated like mine, and I’ve grown to love those more than the “unnatural” ones.

I love your Gymnos too, I'm just fascinated with all the varieties. Mine is a Gymnocalycium saglionis. I just love it to pieces, one of my favorite plants!

I might need to learn more about that fertilising from you, I’ve never tried fertilising mine, so I don’t know how that would go, or what sort of fertiliser succulents would need.

I have since learned that if you repot every few years, fertilizer is not needed in cacti. They like poor soils. I had used a fertilizer for succulents and cacti but it had too much nitrogen. Too much nitro makes them grow fast and etiolated. I had fertilized my Rebutia after she put out 30 blooms! I was trying to help her but she grew weird. But she's ok and grew pups too. She's flawless and healthy! I couple others got a bit etiolated a bit after fertilizing, so never again with that stuff!

In the first photo, at the back and in the far left, is that a euphorbia? What’s that on the far right? Very cool looking as well.
The rebutia really has grown in quite funky! It’s more than fine though, gives it character!

Yep, Euphorbia ferox! I love this too and along with the Euphorbia obesa, I love Euphorbias! The Obesa is STILL flowering, she's gone all summer! She's still a nice green color (the photo makes her appear to have yellow along the bottom but that's false). She is still spotless as well!

You know how I feel about the astrophytum! I love their blooms, probably some of my favourite blooms. But growth wise, ugh, I’m not sure. They’ve done a whole lot of nothing on me. Maybe I’ve just not noticed it, but I’m pretty sure I would have. Maybe it’s the lack of fertiliser that’s keeping them back. Not sure

Sometimes plants spend their summers working on their roots instead of growing larger. I have a few that didn't do much this year either and I even unpotted a couple and Holy Crow, their root systems got huge since last year! I was going to reduce the size of their pots, but no way, they are stuffed in their pots already! So I wouldn't be too quick to fertilize, don't force them. I believe they will grow when conditions are right to do so. Some species are fast growers, others grow at glacial speeds. If I find a good fertilizer, I will let you know, but I think I'm just going to repot them with new dirt every couple years instead. I'm leary of fertilizer now.

 

[fluffycrow]

Thanks Fluffy! Everything is doing quite well, with one exception. That pot in the foreground left in the second photo. It was a beautiful blue green all summer and then start yellowing out of nowhere. I unpotted it and it was pot bound sideways, not down. But the roots were growing into the pot, no dirt, just a mess. I didn't have a shallow pot so it's been repotted in that pot there. It's starting to grow blue green again so I think it's ok. I need to find a shallow wide pot. It's a Sedum, Himalayan Skies. And it really belongs in the garden where it can creep like a carpet.


I love your Gymnos too, I'm just fascinated with all the varieties. Mine is a Gymnocalycium saglionis. I just love it to pieces, one of my favorite plants!


I have since learned that if you repot every few years, fertilizer is not needed in cacti. They like poor soils. I had used a fertilizer for succulents and cacti but it had too much nitrogen. Too much nitro makes them grow fast and etiolated. I had fertilized my Rebutia after she put out 30 blooms! I was trying to help her but she grew weird. But she's ok and grew pups too. She's flawless and healthy! I couple others got a bit etiolated a bit after fertilizing, so never again with that stuff!


Yep, Euphorbia ferox! I love this too and along with the Euphorbia obesa, I love Euphorbias! The Obesa is STILL flowering, she's gone all summer! She's still a nice green color (the photo makes her appear to have yellow along the bottom but that's false). She is still spotless as well!


Sometimes plants spend their summers working on their roots instead of growing larger. I have a few that didn't do much this year either and I even unpotted a couple and Holy Crow, their root systems got huge since last year! I was going to reduce the size of their pots, but no way, they are stuffed in their pots already! So I wouldn't be too quick to fertilize, don't force them. I believe they will grow when conditions are right to do so. Some species are fast growers, others grow at glacial speeds. If I find a good fertilizer, I will let you know, but I think I'm just going to repot them with new dirt every couple years instead. I'm leary of fertilizer now.

The new growth looks much better, so I think you’re right, you’ve fixed the issue.

I definitely see why that gymnocalycium is one of your faves! So pretty.

Interesting about fertiliser. I repot about once or twice a year, and I always use new soil. Hopefully that’s enough for them.

Most euphorbia are new to me. I believe I have two, and they’re growing to me as a genus. Now I have some more plants for my wish list! I should get photos of the ones I have.

Very true! While repotting, the roots did seem to have grown. I’ve seen healthier root systems though. I’ve had the astrophytums for over two years now, so just a bit of growth would’ve been nice. Maybe I’m expecting too much from mine!

 

[TwoCrows]

The new growth looks much better, so I think you’re right, you’ve fixed the issue.

I definitely see why that gymnocalycium is one of your faves! So pretty.

Interesting about fertiliser. I repot about once or twice a year, and I always use new soil. Hopefully that’s enough for them.

Most euphorbia are new to me. I believe I have two, and they’re growing to me as a genus. Now I have some more plants for my wish list! I should get photos of the ones I have.

Very true! While repotting, the roots did seem to have grown. I’ve seen healthier root systems though. I’ve had the astrophytums for over two years now, so just a bit of growth would’ve been nice. Maybe I’m expecting too much from mine!

Yes I think the fertilizer issue resolved itself as the pups are growing normally now.

From what I've read and of course I live around cactus country, the soil is devoid of so many nutrients. Only the hardiest of plants can tolerate this soil. So if you are repotting every year, I would imagine they will get enough nutrients every season. My Old Lady cactus, the Pinecones, my Monkey Tail, Old Man Cactus, did nothing this year, I don't think they grew at all. The pinecones had 2 scrawny roots last early summer when I received them. I unpotted them this past July and wow, there is a big mass of them now. Same with the Old Lady oh and that Lady Finger, now she did go nuts with the pups this summer but her roots were slim to none late last year too. Plants need conditions to be perfect to grow properly.... enough light, but not too much. (Some plants won't grow with too little or not enough of it) Water too, they want it at a particular rate and time, not too frequent but not to sparse either. I think this finicky attitude is what makes them survivors. Your standard house plant just up and dies when it's had enough of the abuse. Cacti just wait it out until the time is perfect. I think you are a wonderful cacti parent and there isn't anything else you can do but let them do what they need to do. They may surprise you next year!

 

[fluffycrow]

Yes I think the fertilizer issue resolved itself as the pups are growing normally now.

From what I've read and of course I live around cactus country, the soil is devoid of so many nutrients. Only the hardiest of plants can tolerate this soil. So if you are repotting every year, I would imagine they will get enough nutrients every season. My Old Lady cactus, the Pinecones, my Monkey Tail, Old Man Cactus, did nothing this year, I don't think they grew at all. The pinecones had 2 scrawny roots last early summer when I received them. I unpotted them this past July and wow, there is a big mass of them now. Same with the Old Lady oh and that Lady Finger, now she did go nuts with the pups this summer but her roots were slim to none late last year too. Plants need conditions to be perfect to grow properly.... enough light, but not too much. (Some plants won't grow with too little or not enough of it) Water too, they want it at a particular rate and time, not too frequent but not to sparse either. I think this finicky attitude is what makes them survivors. Your standard house plant just up and dies when it's had enough of the abuse. Cacti just wait it out until the time is perfect. I think you are a wonderful cacti parent and there isn't anything else you can do but let them do what they need to do. They may surprise you next year!

Thanks for the reassurance, and the knowledge!

I’ll hold off on fertilising, and wait and see what happens with the astros. All the plants have a few more weeks of growth and good weather before autumn really takes hold, but the season is coming to an end.

Already dreaming of spring, while I’m sitting here typing this in shorts and a T-shirt, sweating like crazy . My mind however says “it’s fall, no more of that fun spring and summer weather!”