It is the season of flowering in here, Southern Hemisphere.
(https://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/47742/2172266290044113659S425x425Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2172266290044113659cKUiao)
(https://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/48392/2791116320044113659S425x425Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2791116320044113659VpUNjo)
Very healthy plants Frank and they will be very white! The first one was grafted?
Carlo & Daniele
No it is not grafted. They are seedlings, own-root.
Frank
very nice, we thought about a grafted plant cos it seems bare root in the photo, is it possible?
how old is it by the way?
good shape, good plant.. keep us posted :D
Carlo & Daniele
I use 70 mm square tube for seedlings. The Top one is in 70 mm square tube and the body of cacti becomes larger than tube size.
It is not bare root.
The bottom photo is showing repotted into 90 mm square pot.
I sowed seeds on 30th September 2006. The current body size is about 80 mm.
All seeds collected miracle kabuto would not be miracle kabut. It is about 50% in my case.
Super kabuto is relatively small but miracle kabuto may reach to 20 cm diameter in mature age.
I can show you another miracle kabuto, propagated from same fruit.
(https://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/46304/2187623720044113659S425x425Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2187623720044113659JXntZj)
realy realy a neat plant... hope to find a surce for this cultivar that looks so interessant, aniway great growing work, it looks so withe and healty!!!
cortona
Both of miracle and super kabutos were found in 1980s by Mr. Takeo, a Japanuese nurseryman.
He foumd one each from imported asterias. At first miracle and then super in separate timings.
Super kabuto was spread all over the world quite quickly but miracle was not.
The gene of miracle was nagative and hard to make numbers.
I think you can find miracle kabuto in some places but it may be used a differnt name.
Keeping white asterias is not easy. I keep asterias only in a greenhouse.
Since the quality of tap-water is not good in here, I feed rain water only to asterias from top of the body.
The photo is asterias room, mainly super kabuto but I try to increase miracle kabuto.
Asterias were in flower in the end of September.
(https://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/42809/2465425560044113659S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2465425560044113659NOVSJN)
(https://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/48949/2162943960044113659S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2162943960044113659FNQAyG)
Wow! That's a very nice growroom!!!
I thought cv Miracle was lost...
I'm glad to learning that no! It will survive!!
You have a very wonderful collection of asterias! ;)
++
mrkabuto
Yes people thought Miracle was lost but a few hobby collectors kept Miracles.
I found just one true Miracle kabuto from my collections in 2005.
I crossed with other forms and lifted up Miracle gene gradually.
I have 24 acceptable flowering size plants currently and trying to increase numbers.
True miracle kabuto is normally nudum form when it was young seedlings but turned to Miracle form suddenly.
1 year old miracle kabuto seedlings
top, right end will be a good miracle kabuto.
(https://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/46152/2821188980044113659S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2821188980044113659pOLXUu)
Wonderful collection !
I sometimes can find in japanese nurseries some Miracle, I bought recently an hybrid of astrophytum capricorne x astrophytum miracle kabuto, is it possible they use "miracle kabuto" name to designate "super kabuto" or it's really miracle ?
Like we can find some different view about it, I have some doubt.
mainy
Kabuto is a helmet of armor in Samuri period. Since the shape of asterias is similar to the helmet, Japanese call asterias as kabuto.
Kabuto is just name of asterias of Japanese.
Capricorne x miracle kabuto is not able to call as miracle kabuto bucasue capricorne gene is mixed.
There are various popular hybrid names but I can not remember the name of capricorne x miracle kabuto.
It should be just Astrophytum hybrid, capricorne x miracle kabuto, I think.
Miracle kabuto and super kabuto were started from differnt souces. Appearance and character are also different.
Frank,
you really have a nice collection and your methodical work to purify the miracle genes deserves a statue !
dag
Thank for that informations Frank, I cared they use "miracle" to be more attractive to selling.
For the name of that hybrid, I will ask to my japanese cactophile friend, maybe he knows it because I can't find good information on.
mainy
Actually I am a Japanese and a member of Japan Kabuto Enthusiastic Association but I do not live in Japan at moment.
Ah, really ? With your name "Frank" I thought you are european or american, it's surprise !
And I didn't know Kabuto association exists in Japan. Next year I will do register to cactus club in Tokyo, but I live in Tokyo since few time only, so I will be happy to get your informations about cactus association in Japan and cultivars, I'm curious to learn more about them.
G'afternoon mainy
"Frank" is not my real name but I am called as "Frank" in here.
Japan Kabuto Enthusiastic Association is organized through thier website. Anyone in the world can join the Association but unfortunately their site is written in Japanese only.
The president of the Association lives in Saitama Prefecture, North-west of Tokyo.
There are many good hobby kabuto collectors including him living in Tokyo area.
My propagation method of kabuto is Tokyo style.
very interesting, :) I'm sorry but what is the tokyo style?
G'morning sharkxing
Tokyo style is including several methods but a significant one is cutting roots.
When seedlings are 2 years old, cut tap root completely.
They cut roots in Feburary but I cut in August because I live in the other side of world.
Only fine roots regrow. Asterias likes hot weather and a lot of water in summer and, grow with a good speed.
If you feed a lot of water in hot summer, rotting starts from tap roots but their asterias has no tap roots.
They feed water from top of asterias and agitate air in greehouse by funs in summer. This method can keep asterias flecks as white.
They do not use organic/sand base pottingmix. They used aka-tamatuch (weatherd scoria) base pottingmix.
There is a local condition limitation, I cut tap roots and feed rain water from top of asterias only.
The photo is 2years old my miracle kabutos, just before repotting.
(https://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/50098/2733021930044113659S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2733021930044113659XWLugu)
dear frank thanks for your information that are ever precius, thanks for your past help on grafting seedling, i have realy appreciate it and i've start to grow rootstook from seeds next year i'm ready to graft lots of seedling!
best wishes
Emanuele
G'morning Emanuele
How are you going?
What sort of grafting stocks do you start to grow from seeds?
This summer is not hot enough in here but I am quite busy. It is the season for collection of Astrophytum and Ariocarpus seeds.
Frank
Thank's Frank for that explanation about the method of Tokyo style, it's really interessant.
i'm growing a bunch of seedling of harisia jusberti echinopsis oxigona that usualy become very similare to harisia with some age. wel .... 've crossed harisia boplandy with echinopsis subdenudata in order to explore the hybrid vigor in cactus rootstook.
Halo,Frank
interesting information ! Great pictures !! Can you please look at this link https://picasaweb.google.com/103283301042321235146/Nieuw#5516477891974027394
is it possible a mirakle kabuto ?
G'morning Emanuele
I am not sure but an old Japanese book said Harrisia jusbertii was a hybrid of "Harrisia bonplandii x an Echinopsis".
It can not make seeds by crossing jusbertii x jusbertii becase starting from just one fruit in France.
I did crossing jusbertii x jusbertii but result was no fruit as said in the book.
All my grafting stock seedling is jusbertii x Echinopsis eyriesii.
I hope your grafting stocks are grown rapidly.
G'day Erick
The photo in your album is a typical super kabuto.
yep, i have the same eperience, harisia x harisiameans no fruits and no seeds, i've learned how to have seeds reading a japanese webpage(shabomaniac?).
this first year it grow slowly but i know it is normal because other friends have grow the same cross in past years(i've a fowering harisia just this year but friends have it some year ago)
thanks for your interest Frank
Great Miracle collection, Frank, congratulations. It took me a long time to understand the character of Miracle Kabuto. They are really high class plants, I love them.
Here one of my plants. The plant is about 10cm, the plant came from Japan in my greenhouse.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sNSVGVC4RB4/UJJljSi7fdI/AAAAAAAAGBg/PL1HM7xPMBA/s640/IMG_00043.jpg)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jbjeElnHrP4/UJJlmcR9cEI/AAAAAAAAGBc/ut70FkS-hLI/s640/IMG_00044.jpg)
greath plant Andy, it show all the caratteristics i know are tipical of the miraclekabuto, it looks fanastic ! let us know how it grow!
Thank you Emanuele, I will get 2-3 plants more in the next time, so I hope, I will get seeds next year.
Yesterday my new plants arrived...
Plant No 3:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3zrNhuJOWbY/UKjXZiKkfdI/AAAAAAAAGCM/wnwOyaqLJrQ/s640/IMG_6078.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OFo74KrgBho/UKjXceVF87I/AAAAAAAAGCU/cMdNCXRUbDs/s640/IMG_6077.JPG)
Plant No 4:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-I0yU_oFXcFs/UKjXjVxbFhI/AAAAAAAAGCc/FOGflpLhqzw/s640/IMG_6069.JPG)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O7bOZOeoZCU/UKjXqCaFc7I/AAAAAAAAGCk/EPlHhwdbOFw/s640/IMG_6071.JPG)
O M G
surely you know it but, the last one is hearthbreaking me! fantastic, a fantastic plant! it really deserve a special place in a greenhouse, a really special place! compliments my friend, a greath add to your collection!
I agree with everything you wrote Cortona. The last plant is magnificent!