A spin off of my bonsai addiction

[Emeraldtarpon]

Due to my love of bonsai, i have grown to appreciate some of mother natures weirder creations.
Several years ago, i got to see my first mutant cactus and like bonsai, it was love at first sight.
I believe its damage to the apical meristem that creates this mutation in nature.
I find them just as attractive as my trees and enjoy having them sitting between my bonsai (well, potensia) like accent plantings...its one hell of a dose of eye candy!
I only have a few at the moment but heres pics and details (check out some of the botanical names).
First up...here we have a - Myrtillocactus geometrizan cristata "Elite'.
The foam packing is so the plant stays where it is in the pot until it has a stronger root system (purchased bare rooted and root system still developing).

Number 2 is a rare - Cereus peruvianus var. monstruosus f. variegatus hort.
Tied into its pot for stability as again, the root system is still developing (purchased bare rooted).

Number 3 is a - Cereus monstrose ‘Minima’ crest
Love the contrast of the red spines against the dark green, gnarly cactus skin.

And number 4 - Cereus ‘Ming Thing’ (Cereus forbesii f. monstuosus).


Besides our love of bonsai, does anyone else have a fascination with the weird and wonderful?

 

[Paradox]

I've kept Venus fly traps sometimes.
Last batch I had died and I haven't replaced them yet

 

[Colorado]

Yeah I’ve got a few cacti that I’ve had for a number of years! Try putting them in bonsai pots to use as accent pieces

 

[It's Kev]

@Paradox i got a VFT, its not dead, but not very alive, just hanging on
@Colorado some weird cacti bug is itching to bite recently, but i'm thinking as a desk piece, then with light conditions indoors i might settle for a fern

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Reefing…

 

[Pixar]

Reefing…

What size tank have you got ?

 

[Paradox]

@Paradox i got a VFT, its not dead, but not very alive, just hanging on
@Colorado some weird cacti bug is itching to bite recently, but i'm thinking as a desk piece, then with light conditions indoors i might settle for a fern

VFT are very picky about water. I was told by someone that grows them to sell to NEVER water them with tap water especially if you have municipal water. The chlorine and other minerals will kill them.
You should be using distilled or RO water to water them and to basically drown them. They are swamp plants and like to be wet.
I kept mine in a pot no holes with peat moss and kept them alive for 2-3 years. They kept repopulating themselves in the pot

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

What size tank have you got ?

75 gallon tank plus 22 in the sump. Nothing crazy.

 

[penumbra]

Succulents are vastly popular among the bonsai crowd. I have a collection of crested cactus as well.

 

[AJL]

VFT are very picky about water. I was told by someone that grows them to sell to NEVER water them with tap water especially if you have municipal water. The chlorine and other minerals will kill them.
You should be using distilled or RO water to water them and to basically drown them. They are swamp plants and like to be wet.
I kept mine in a pot no holes with peat moss and kept them alive for 2-3 years. They kept repopulating themselves in the pot

Why not just use rainwater if you have access to it as its free and far more sustainable than relying on distilled or RO reverse osmosis water!!

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

I've kept Venus fly traps sometimes.
Last batch I had died and I haven't replaced them yet

Hi Paradox,
I love those ones that look like they have jugs with a lid on top.
Apparently,it lets off a dead meat scent and combined with the "blood splattered" entrance, its irresistable to flies.

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Reefing…
View attachment 459504View attachment 459505View attachment 459512View attachment 459513View attachment 459507View attachment 459508

Hi Brian,
something ive always wanted to do but have found the cost here in Australia to be very restrictive.
Like bonsai, i could stare at a reef display for ages.

 

[Pixar]

Hi Brian,
something ive always wanted to do but have found the cost here in Australia to be very restrictive.
Like bonsai, i could stare at a reef display for ages.

Same problem in New Zealand ( I had a saltwater tank for 12 years ) very expensive to maintain

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Succulents are vastly popular among the bonsai crowd. I have a collection of crested cactus as well.

Awesome, Penumbra!
I got all mine sent to me from a grower who lives on the east coast, near Sydney.
Ive had to nurse them over Winter, indoors (occassional -3 degrees) as the root systems werent fully developed but now that Spring has arrived, its smooth sailing.
They're awesome plants!

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Same problem in New Zealand ( I had a saltwater tank for 12 years ) very expensive to maintain.

Hi Pixar,
Yeah, i think if it wasnt for that, it would be a HUGE hobby...shame really.

 

[penumbra]

Same problem in New Zealand ( I had a saltwater tank for 12 years ) very expensive to maintain

I started keeping saltwater aquariums in 1972, graduated to reef and finally broke down my last marine tank last year. Fifty years was enough for me. The earliset years were actually more exciting because we had so much less to work with. All our filters and such were home made, even in the pet store I ran back then, Pisces & Aquarius. We even built all our own aquariums, all glass tanks were a brand new thing. Since then I spent enough money to buy a few cars...... maybe a house.

 

[Paradox]

Hi Paradox,
I love those ones that look like they have jugs with a lid on top.
Apparently,it lets off a dead meat scent and combined with the "blood splattered" entrance, its irresistable to flies.

Those are pitcher plants.
And yea they attract with scent then drown the buggies when they fall in their pitcher

 

[Paradox]

Why not just use rainwater if you have access to it as its free and far more sustainable than relying on distilled or RO reverse osmosis water!!

Have to collect and store it as during the summer it's not as reliable when rain is scarce like this past year.

And I already have an RO/DI unit because I also have a salt water tank that used to have corals in it. Can't use tap water for any kind of marine invertebrate tank

 

[vp999]

Reefing…
View attachment 459504View attachment 459505View attachment 459512View attachment 459513View attachment 459507View attachment 459508

That gold torch is $$$ BVF..I was reefing for about 10 years before I got into bonsai, once im addicted to bonsai I knew I wanted to give up reefing, having 2 hobbies at the same time is too much to handle and I was losing interest in my reef tank anyway. Lemme find some videos of my tank for ya..

 

[Pixar]

Hi Pixar,
Yeah, i think if it wasnt for that, it would be a HUGE hobby...shame really.

Don't let me put you off , my setup was a small aquaone tank which I modified and fitted a protein skimmer into the back of the tank . Only had a few fish ( blue tang and clownfish and a few shrimp )
I leaft the lid open one day and the Clownfish ended up jumping out of the tank and lay on the carpet ( eight years olds )