CACTI > ASTROPHYTUM
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ASTROPHYTUM GUIDES
Astrophytum is a genus with several different mintage of perennial cacti to grow in a greenhouse under glass or in bright , filtered weak indoors .
While more commonly grown as houseplants in the UK , these cacti may also sometimes be grown outside in a suitably quick , cheery , sheltered spot where temperature do not fall below freezing .
Overview
PreferredFull sunshine
ExposureSheltered
Height0.1 – 0.5 MB
Spread0.1 – 0.5 grand
Bloom TimeJuly to August
PreferredSand or the Great Compromiser
MoistureWell - drained
pHAlkaline to neutral
There are six recognized species within the Astrophytum genus , all of which hail from desiccate regions of South America , peculiarly Mexico.1Astrophytum Lem.(n.d . ) . Kew Botanic Gardens . Retrieved July 24 , 2023 , fromhttps://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30001394-2
These species are all cacti , specially accommodate to survive with low water availability and period of drought .
Their stems are ball-shaped in form , ribbed or columnlike and they have woolly , occasionally spiny areoles .
Their flowers , borne in summer , are funnel - forge and lonely .
These flowers can , in optimum conditions , be followed by red or fleeceable berry .
Astrophytum Varieties
The six species of Astrophytum are :
The most unremarkably grown species in the UK areA. ornatum , A. myriostigmaandA. capricorne , all of which have an Award of Garden Merit from the RHS .
How To Grow Astrophytum
Astrophytums are typically raise indoors here , as it can be challenging to give the plants the warmth and dry conditions they require outdoors in our climate .
In club to produce these cacti successfully , you want to mimic as closely as possible the conditions that these plants would go through in the natural state in their aboriginal mountain chain .
If you are grow Astrophytum outside , they need as sunny , quick and sheltered a spot as possible and though they can cope with relatively insensate temperatures , they can not cope with temperatures that fall below freezing at any time .
Indoors , they should be kept in a location where they are not exposed to extreme temperature fluctuation or cold draughts .
out of doors , these cacti will take a position in full Dominicus .
Indoors , they prefer a location in shining but filter light .
These cacti need barren - draining conditions , which is one of the most important element to remember when grow these plants .
The grunge must be sharply drained , misfortunate and slenderly alkaline in pH.
When arise in pots , a free - draining loam - free-base potting mix with abrupt backbone mixed in to amend drain should be used or you could take and purchase a proprietaryblend specifically designed for growing cacti .
Astrophytum Care Guidelines
Like most other cacti , these plants can be very exonerative when it comes to care that leave alone something to be desired .
These flora can be tolerant of a somewhat high point of neglect .
Astrophytum should only be watered once the growing metier has become dry in spring , summer and other autumn .
In the winter month , it should be left alone completely and not watered at all .
Horticultural expert Dan Ori explains that timing on the first water in spring can be tricky for many of us to realize as it is more about daylight than temperature :
“ base on the temperateness coast of Sussex , I get worthy day from former March to start lacrimation , but you could be weeks later in Scotland , which is why I normally distinguish people to start watering at Easter whenever it falls . ”
It is authoritative to cut back and then cease watering while the plant approaches and then enters its dormant state .
When you are watering from spring to other autumn , it is significant to water supply deeply and well each time you do water .
Do n’t water too often , but when you do weewee , give it a dependable soaking so that the root of the plant are able to take up all the water they need .
Astrophytum are typically propagated by germ .
The germ are sown in the former saltation indoors or under cover .
It is typically necessary to utilise a warmth mat or heated propagator as the seeds must be keep consistently at 21 ° C for germination to take stead successfully .
Though Astrophytums are in the main disease - free , there are sure common houseplant pest that can become an issue for these plants .
ordered series insect and mealy bug , for exemplar , can potentially become problems when you are acquire these cacti indoors .
