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Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family)
Scientific name:
Astrophytum hybrid
SEN(AU)-AS
Origin:
Garden origin (Nursery
produced cultivar) Plants obtained by
controlled pollination of
♀Astrophytum
senilis aureum
x ♂Astrophytum
asterias
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Cultivation is not too difficult in a
greenhouse, although grows
quite slowly. The plants need a loose well-drained
mineral soil. They need a good amount of
light.
Watering can be done weekly during
summertime, if the weather is
sunny enough, with a little
fertilizer added. Kept this way, plants will
show a
healthy, although slow
growth. They are
frost hardy to -4°
(-10°) C
Propagation:
By
seeds, remembering that
seedlings dislike strong
light and
dry conditions and need to be
repotted frequently. Eventually, as they become mature, they attain a
maximum size of 8-10 cm (20) cm. However, old plants become
senile and have
a tendency to succumb to
disease and a weak
root system. At this
stage,
as is well known, they
die suddenly. So, after they reach
10 cm in
diameter grow them slowly, and adopt a new repotting period, using
intervals of every 2 - 3 years. Additionally grow them under drier
conditions or with stronger sunlight. But plants are often
grafted to accelerate growth as
they would generally take at least a five years to reach
maturity on their
own, but the grafted plants are typical rather tall growing, compared
with plants on their own roots that are usually more flat to the
ground.
Photo of Astrophytum hybrids:
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