Ariocarpus potting media for Australian conditions

Was interested to know what different growers use as a potting media and adjustments for local climatic conditions etc. for Ariocarpus spp. If people are keen to share their techniques?

I am currently trying a mix that I create, it consists of crushed blue slate, crushed terracotta, perlite & washed river sand (course, of course) in equal parts, I like to add a small amount of Gyprock as it provides slight a calcium/alkaline quality to the mix, I also like to add a type of red clay that I found in little clods, this is a very small proportion of the mix, and finally a bit of slow release fertiliser is always good, especially in a high mineral mix with added inert media (perlite) like I use.

The drainage seems pretty good, and the plants seems to be responding to it fairly well so far. I have also been using the same/similiar for a couple of Astrophytum spp. I have, namely A. asterias & A. asterias 'SUPERKABUTO' and these also seem to be responding well to the mix.

I should note that I live in a reasonably humid climate and a free draining high mineral, low organic mix is important to my cultivation of these types of cacti, also I experience quite cold winters and require the beet-like roots to remain dry during dormacy to prevent any sort of rot occuring.

Any thoughts? Comments?

I have recently been adding crushed brick to the above mix (hand crushed of course) also with the addition of a little charcoal & less of the red clay clods (the clods seem like a fairly decent additive I might say, though I wouldn't add too much to the mix)...

Hi Trig. I'm new to Ariocarpus, I've got 3 A.agavoides that I've raised from seed and they are only about a year old now. Basically I raised them using nothing more than your standard cactus medium bought at Bunnings, they are in an 8 inch teracota pot (unglassed) which sits inside a large humidifier with about 5 mm of water in the bottom, which all sits inside one of my hothouses, I realise this is probobly asking for trouble but they seem to be doing quite well in there. I'd give my hens teeth for some fissuratus but know all things will eventually come my way

Welcome Tula. Only just starting to grow them from seed. From what I have read they grow fine with humidity and regular potting mix for a year or two. It is when they take on a more mature appearance that they need to be introduced to a much courser mix with less organic matter added otherwise the area around the beet like root will tend to stay moist, or worse, wet which will inevitably lead to rot. I would watch your Ariocarpus over the cold months with the extra humidity, but plants of about a year really should be fine. Depends how cold it gets where you are.

I only have one A. agavoides, wouldn't mind a few more, they are not my favourite though. I think A. retusus would have to be one of my favourites along with A. fissuratus. I have a large specimen A. fissuratus that is around 30 years old and is pretty big. Will post pics when I get my camera happening.

I also have A. kotschoubeyanus, A. bravoanus var. hintonii and few others too. There is many more varieties and cultivars and sub species I intend to collect.

Not a cheap past time though. Seeds aern't even that cheap and take a long time to grow. They are still my favourite genera of cacti though.

P.S: I like your avatar

My avatar? thats Matucana madisoniorum when it was in flower last autumn, I dont know if it is self pollinating but I gave it a good brushing last year and patiently waited as the flower shrivled up, then I took a look one morning and the old dear had removed the flower like she does with all the orchids when they've shrivled up so I have no idea if it would have set fruit. It has got a new flower bud on it now, hopefully this year I'll get something out of it.


I keep in touch with Vlado at Arizonaseeds, unfortunately he doesn't grow them, he only sells seed, he's a nice enough bloke and all and he has an awsome list of Ariocarpus in his catalogue but each time that I've asked for fisurratus he has always been out of stock. retusa?, love to see a pic.


I dont know if you own this site or if you do then how much it costs to run a site like this but was wondering if you had plans for a photo gallery, laid out the same way the forum categories go it could grow into a nice resource in time, although you might end up with a picture of every san pedro in oz too

I like M. madisoniorum, though I only have two. One is small & the other is a decent size. The larger one is a variety I think. It has small inwards cuved spines & is more globbose than the other one, it is really nice.

Hopefully you will get some seed. Mine have never flowered yet. So not sure about pollination etc.

A. fissuratus is one of the most popular species. I am sure if he had them they would sell out pretty quick. Have been meaning to try Vlado's seeds, haven't got around to it. Next season for sure.

I do own this site yes. It doesn't cost a fotune to run it, but a gold coin donation is always welcomed lol.
I have now added a gallery for members to view & upload their own images etc. I have not categorised it yet, I might do so if lots of people post nice images in there.

Check out this thread: http://forum.auscactiforum.net/site-feedback-f36/gallery-t15.htm

Yeah!!!! that A. fissuratus of yours is definitely a special little beastie   

Thanks Tula, definitely one of my favourite specimens in the collection.

I was hoping to ressurect this thread and get a dicussion about Ario potting mixes going. Seems to be a few Ario heads here now (like me) and wanted to hear some different potting mixing and even how people are cultivating theirs.

Thanks.

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yes please, I would also be interested in others variations.

I am afraid my arios get the same mix as my other cacti. Nothing special as very hard to get what I want here.

Chunky potting mix, coarse sand and some shell grit

Japanese do not use sand for cactus potting mix. They use weathered scoria named "Aka tama tuchi". Weathered scoria is very good easpecially for Ariocarpus and Astrophytum.
Unfortunately we can not get Aka tama tuchi in here.
Recently I bought small amount of crashed Volcanic Basalt, 10 kg and tried for Ariocarpus seedling.It is too early to see the result.
I undersand own root Ariocarpus will grow well under the condition of weak sunlight, very high humidity and twice of repotting per year.

Crashed Volcanic Basalt, I added a small amount of normal seedrising mix, 20%.

2 years old Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus f Rio Verde in 50 mm tubes, top dressing is 2-6 mm Zeolite

Hey Hanazono,

I use Volcanic Scoria in most of my soil mixes. I buy it in 10 or 20 kg bags and its pretty cheap. It is red in colour and can be bought at almost any landscaping or large nursery in NSW.

My Ariocarpus and Astrophytum seem to like it. The only problem I found with it is the rocks are too large 5-10mm, and I have to break them up. Its a pain.

we use the same mix for astrophytum as ariocarpus, just a little more coarse grit. but in AUS i am guessing the climate varies a lot depending on location....here i think it is probably like norhtern OZ, warm and wet.

Hellonasty
I used Scoria when I was NSW. I think finest one was 5-10 mm which was too large to use directly.
I need 0.5-4.0 mm size, mixed evenly.
Hanazono

Fellow Ario-Freaks,

Ario compost in OZ has different requirements depending on whether you live north or south. I can only speak for melbourne, because that's where I live and specialize in these plants. Over the years I have noticed that the more nutrients given to the plant, the slower it grows. I have tried rich mixes (for mature plants) and they did ok for a few years before snuffing it. Then I went to simplicity and have had great results ever since. This may not be the best mix, but it is certainly one that works miracles:

Drainage: Horticultural charcoal. Make sure that there is a nice bed of it at the bottom of the pot and that the roots of the plant you are transplanting actually touch the charcoal. Many people use scoria, but that's not necessary nor efficient. Charcoal is the best root stimulating agent on the planet, so scoria is redundant. Also, crushed scoria mixed with cactus soil tends to retain quite a bit of moisture at the bottom of the pot which then permits mealy-bug.

Compost: Two parts coarse river sand (in pebble form), one part cactus soil, a tiny bit of slow release fertilizer. Avoid using any sort of organic material with Arios. They like their traces and minerals, so a small squirt of that in each pot will be enough food for a year.

Sun exposure: Keep them inside a glasshouse or hothouse (or away from the weather). Arios like a relatively constant temperature variation and you cannot get that if you keep them outdoors. They grow better under shade than they do in direct sun light. If you REALLY wanna see them grow, use hydroponic lights (absolutely no more than 250W) and bottom heaters. Sure, it's artificial, but then again Melbourne conditions are artificial growing grounds for Arios to begin with.

Watering: Be sensible. It's better to underwater than overwater. In Melbourne if the plants are in hot/glass houses, no water is required in Winter. Start watering in Spring once every two or three weeks. Insummer water once every one to two weeks. once again be sensible and look at the weather forecast

Arios won't flower till Autumn and won't fruit until the following summer. Now if you wanna grow them from seed, your best bet is to invest in some lights and heaters. For seedlings, no more than 36W is required for the first two years. After the first two years you can move them up to 150W or in the glasshouse under a sheet of newspaper (this will allow only about 50% of the sun's light to strike them, which is close to 150W). Your compost should be nothing other than seed raising mix. Once the seedlings are about two years old (with their tuba exposed over the seed raising mix), carefully throw some ATTUNGA RIVER PEBBLES to cover the seeldings' tubas. This will REALLY plump up your seedlings - trust me

Good luck, happy germination and good growing!
K-R

Great info there, K-R. I have mine in a greenhouse under 50% shadecloth. Poor quality soil and they seem to be doing great.

I am still using pretty much the mix I described earlier. Though I think one of my larger Arios is in the mix KR describes (I bought it already potted in that ), seems to be pretty happy. It's very humid here so I need to have more inorganic ingredients in my mix than you Victorians need. Most seem to enjoy my mix, but not all. Still tweaking things a bit.

Mine get a few hours of direct sun in the morning, then a few hours of filtered sun light and then a few hours of shaded sunlight, most seem to enjoy it, but again, not all. I grow them pretty much the same as my Astros, which do better than the Arios. Most of the Arios are pretty happy. The ones that aren't were attacked by root mealy, or rather I bought them like that and am helping the recover.

I will add that KR definitely knows his stuff and his advice is well worth listening to. His mix has given me some further ideas to playa round with.