Propagation Ariocarpus fom seed

[Ksenija87]

Frank, that's a nice job! And very useful to know if the plantulae experience this kind of attack.
Sorry to bother, but I have a question concerning my Astrophytum Asteriam v. nudum. As you see in the picture, the plant is fine and has flowered 5 times last summer. Although I noticed that when the flower was dried it did not contain seeds. Do I have to cross-pollinate them?

Thanks for your patience!

Francesca

[Hanazono]

G'morning Francesca

The cactus on your photo looks an Astrophytum myriostigma v nudum, not asterias v nudum.
The flower is also not asterias' flower.

All Astrophytum are not self-fertile.
You need a pollination by using the pollen of an other cactus of same species if you wanted to make seeds.

The shape of stigma on your cactus is abnormal.
You may get some difficulties on the process of pollination.

Frank

[Ksenija87]

Hi Frank, sorry, I meant myriostigma, I wrote asterias...
I bought the cactus a couple of years ago, so I have no clue how it was grown and kept before... I'll try anyway, let's see what happens.
Thanks again, my bests!

Francesca

[Hanazono]

The best timing of pollination is when the stigma is opened completely and pollen turns to powder completely.

If you kept small number of plants, it is hard to make this timing.
In this case, you can store pollen and wait until a stigma opened completely.
I pack pollen in a gelatine capsule and keep it in a fridge.

[stefan m.]

The best timing of pollination is when the stigma is opened completely and pollen turns to powder completely.

If you kept small number of plants, it is hard to make this timing.
In this case, you can store pollen and wait until a stigma opened completely.
I pack pollen in a gelatine capsule and keep it in a fridge.

Wow, thats new to me. If i had known this earlier, i might have made gymnocalyium fruit before they died.

[oriky]

G'morning Francesca

The cactus on your photo looks an Astrophytum myriostigma v nudum, not asterias v nudum.
The flower is also not asterias' flower.

All Astrophytum are not self-fertile.
You need a pollination by using the pollen of an other cactus of same species if you wanted to make seeds.

The shape of stigma on your cactus is abnormal.
You may get some difficulties on the process of pollination.

Frank

Hi Frank, do you sure the mryostigma it's not self-ferlite? all my nudum kikko flower alone and i get seeds from part of them...

[Hanazono]

G'morning oriky,

I am sure all Astrophytum are not self-fertile.
I keep around 50 of myriostigma v nudum cv kikko.
They can not make any seeds without pollination by using pollen of other ones.

I am not sure your situation.

I also quite sure a true asterias can not receive pollen of any other Astrophytum species.
Because of that, I use pollen of asterias when I make a hybrid of Astrophytum.
e.g.
A hybrid of coahuilense x super kabuto is called Hakuran-super.
To make this hybrid, you have use pollen of super kabuto and do pollination on the stigma of coahuilense.
Pollination by using coahuilense on asterias stigma can not make any seeds.

Frank

[Ksenija87]

Hi Franks, that's amazing! You're like the king of Asterias I just have two of them, so I don't think I might be able to perform the pollination.
Anyways, thanks a lot for the useful info! My bests,

Francesca

[oriky]

Thx Frank.two other quesitions
1 do you know where can i find info on the hybird names?
I got couple hybirds from friend without names..
2 do you know where i can find good cv seeds supplier? I really want start grow some mircale kabuto and other interesting cv, but find seeds it unpossibale

[Hanazono]

G'morning oriky,

1. It is hard to estimate the name of Astrophytum hybrid from the appearance.
People made the hybrid have to record the information and tell when he gave the hybrid to others.
The information of Astrophytum cultivar names is available.

Book of "Japanese Hybrid Astrophytum" written by Roman Pavlica & Sumihiro Saeki.
Hybrid is used in the title but it is written about cultivars.

2. Small numbers of miracle kabutos are outside of Japan and so you have to buy seeds from Japan.
You have to read and write Japanese to do this Job.

Frank

[oriky]

Thank you Frank, i will add the book to my wishlist.

about the seeds it's look hopeless

[luigonz]

I think these are the guys who publish the book.
Also they have seed/plants for sale...min of 100 euro order.
http://www.starastrophytum.com/

[Hanazono]

I repotted 70 seedlings in this morning.

Before repotting
Seedlings are Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus f Rio Verde.
Seeds were sown on 7th August 2013 and 1st repotting was September 2014.
Seedlings are a 10 cm square pot.

Removed from pots

After repotting
This is 2nd repotting for these seedlings.
Each seedling is in a 5 cm square tube.
I did sizing during the repotting.
Large seedlings

Small seedlings

[Hanazono]

I repotted 34 seedlings in this morning.

Before repotting
Seedlings are Ariocarpus bravoanus.
Seeds harvested from my cacti were sown on 7th August 2013.
They have been etiolated as per my intention.
They are in a 10 cm square pot.

Removed from pots

After repotting
Each seedling is in a 5 cm square tube.

[Hanazono]

Heatwaves have been away from here and the weather has returned to a normal summer.

I repotted 2 species of Ariocarpus seedlings in this morning.
Both of seeds were sown on 19th July 2016.
They should be repotted last September but I could not because I kept too many 1 year old seedlings.

Ariocarpus retusus v elongatus
Before the repotting, seedlings are in a 10 cm square pot.

Roots of seedlings are developed quite poorly because they are grown under soft sunlight.
This gives a physical advantage for the repotteing, very easy to repot.

After repotting
50 seedlings were repotted, 25 in each pot.

Ariocarpus retusus cv Shinkawa tama zouge
Before repotting

After repotting
75 seedlings were repotted