Hi Frank,

What substrate do you use for sowing Astrophytum seed?

Thank you

Hi everyone, I'm looking for any shinshowa plants or seeds that may be available in the US. I've had a hard time finding sellers who will give up any I am happy with ANY color (in fact, I want them all :D ) Ready to pay top dollar to get my hands on a few, especially if you can offer breeding pairs ...

Hi Frank,

How much water do you give Astrophytum during winter?

I live in Zone 10B where we have very mild winter (19C daytime, 10C night time), with lots of sun.
Should I increase my shade during winter to avoid Astro from dying during winter? I currently use 30%

Thanks!

Hi Frank,

Could you describe what the "Royal" and "Miracle" type is? I see some posts about it, but I do not know what defines them

Thanks!

Wow that is incredible!!! Thank you for sharing that. I wonder if it will grow a new tap root.

OK thank you for the information. I will not risk any of my plants then.

How about rooting Caput-medusae tubercule? I imagine this is very difficult or impossible

Hi Frank,

Have you tried degrafting A. Caput-Medusae? Is it possible to do so?

Also, have you tried growing new plants by rooting a tubercule?

Thanks!

Hey Dave, you are completely right. That's why I mentioned running a small dehumidifier, to emulate what might happen in a greenhouse. All my plants are potted, so fortunately no worries about the ground staying wet. :) I think I will proceed with just some hard roofing to keep the direct rain off I...

Thanks Esp_imaging and Elie for the responses.

I guess I'm just super paranoid about the high humidity leading to rot, especially in the Asterias and Super Kabutos!

Anyone think just maintaining a solid roof to keep off direct rain will be enough? I want as little risk as possible

Hi all, I recently relocated to San Diego, and had to move my Astrophytum collection from greenhouse to outdoor shadebox. Any other socal folks have advice on keeping Astros alive outdoors during the rain? I'm thinking about possibly wrapping the shadebox in plastic cover and running a small dehumid...

By 70/30, do you mean it is 30% shade?
I'll go check out Lowes today

Thanks!!

Hi all, In my desperation, I'll be setting up an open-air shadebox for my Astrophytum. Does anyone have advice for what % shade cloth I should be using for Zone 10a? (San Diego area). Again, this will be open air, so no hard roof or plastic for additional shade. Just the shade cloth! Thanks everyone...

Hi Frank, Thank you for your response. I just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing: https://i.imgur.com/FOBYOmX.jpg I've circled a small part of the white layer in red, and crossed areole and flecks in purple. Can you confirm you are referring to the area circled in red? Thanks again

esp_imaging, I'm not referring to the flecks. I'm familiar with Astrophytum, it is the bulk of my collection.

If you look closely, you will observe the white layer covering the skin of the cactus

Hi everyone, I recently acquired this Astrophytum: https://i.imgur.com/eSDMmsL.jpg https://i.imgur.com/FSXqb2k.jpg As you can clearly see in the second picture, there is this thin, white layer covering the plant. I've used some forceps to gently rub some parts, and it flakes off. Anyone know what th...