magnificus and sun..

clemons · Post by **clemons** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:43 pm

have a noto,mag that when in the afternoon sun gets yellowish/lime streaks in it..after bringing it in for a while they go away..i figer probly starting to burn..been trying all summer now to get it aclamated to a full day of sun but wont do it..is it me or is this plant not saposed to recive midday sun..

templegatejohn · Post by **templegatejohn** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:59 pm

Parodia/Notocactus magnifica should take light shade to full sun without two much problem. If I remember correctly it comes from Brazil and should not have a problem with sunshine. Particularly if it is outside with good air circulation.

The plant has very deep ribs and they act like 'concertina bellows,' expanding and contracting as it takes up water. I wander if this is what you are seeing? Just a thought.

John

clemons · Post by **clemons** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:55 pm

dont know whats goin on..now my golden barrels are doin the same thing..put a thermometer on the deck where the cacti are an says 121 degree F..i have a screen over the cacti an its only 91 degree in the shade..seems to me potted cacti are more like ferns..

iann · Post by **iann** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:43 pm

Lots of cacti show minor bleaching after a really hot day in the sun. On ribbed species it tends to show as vertical streaking. Plants which are very dry at the roots seem to show it more. I think that Echinocactus grusonii protects itself from strong sunlight by producing denser spines, the skin itself doesn't seem to get any tougher, at least not in the course of a single English summer. The streaking you describe doesn't seem to be harmful but watch out for more serious bleaching, usually small exposed patches of skin going completely white or burnt brown, that is permanent. You might also experiment with protecting the pots from direct sunlight, plants with cool roots are much more resilient.

Post by **daiv** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:28 pm

That last comment by Iann might have a lot to do with it. Perhaps it is the pots getting too hot. I grow both of those species in the ground where they get full sun, but what's more they are also abundant at the Huntington garden and it is way hotter and drier up there. Take a look here:

http://www.cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus ... =magnifica

Daiv

fred · Post by **fred** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:58 am

Yes some of my Feros look like this. They are in blazing sun and we have been having near 100 degree temps. By early morning it is gone but by late afternoon its back. I paniced the first time I noticed it but since it goes away on cloudy days or in the early morning I attributed it to some sort of harmless sun reaction.

faslimy · Post by **faslimy** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:44 am

I noticed my magnificus losing is colour under the sun and now it stays under shade cloth most of the day with a little bit of morning sun.

clemons · Post by **clemons** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 2:55 pm

whats funny is my wife has a hanging basket of some kind of flower right over the cactus an the sun doesnt bother it at all..i thought the 121 f . tempeture was too high and mite be from reflection so i put the thermometer out in the sun in the yard an got the same reading..i then put it in the shade an it says 90 f.

iann · Post by **iann** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:03 pm

Regular plants have an inbuilt mechanism for keeping cool. They continually take up water through the roots and evaporate it from the leaves. Uses a lot of water but automatically takes away heat. Cacti do not do this, they keep cool by hiding in the shade, shading themselves with spines wool or columnar shapes, contact with cooler soil and rocks, and simply by being spherical so they don't heat up so fast.