Turbinicarpus Spieces and Care

[Conophytum]

Hello, I might get some turbinicarpus soon but I was just wondering, what are some of the rarest,or most good looking and formal speices of turbinicarpus?
Also, do they require the same care to an Ariocarpus or Lophophora?
How would you care for them?

[7george]

These are all interesting and compact cacti. Perfect for most collectors. Need to be held absolutely dry in winter so in California you will need some rain sheltering or moving pots into dry spot.

Turbinicarpus saueri

Turb_saueri_2.JPG (115.8 KiB) Viewed 3363 times

Not sure what is rare now, maybe T. graminispinus or T. subterraneus ?

[DaveW]

Must be easy, even I can grow them! Far easier than Ariocarpus, but mine do have a cool winter rest. None really rare, but rarity depends on what is available in your country and new ones are constantly being named. I agree with George one of the newer ones is T. gramnispinus. T. subterraneus is the weirdest and not so commonly seen since though it is natural growth it looks like an extreme example of etiolation.

https://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/TURBI ... raneus.htm

Most of the plants flower small, often in their third year from seed. They are largely miniature plants anyway eventually forming small clumps.

[Aiko]

Hello, I might get some turbinicarpus soon but I was just wondering, what are some of the rarest,or most good looking and formal speices of turbinicarpus?
Also, do they require the same care to an Ariocarpus or Lophophora?
How would you care for them?

Not very hard to grow. I should have some Turbinicarpus valdezianus seeds to try on my seed list soon.

[Conophytum]

These are all interesting and compact cacti. Perfect for most collectors. Need to be held absolutely dry in winter so in California you will need some rain sheltering or moving pots into dry spot.

Turb_saueri_2.JPG

Not sure what is rare now, maybe T. graminispinus or T. subterraneus ?

Wow, they are quite unique! I will definatly be buying some subterraneus seeds or plants when I can find them.

[keith]

Also, do they require the same care to an Ariocarpus or Lophophora?
How would you care for them?"

Yes the same . They grow easily from seed but are rot prone . I grow them under 50% shade cloth . And dry in the Winter .

[Hanazono]

I have kept several Turbinicarpus species.
Turbinicarpus are small cacti but they will be a large size if you grafted them.
You should not graft Turbinicarpus except seed harvesting purpose.
Propagation of Turbinicarpus from seed is not hard.

The attached photo is Turbinicarpus alonsoi propagated from seeds, in 6.5 cm square pots.

[7george]

I always wanted but never had one (or two) Turbinicarpus alonsoi in my collection. Wandering if somebody could sell me and send me some of those...

[keith]

Turbinicarpus alonsoi all mine rotted have exactly two tiny ones from seed collected off parent plants before they rotted

I don't think they are hard to grow but I have trouble with them . For some reason. Some other turbinicarpus no problems. Turbinicaprus klinkerianus no problem, jauernigii no problem, valdezianus a little problem, pectinatus more problems, and alonsoi lots of problems.

Pusedopectinitus no problems , ysebella some problems I think soil too alkaline for that one ? They get orange burns on the stems like fungus or something seems to be better when I added organic to the soil mix for them ? Same with pectinatus.

And if I spelled the names wrong really cool genus I got most of mine from Miles to go when I lived in Phoenix 10 years ago.

[tudedude]

I love turbs. You care for them like your typical cactus. Don't overpot and don't over water. Also don't neglect repotting with growth. I think suffocated taproots is what's responsible for most of the ones that I've lost.

Turbinicarpus booleanus

turbbool.jpg (78.15 KiB) Viewed 3265 times

Turbinicarpus Lophophoroides

turbloph.jpg (73.11 KiB) Viewed 3265 times

[keith]

Taproots that's a good point don't use use screen at the bottom of the pot or the taproots will grow through it and at re-planting its a big mess

[C And D]

Turbies are the best
They are easy to kill, use a lean soil mix.

Here are some of my older plants
T. alonsoi, the best species of the lot IMO
looks like Hanazono likes them too
Hard from seed, all mine died last year, but I will try again soon
Grafted on left, rooted on right, about 15 years old

IMG_9631.JPG (132.23 KiB) Viewed 3255 times

T. schmiedickeanus polanki
25 years old

IMG_9635a.JPG (128.31 KiB) Viewed 3255 times

T. pseudomacrochele
from seed, 18 years old

IMG_9678.JPG (79.58 KiB) Viewed 3255 times

[Hanazono]

Rooting of Turbinicarpus valdezianus is not difficult. 1st photo is rooted off-sets taken from a grafted cactus.
They are in 6.5 cm square pots.

2nd photo is also T. valdezianus propagated from seeds, in 5 cm square tubes.

[DaveW]

tubedude is that plant with the elongated stem T. subterraneus rather than T. boolianus?

https://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/TURBI ... raneus.htm

[tudedude]

tubedude is that plant with the elongated stem T. subterraneus rather than T. boolianus?

https://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/TURBI ... raneus.htm

Yeah I'm not sure. The seeds were labeled booleanus but maybe that was a subspecies, variety, or synonym of subterraneus.