Help with Astrophytum Asterias

[PrimordialSoup]

cactus1.jpg (111.72 KiB) Viewed 3949 times

I don't know what the marks on my astrophytum asterias mean. Any help would be appreciated.

[anttisepp]

Mb very dry care? Asterias likes watering in summer.

[madkactus]

high humidty ?

[Tom in Tucson]

cactus1.jpg
I don't know what the marks on my astrophytum asterias mean. Any help would be appreciated.

I enlarged your image on my 4K monitor to 250%. The marks appear at right angles (transverse) to the apex. Having seen a similar condition occur on Lophophora williamsii, the conclusion has proven to be that of overexposure to the sun.

BTW, both of these species do best when nearly identical conditions are met.

[MikeInOz]

cactus1.jpg
I don't know what the marks on my astrophytum asterias mean. Any help would be appreciated.

I enlarged your image on my 4K monitor to 250%. The marks appear at right angles (transverse) to the apex. Having seen a similar condition occur on Lophophora williamsii, the conclusion has proven to be that of overexposure to the sun.

BTW, both of these species do best when nearly identical conditions are met.

I agree. Overheating - overexposure to UV light. Possibly too much nitrogen as well (?) as this can bloat the plant and ''thin'' the epidermis making it more vulnerable. If you look at the habitat plants growing in exposed positions, they are half buried, very hard looking and don't grow much. (but they rarely burn) The ones under bushes look healthier. However, this plant also does not look fully expanded and that could mean it has trouble taking up water from some kind of root problem.

[PrimordialSoup]

cactus1.jpg
I don't know what the marks on my astrophytum asterias mean. Any help would be appreciated.

I enlarged your image on my 4K monitor to 250%. The marks appear at right angles (transverse) to the apex. Having seen a similar condition occur on Lophophora williamsii, the conclusion has proven to be that of overexposure to the sun.

BTW, both of these species do best when nearly identical conditions are met.

I just read that they needed full sun so I put the plant on a South facing window do you suggest that I move it to somewhere more shaded then?

[Tom in Tucson]

cactus1.jpg
I don't know what the marks on my astrophytum asterias mean. Any help would be appreciated.

I enlarged your image on my 4K monitor to 250%. The marks appear at right angles (transverse) to the apex. Having seen a similar condition occur on Lophophora williamsii, the conclusion has proven to be that of overexposure to the sun.

BTW, both of these species do best when nearly identical conditions are met.

I just read that they needed full sun so I put the plant on a South facing window do you suggest that I move it to somewhere more shaded then?

A quick (3-4 day) isolation from any direct rays of sun will not harm the plant in the long run, and you can find out is the skin remains the same. If that is the case, then other trials need to be conducted.

[keith]

mine turn yellow and red if they get too much sun

[Hanazono]

G'morning PrimordialSoup,

I just read that they needed full sun

This condition is just for a matured asterias.

I do not know the age/size of your asterias but your asterias has started to form proper areoles. This means your asterias is very young.
Young well grown asterias need the adjusment of sunlight strength.

Frank

[madkactus]

This asterias needs lots of full sun in general. 6-8 hours per day. Very bright conditions. If too much sun it develops brown spots. These blotches don't look brown to me. Protection from mid-afternoon sun is advised. Most problems come from overwatering. Perhaps this cactus has some kind of fungal problem ?

[Steve Johnson]

We're missing some key information...

PrimordialSoup, I'll ask you a few questions:

• What's in your mix? Specify the ingredients and proportions of each.

• How often do you water? Is the mix completely dry between waterings? (It should be.)

• Are you fertilizing? If so, what are the fert's NPK numbers? What dilution are you using (1/2 tsp. per gallon, 1 tsp. per gallon, etc.)?

• Are you keeping your plant indoors or outdoors?

• How long have you been growing cacti? I don't want to make any assumptions about your level of experience.

If you are a beginner, I'll just let you know that A. asterias is more challenging than other Astrophytum species. Once I get the answers to your questions, I may be able to help you figure out what's going on.