Ariocarpus ID

[adamtekium]

I grafted this guy to pereskiopsis almost a year ago and have somehow lost the tag that was in the pot since then. I'm thinking it may be Ariocarpus agavoides, but I want some more input. If you don't have any idea, just enjoy the pics!
Here he is just a couple weeks after being grafted.

And a couple months after that (I wish it had stayed this color).

And here are a couple shots of him now.

Thanks for looking!

 

[dvg]

Looking good there Adamtekium.

Ariocarpus grow quite well on their own roots, and can flower when grown from seed, as soon as 4 to 6 years later.

I've had good success with them in the past, using the baggie method.

dvg

 

[adamtekium]

I was thinking about getting it started on its own roots this summer. Any idea how I should go about that? In the past, they've all died before they could produce roots. :3

 

[dvg]

Adamtekium, usually the next step is to graft the scion onto a longer-living hardier rootstock.

And then once these grafted plants are even larger, it may be easier to root them.

I don't think Ariocarpus are known for their rooting ability though.

But they are easy to grow on their own roots and this is how I grow them from seed.

I put about ten or twelve Ariocarpus seeds into 2 inch square plastic pots.

I use a well draining gritty mixture, with a little organic marerial added in.

Then I spray down the media to get it nice and wet.

Seeds are then placed on top of the media, without any cover over them.

And then the pots are sealed into clear ziplock bags.

The bags are then grown indoors under fluorescent fixtures.

Check in on the seedlings once a week or two, and remove excess condensation, and that also gives you a chance to inspect and monitor your plant's progress.

The pots will eventually dry out, so add water when needed.

These plants can be grown much faster, than plants that are attempted to be grown hard.

And after two years of living in the bags, they can be gradually hardened off to room conditions.

2 year old Ariocarpus that are grown with this method, once released from the captivity of the bags, are pretty much bullet proof.

Aztekium and a lot of other challenging small Mexican species can be grown like this.

dvg

 

[adamtekium]

I don't think Ariocarpus are known for their rooting ability though.

Haha. Amen to that...maybe it's time to stop trying to get them on their own roots when they're so young. The only roostocks I've ever had success with are Pereskiopsis spatulatha and Myrtillocactus geometrizans. Thanks for the sowing advice. That's basically what I do now minus the hand-made mixture.

I also just ordered some A. fissuratus, E. micromeris and A. asterias seeds so I'll be trying those next.