Not really cultivars, but all the same interesting! I saw these Arios at the ELK in Belgium.
Can anybody explain to me why they developed this spherical form? Is it due to a special grafting method or just overfeeding?
(https://img210.imageshack.us/img210/9782/arioele422medium.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/210/arioele422medium.jpg/) (https://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5523/arioele421medium.jpg)
(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/80/arioele421medium.jpg/)
it is normal with kothsc... they usually grow round until they suffocate the stock.. if the stock is not buried but high.. a lot of plants does the same...
a big stock make them offset a lot...
So in this case the stock will die and the Astros will reroot?
arios can reroot.. but you have to have some skills.. i am not an expert...
if you cut the stock very low and put it into gravel maybe they could stay on it for some years...
Sorry, maybe I was misleading, those plants are not mine ;) I generally prefer plants on own roots and anyway I lack the skills...
Thank you for your comment, I understand that it would be possible to reroot them
i don't want to be misunderstood. not quite obvious to reroot.. really hard indeed...
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jYoSygKqr_Y/TvTPKrybTbI/AAAAAAAAr0M/kxqpUeB9KA8/s640/_-274-Ariocarpus-kotschoube.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-E2wqcZj8uNg/TvTPLHcF3BI/AAAAAAAAr0M/U_G7FjtsD0Y/s640/_-275-Ariocarpus-kotschoube.jpg)
I use a method to make a own-root blocked kotschoubeyanus.
Use a hylocereus as grafting stock and making a blocked kotschoubeyanus.
Degraft with a short vascular-bandle of hylocereus and buried the vascular-bandle into the soil (removed soft tissue of hylocereus)
Roots come out from the vascular-bandle initially and the scion relies on the roots.
Since hylocereus is not a parmanet stock, the vasclar-bandle dies later but roots come out from the scion before that.
If you used a short parmanent stock, roots have never come out the scion.
This photo is kotschoubeyanus f Rio Verde, set up rooting in 2006.
(https://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/50023/2054002770044113659S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2054002770044113659wNKYbl)
I have testing an other root stock, pereskiopsis.
I set 4 plants last year and add 10 more plants in this year.
The photo is one of 4 plants.
(https://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/48735/2069666800044113659S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2069666800044113659kpQPGV)
Frank, please can you explain to me, what 'blocked' astro means? your plants look much better than the ones i saw at ELK!
eve
Blocked kotschoubeyanus means multi-head scion as shown on several photos in this topic.
Seedlings of kotschoubeyanus are nornally a single head.
If you wanted to make a multi-head plant, you need grafting.
Frank
I see, thank you Frank! I appreciate very much that you give so many detailed infos :D