Contest 63 : Discussion and related Pictures

Jens · Post by **Jens** » Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:10 pm

Please post your thoughts about the contest entries for subterranean cacti or succulents here.

Jens · Post by **Jens** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:38 pm

Great outdoor-shot Daiv!
Turbinicarpus really can do quite some shriveling down , can´t they (just like Lophophora, Thelocephala some Gymno...to be continued)?

Your plant looks well hydrated down in the ground there. What time of year was the picture taken ?

Jens · Post by **Jens** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 7:51 pm

Here is another perspective of underground growth:

Eriosyce aerocarpa (Thelocephala nuda)

Eriosyce taltalensis var. pygmaea (Pyrrhocactus scoparius)

Pterocactus spec. seedlings struggeling to be above ground.

Post by **daiv** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:44 pm

Jens wrote: What time of year was the picture taken ?

Had to go back and check on this - it was July 30th. Not a rainy time in SoCal - except where the garden hose hits!

CactusJordi · Post by **CactusJordi** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:36 am

Daiv,
you started the name of your plant correctly but forgot to add ssp. polaskii.

Jordi

CactusJordi · Post by **CactusJordi** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:39 am

Well, again there are so many on-topic photos that I'll post only a small selection:
1) Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus elephantidens in habitat

2) Astrophytum asterias in habitat

3) Euphorbia fusiformis

4) Turbinicarpus lophophoroides in habitat

5) Pediocactus despainii in habitat

6) Peniocereus greggii v. transmontanus in habitat

7) Micropuntia gracilicylindrica in habitat

Peniocereus maculatus after the freeze in January '07

8a) Same plant 5.5 months later

9) Othonna spec Spectacle Pass shortly after starting new growth season

Jordi

cactushobbyman · Post by **cactushobbyman** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:58 pm

Okay, I need some help.

What defines "Subterranean cacti or succulents." I don't want some fancy definition, just a simple definition. All my cacti have roots and are underground, or I'm I looking for growth underground like carrots. Can anyone list some names of these "Subterranean cacti or succulents?" Or can I just bury a cactus and take a picture of the dirt?

Jens · Post by **Jens** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:36 pm

Hi cactushobbyman, you are right this is kind off a difficult topic for a picture contest obviously because we can´t see through the ground but there are ways to illustrate the subterraean part of the succulent plant you want to picture.
As Jordi began to show in his pictures abouve you could choose to picture the underground part of the plant by digging up the root to make it visible for the cameras eye or make a visible hint to the underground parts of the plant that is drawing the plant body down through the dry substrate towards the root or show the regrowth from a big tuberous root in certain area above ground suggesting that the root is underneath this area.
Take a look at the plants you like and maybe you will find a worthwile candidate for this.

Jens · Post by **Jens** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 9:52 am

Hi peterb,
which one of the photos would you like enter into the contest?
For the talk about the themes this thread might be the better place to put it.

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 6:03 pm

oops! I meant to post the other pics here, accidentally put them under my contest entry. Juergen, spectacular photos!!!!!

here's some more photos of that Penio, one of my favorite plants. I wish it would flower. I've never been able to get flowers, after growing it for 16 years. The stem is more than 3 feet long. I hope it puts out some new growth this year. The below ground part is very healthy indeed, but I would like the plant to have more stems.

By the way, these more xeric Penios absolutely need to be grown in a mix without any peat or coir at all, just as poor and gravelly a soil as you can provide, quick draining and fast drying.

peterb

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:13 pm

Not to difficult when half the root is exposed.

Peniocereus greggii var. transmontanus from a forum friend.

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:21 pm

Wow, fantastic tuber there!

peterb

Arjen · Post by **Arjen** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:53 pm

turbinicarpus klinkerianus

thelocephala glabrescens/eriosyce odieri ssp. glabrescens

Jens · Post by **Jens** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 5:43 pm

@peterb: thanks for editing your post.
Do all Peniocereus species dislike organic potting ground? I have some seedling P. transmontanus v. gregii (thanks to Ralf!)and some P. marianus half of which I potted in my mineral Eriosyce compost and the other half in a mix of some organic matter and high proportion of perlite and other draining stuff.- Maybe I should remove them from this?...

@Tony: awesome tuber- probably more than a decade old, isn´t it?
@arjen: It grows equaly big on top and below ground! Great plant!

tumamoc · Post by **tumamoc** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 5:49 pm

peterb wrote: here's some more photos of that Penio, one of my favorite plants. I wish it would flower. I've never been able to get flowers, after growing it for 16 years.

I'm not sure if it was P. johnstonii or marianus, but Gene Joseph, co-owner of Plants for the Southwest in Tucson, told me that his plant bloomed in February (last year). I'm sure it was in a greenhouse, but still, that's really early in the year. If that's true, that is, if the species is an early bloomer, you may have your plant on the wrong cycle. Just a thought.

Great plant by the way.