Proper watering technique with Copiapoa Cinerea

[EliWhitney3140]

So I have been seeing different opinions on how to properly water Copiapoa Cinerea and was curious if there are any serious Copiapoa keepers who could give me advice.

The most detailed bit of information I found so far was this:

Watering: Copiapoa plants are not friends of the water, in fact, they are accustomed to living in the driest deserts of the world, and the way they get moist is through the humidity of the air that comes of the sea. In summer the watering should be scarce because at this time is when in the desert there is not rainwater, whereas in winter you may increase a bit the watering due to the beginning of rain in their natural habitat. Keep in mind that every time you water the plant, the substrate must be completely dry before water again.
During July and August, it is recommendable that you stop the watering and, in the morning, before the sun goes out, spray the plant with water. If you spray the plant early in the morning, it will simulate the natural environment of the Copiapoa.

Do any of you agree with this information?

[DaveW]

I just grow then like the rest of the collection, no need to overcomplicate. The Camanchaca the mist climate in that part of Chile does wet the plants enough for water to run down the stems to the roots through condensing on the body or spines as in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zuIJw2Snjk

Whilst the Camanchaca is described as mist it is actually low cloud coming off the sea. As it rises up it often misses the beach and hits the hills at higher altitudes so the plants often grow at these higher altitudes in the Camanchaca region. Fred Kattermann used to thoroughly spray his plants rather than water from below, but the water still soaked down into the pots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvHpvp9qSR4

[keith]

Keep in mind that every time you water the plant, the substrate must be completely dry before water again."

A good idea for most cactus. I killed my one and only copiapoa with too much water, plastic pot and soil with too much pumice. I think it was in August or September so IDK ? might be good advice ? Water in Winter ? Maybe in CA that's ok .

They have become very expensive now so I would be extra careful .

[C And D]

Of course we all know that Copiapoas come from one of the driest areas on the planet.
But does that mean that want to live water deprived ?

My cultivation of Copiapoas includes heavy watering almost all year, every 2 weeks or so during the winter, and every 6-10 days Spring to Fall.
Of course most of the soil dries out between watering, but some plants are in big pots and may stay moist.
Big plants, flowering C. hazeltonia (4/23/2021)

IMG_9673.JPG (98.84 KiB) Viewed 2364 times

The smaller Copiapoas definitely need more water you think and will dry up from under watering
This C laui from seed has been growing new heads all winter long

IMG_9676.JPG (142.82 KiB) Viewed 2364 times

Conclusion, you can water the Copiapoas a lot under the right conditions

[EliWhitney3140]

Wow, that is a beautiful collection C and D

[greenknight]

Yes, beautiful cacti.

However, our climate is very different from SoCal. Even though Port Angeles is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, so it's not super soggy, I don't think I would water in the winter.

I checked the climate data for Costa Mesa, where C&D are - their December temps look like ours in June.

[dinfelu]

I just grow then like the rest of the collection, no need to overcomplicate. The Camanchaca the mist climate in that part of Chile does wet the plants enough for water to run down the stems to the roots through condensing on the body or spines as in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zuIJw2Snjk

Whilst the Camanchaca is described as mist it is actually low cloud coming off the sea. As it rises up it often misses the beach and hits the hills at higher altitudes so the plants often grow at these higher altitudes in the Camanchaca region. Fred Kattermann used to thoroughly spray his plants rather than water from below, but the water still soaked down into the pots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvHpvp9qSR4

Hi Dave

The videos are very interesting and impressive, I did not know that phenomenon

thanks for sharing

regards

[Steve Johnson]

Great Copiapoas, Craig! Don't want to hijack Eli's thread here, so I wanted to show you what happened to my C. laui last summer -- all the bloody details included:

http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtop ... 85#p377930

A lot happened since I posted that on September 7, most of it not good. Long story short -- the laui is still with me, although it's possible that I may need to replace it with a new one. If you and Denise are still selling them, I'll know exactly where I can find a good one.