28 April 2009
Watering ariocarpus
Posted by Stuart under: Cacti .
This year, as soon as there were hints of spring, I turned the heating up to keep a minimum of 12C and started watering everything quite early; even the arios were watered in March. After a couple of reasonably light waterings, they had their first real dousing the weekend before last.
I’ve adopted a new technique for this. To imitate river-bed conditions, I’ve taken to filling a bucket with rainwater, and submerging them in it completely, until air bubbles stop rising from their growing medium. They’re then left to drain and dry off somewhere shady before being replaced on the top shelf.
They seem to have enjoyed it. There are no immediately obvious casualties, and they have all visibly inflated, suggesting that none of them has failed to reroot after the winter drought.