Characteristics of a representative of the flora, recommendations for caring for a turbinicarpus in a room, advice on reproduction, diseases and pests that affect the plant, note for flower growers, species. Turbinicarpus is a member of the Cactaceae family. To date, scientists have counted up to 25 taxa (varieties). But there are classification systems in which this number has increased due to the fact that representatives from the genera Gymnocactus, Neollodia and Pedicactus were added to the genus. All Turbinicarpus "live" mostly in the northern part of the central regions of Mexico, where the Chihuahua Desert is located. Due to the fact that plants have mimicking features (that is, they can adapt to the environment), they are inconspicuous on the soil and all the varieties known today have been discovered by researchers over the past half century. Each species is the "owner" of an almost clear territory, which can stretch up to 1 km.
This genus of cacti bears its scientific name because of the shape of the fruit, which resembles pins: that is, in Latin they combined two words "tiuhinatus" translated as "pintle" or "whirligig, turbine" and "carpus" meaning "fruit".
Since in nature, where turbinicarpuses grow, the temperature in summer can reach 45 degrees, and in winter these indicators decrease to 5 degrees only moisture, but also nutrients. It penetrates very deeply into the substrate and becomes thinner towards the bottom. The shape of the stem directly depends on the variety Turbinicarpus: it takes on a spherical or flattened shape. They are somewhat reminiscent of the shape of the stems of the Lophophora cactus, the stems are just as soft to the touch. They rarely exceed 5 cm in height, so it is difficult to see them among the stones. The color of the shoots can vary from a grayish tint to a bluish-green color, approaching even brown, which also does not contribute to distinguishing plants among the surrounding landscape.
On the surface of the stems, tubercles are formed, which in their outlines depend on the type of turbinicarpus: they are both vague and with clear contours. The tubercles on the shoot are often located in a spiral order. The structure of the thorns is very similar to a camouflage shelter for this member of the family, as it can be papery, hairy, or resembling feathers. Such thorns are very fickle and do not protect the stems at all, but only hide them among the pebbles on the ground. The shape of the thorns is refined, they are weak and tend to fall off. In some representatives of the genus, the thorns can bend up or down, in others they grow protruding from the surface of the stem, and still others differ in a twisted shape.
It is during the flowering process that turbinarpuses can be distinguished from soil or ground irregularities. The flowering process is quite long and a large number of buds open on the stems. In flowers, sepals and petals are painted mostly in monochromatic shades, mainly snow-white, pink, yellow or purple colors are present. Sometimes there are varieties in which the petals are decorated with a strip in the center in the corolla.
After pollination of the flowers, the characteristic outlines of the fruits ripen, the type of which gave the name to the plant. The surface of the berries is bare, smooth and matte in shades, reminiscent of miniature pins. When the fruit is fully ripe, a rupture occurs - a longitudinal slit appears. Thus, bursting on it or bursting, the fetus opens up access to the seed material. Since the color of the fruits is dirty, birds practically do not eat them, therefore, when the seeds fall out, they germinate, creating whole dense turbinicarpus thickets. The black seeds of this plant are spread only with the help of the wind or ants. But due to the fact that the seed material is washed away by the rains, the area of distribution is rather limited.
When grown in culture, Turbinicarpus is rather non-capricious, and its size allows you to arrange a whole collection of different species on the windowsill. Just do not expect explosive growth, since the growth rate of these plants is very low.
Turbinicarpus care recommendations - growing at home
- Lighting. When growing at home, a pot with a plant should be placed on the windowsill of a window facing east or west, in the south - they construct a shade that protects from direct sunlight, especially in summer.
- Content temperature. In the spring-summer period, it is necessary to maintain room heat indicators (20-24 degrees), but with the arrival of autumn they are lowered to a range of 6-10 units. This "wintering" will contribute to the further lush flowering of the turbinarpus.
- Air humidity when grown at home, it can be lowered, spraying is harmful.
- Watering Turbinicarpus. In the spring-summer period, it is necessary to moisten the soil in a pot with this cactus moderately and carefully, trying to prevent moisture drops from falling on the surface of the stem. It is not recommended to overmoisten the soil. During the winter months, the resting phase begins and dry maintenance is required. If the recommended temperature drops in the room are not maintained and watering is carried out in a standard mode, then, as a result, the outlines of the stem become pear-shaped and the plant begins to ache. Water is used only warm and well-settled.
- Fertilizer. From the beginning of spring days until September, it is recommended to feed the turbinicarpus using universal preparations for succulents and cacti in the dosage indicated by the manufacturer.
- Transfer. The cactus is slow-growing, so the pot is changed as it grows - every few years. It is better to take a small container, but wide and put a layer of drainage on the bottom. It is recommended to buy the soil that is intended for succulents and cacti with pH values of 5, 0-6, 0. If the grower decided to compose a substrate for Turbinicarpus on his own, then clay soil, peat chips, coarse sand are mixed for it in equal proportions. Also, a little fine expanded clay and crushed charcoal are introduced into such a soil mixture. After planting, the top of the ground is covered with fine expanded clay.
Tips for breeding turbinarpus at home
You can get a new miniature cactus by sowing seed, which is collected by yourself or purchased at a flower shop.
Before planting seeds of turbinicarpus, they must be soaked for a day in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (the color of such a liquid should be slightly pink) or a suspension of benlate should be used. Sowing is done in a pot filled with a mixture of soil and perlite (for looseness). A small layer of quartz sand is poured on top, and a little is sprayed from a spray bottle. Seeds are distributed on the surface, and the container itself is then covered with a piece of glass or wrapped in a plastic transparent bag. This will help create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse. The pot must be placed in such a place so that bright, but diffused lighting is provided at a temperature of about 20-25 degrees.
Seedlings of some species begin to germinate the very next day, while others "wait" for a week break. When a month has passed, you can pick young plants. After that, young Turbinicarpus are placed in a more deliberate place, but shaded from the direct rays of the sun, which can burn the shoots.
There is information that it is not recommended to plant such cacti, except when it is necessary to get seeds in the future. In this case, it is necessary to use Harrisia as a rootstock.
Diseases and pests of turbinicarpus in home cultivation
Cactus lovers can be pleased with the fact that the plant is quite resistant to diseases and pests, but nevertheless, with constant violation of the conditions of keeping, Turbinicarpus can be affected by root and mealybugs. For treatment, it is recommended to carry out treatment with insecticidal and acaricidal preparations. With frequent flooding of the soil, the root system can suffer from putrefactive processes that provoke both diseases and decay. Immediate transplantation into a sterile container with pretreatment with fungicides will be required.
When carrying out unbalanced dressings or their incorrect dosage, the size of the turbinocactus becomes large, and as you know, this plant is famous for its miniature parameters. The same procedure errors lead to a decrease in the number of spines, as well as "vague" forms of tubercles. Such plants begin to weaken quickly, wintering becomes a real test for them, and flowering is weak.
Since under natural conditions the varieties of Turbinicarpus grow at a great distance from each other, then cross-pollination usually does not occur and the colony, so to speak, retains its "purity". But if pots with different types of this cactus are placed next to the windowsill, then the process of transferring pollen from one flowers to others is inevitable and the owner will become the owner of hybrids with an unattractive appearance. Therefore, when the flowering period of such plants comes, it is recommended to put them away from each other.
To flower growers a note about the turbinicarpus, a photo of a flower
In 1927, Karl Bedeker presented a description of Echinocactus schmiedickeanus, which was just discovered and was the first specimen of this group. Then in 1929 by the gardener and botanist from Germany Alvin Berger (1871-1931), the plant was referred to the new genus Strombokactus. The second taxon was described by a passionate cactus researcher, German botanist Erik Verdermann (1892-1959) in 1931 and the name of the plant began to bear Echinocactus macrochele, which after five years was also included by the botanist Kurt Bakeberg (1894-1966) in genus Strombocactus. Already in the 30s of the last century, Werderman submitted a description of Thelocactus lophophoroides, which in 1935, with the assistance of his German colleague Reinhard Gustav Paul Knut (1874-1957), was also attributed to the genus Strombokactus. This representative of the flora, along with Strombocactus pseudomacrochele (Strombocactus pseudomacrochele), whose description was published in 1936, was attached to the genus Turbinicarpus. The same botanist from Germany K. Bakeberg and Australian cactus taxonomist Franz Buxbaum (1900-1979) were engaged in the installation of this genus. They finished their activities in this direction in 1937.
Turbinicarpus types
- Turbinicarpus alonsoi. The plant got its specific name thanks to a boy from Mexico Alonso Gasia Luna, who was the first to discover this species when he took part in the expedition of the famous American researcher and collector of such plants Charles Edward Glass (1934-1998). This cactus is endemic to the Mexican state of Guanajuato. The plant has a single stem of flat-spherical shape, varying in height in the range of 6-9 cm. Almost the entire surface of the stem is under the soil and in length it is measured in the range of 9-10 cm. The shoot has ribs arranged in a spiral order and divided into tubercles. Their color is grayish green. From the very beginning, areoles have a brown woolly coating, but later its color turns gray. There are 3-5 thorns, not exceeding 2 cm in length. Their outlines are flattened, the color is gray with a darker top. In the process of flowering, the buds open, the color of the petals of which varies from pinkish-purple to cherry-red, while in the central part there is a more brightly colored stripe. The length of the flower is 2 cm, the edge of the petals is with denticles. The pistil has a white color. The fruit contains about a hundred seeds, with the help of which reproduction takes place.
- Turbinicarpus lophphrokte (Turbinicarpus lophphrokte). This variety has a club-shaped stem, bluish in color with a grayish-green tint. The height of the shoots can reach 10 cm; in natural conditions, cacti create small groups in size. The root has massive outlines, on the top of the stem there is pubescence of bundles formed by whitish felt. The spines on the ribs are grayish-black in color, they are not hard to the touch. When flowering in summer, inflorescences of pink flowers open at the top of the stem. The plant bears fruit with berries with seeds of a grayish-brown color. In culture, it is prone to rotting of the root system.
- Turbinicarpus Klinker (Turbinicarpus klinkerianus). This variety has 12 forms, which, when grown at home, require abundant moisture and a hot temperature. The stem is spherical with a non-shiny surface, painted in emerald-violet color. Lateral shoots are not formed. On the smooth top there is a whitish tomentose pubescence. Radial spines grow bent towards the top of the shoot, they are painted in a snow-white tone. When blooming, buds with petals of a matte white hue open, each with a dark rim. These cacti are very unassuming to grow at home.
- Turbinicarpus krainzianus (Turbinicarpus krainzianus). A large number of star-shaped spines of a brown color are formed on the stem. They beautifully set off the grayish surface of the stem, which has no lateral shoots. At the apex there is a pubescence of whitish hairs. Rib spines, rather thinned, and have an upward bend, their color is brownish-yellow. Flowers with creamy white petals, fruits with a brownish gray surface.
- Turbinicarpus Polaskii (Turbinicarpus Polaskii). There are areoles on the stem of this cactus, which give rise to bent spines. The color of the flattened stem is greenish-blue. There are no shoots growing on the sides. Throughout the summer period, snow-white pink buds bloom at the top of the stem.
- Pink-flowered turbinicarpus (Turbinicarpus roseiflorus). The stem of the cactus has a spherical shape and an emerald hue. It grows alone, without giving lateral processes. On the surface, ribs-tubercles are formed, and at the very top there is a whitish pubescence. Radial thorns tend to fall off over time. Their color is pinkish, the location is radial. The shade of the central spines is charcoal, they grow vertically at the top. The inflorescences, which decorate the top of the stem, consist of flowers of a creamy pinkish color. They are decorated with a burgundy strip along the petals.
- Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus (Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus). The stem has a spherical shape, its surface is painted in a gray-green hue. On the shoot, low tubercles of large sizes are formed; spines with a strong bend originate in the white pubescent areoles. The flowering process extends from late spring to September. The petals of the flowers are snow-white, the corolla is funnel-shaped. The diameter at full opening reaches 2 cm.
