Distinctive features of kopiapoa, agricultural technology for indoor cultivation, cactus breeding rules, pest and disease control, facts, types. Copiapoa scientists attributed to the oldest family of Cactaceae (Cactaceae). This plant can most often be found in South America (in northern Chile and in the Atacama Desert), is endemic to these areas, that is, this cactus does not grow anywhere else on the planet.
The scientific name of the cactus is due to the area in the Chilean state - Copiapoa, it was discovered only in 1922 by botanists Britton and Rose. Often, cactus growers call the plant "Chilean".
Copiapoa can be placed either singly or bush. The stems have spherical or oblong-cylindrical outlines. The tops are usually covered with dense pubescence. The root system has fibrous or core contours. The ribs on the stem are very distinct. Usually, spines grow in the areoles, the length of which varies depending on the species.
In the process of flowering, buds are formed at the top of the stem, the outlines of their corolla take a shape from funnel-shaped to bell-shaped. The color of the petals is often yellow, but it happens that a reddish tint is present. The length of the corolla tube is short, wide, the pericarp is also not long, in contours it resembles a pin, devoid of pubescence. After flowering, small fruits with a smooth surface ripen, scales grow on their top, which do not fly around. Inside there are large seeds, with a shiny and smooth surface, each seed has a large hilum - this is the name of the place (scar) with which the seed is attached in the fruit.
Rules for creating conditions for growing kopiapoa
- Lighting and location selection. When the growing season begins, the plant is not yet fully awake and the direct rays of the sun can burn the spearpoa if it is kept in a greenhouse without ventilation or behind glass on a windowsill. How does the cactus tolerate the hot and burning sun in natural conditions? Quite simply, in those arid areas there is the possibility of even a slight breeze, but this does not happen in the room. And even in the afternoon, when the afternoon sun begins to scorch on the desert Chilean lands, a thick fog dissipates, which quickly envelops the plants and brings breeze and coolness. Therefore, it is recommended to put the cactus pot on the windowsills of the western or eastern location.
- Content temperature. Since the spear is an inhabitant of the hot regions of the planet, it will be necessary to withstand moderate heat indices, but ensure the difference between the temperature in the daytime and at night. In the summer months, the thermometer should fluctuate between 20-25 degrees, and in the winter months, the plant perfectly tolerates a drop in temperature and up to 5 units, or even lower. But it is preferable to keep the cactus at 10 degrees Celsius.
- Air humidity in the room where the Chilean cactus is located, it should be high, since in the conditions of natural growth there are dense fogs. Therefore, for the cactus, abundant spraying from a finely dispersed spray bottle is recommended, so that there is water dust next to the spear. The water should be well settled and warm.
- To water Chilean cactus should be used with great care. You can water the substrate from above only in the evening and when the soil in the pot is completely dry. There are recommendations to moisten the plant, and in this case the soil is moistened only slightly from above, and not all wet. Such watering is recommended in the hot season, once every few days, and with the arrival of cold weather, and especially in the winter months, humidification practically stops. Only soft and warm water is used.
- Fertilizers for kopiapoa are used only when signs of increased growth are noticed. The frequency of top dressing is every 4–6 weeks. Common preparations are used for plants from the cactus family.
- Transfer and soil recommendations. There is a rule to change the pot and the substrate in it for the Chilean cactus only once every 2-3 years in winter. The capacity should be deep, since the roots of the plant are quite impressive in length.
The soil mixture is selected loose, with an acidity of pH about 6. For planting, use ordinary soil for cactus representatives so that they contain a high percentage of mineral impurities.
How to breed spearpoa at home?
It is possible to get a new Chilean cactus by sowing seeds or vegetatively.
Sowing seed is recommended in winter. They are placed in a container filled with moistened sand without sealing. Heat indicators during germination are maintained in the range of 20-25 degrees. You will need to carry out backlighting with an artificial light source. Some experts recommend arranging a daily temperature difference between day and night time within 5 degrees.
If you want the seedlings to develop faster, then they are sown in more nutritious soil or grafted. When grown in nutrient soil, you need regular moisture and fertilization throughout the year. Also, warm growing conditions are maintained, similar to greenhouse ones with mandatory backlighting. When kopiapoa seedlings are to be grown in natural light, it is advisable to protect them from the harmful, scorching rays of the sun.
If the seedling begins to resemble a walnut in size, it can be removed from the stock and planted for rooting - this process is quite easy. You can also propagate by side shoots. The rooting rate directly depends on the cut area - the larger it is, the slower the rooting goes. If the seedling is cut at the root, then it is important not to disturb the root system, since the left root collar can subsequently give young shoots. Stem shoots of a cactus, even when they do not differ in a special size, in comparison with seedlings, have all the external features of an adult specimen of a cactus.
Pest and disease control in the care of kopiapoa
The harmful insects that annoy the cactus during home care are mealybugs, red spider mites, and larvae of sciaris flies (sciara).
In the first case, the pest appears in the leaf sinuses or between the processes. Its waste products are visible in the named places in the form of education, similar to pieces of cotton wool. You will need to rinse under showers of warm water, and then treat with an insecticide.
The mite will destroy the epidermis of the trunk, and getting rid of this pest is problematic. It is mainly the spearpoa cacti with the soft "body" of the stem that suffer, but the hard-bodied varieties are not exposed to the action of the harmful insect. Acaricides are used to combat. The appearance of a tick is preceded by a low humidity in the room where the plant is located. Sciarid flies are black and they are clearly visible on the surface of the soil, where they lay eggs there, which subsequently become a breeding ground for larvae. If there is peat in the soil or a cactus has rotting parts, then this is the best attraction for these pests. The larvae begin to eat up the root processes and sometimes the whole stumps are destroyed so that only the leathery membrane remains of them. Also, the harmful insect allows fungal infections to penetrate the spearpoa and even adult cacti can be destroyed. An insecticidal treatment will be required.
Points to note about copiapoa
The city of Capiapoa is located in the Atacami province of the Chilean state, it is there that the cactus grows, regardless of areas with specific climatic conditions. There is no protection for plants from the scorching sun rays. This genus of representatives of the cactus family is very original not only because of the niche of its growth, but also in morphological characteristics, and no changes in its species have undergone amendments since the time of the initial systematization by scientists N. Britton and J. Rose at the beginning of the 20th century. The only thing that has changed is that the only genus Pilocopaipoa was introduced into the Coppoa genus, which received its status in an earlier period for not entirely justified reasons.
Plants are of great interest to cactus collectors, as many grow and specialize specifically in the Chilean representatives of the flora, calling them "Chileans", namely, spearpoa, neochineniya, eriositsa and the like.
Species of kopiapoa
- Copiapoa montana he respects the Chilean lands as his native growing areas. It differs in a gray-green color with a stem, but if the plant is in the sun, then it acquires a brownish tint. At first, this cactus has a spherical stem, but over time it becomes cylindrical. On the ribs there are large tubercles, the dimensions of which are equal to 8 mm in height, at their ends areoles with tomentose pubescence are located and in them there are straight, with a slight bend, spines with a black or black-brown color scheme. The flowers are large, with yellow petals and a shiny surface, they open wide and can reach 5.5 cm in diameter. The buds originate at the very top of the stem. In rare cases, several flowers bloom at the same time. The flowering process takes place from June to August.
- Copiapoa humilis grows on the territory of the state of Chile. The stem takes on a flattened-spherical shape, which can reach 2.5 cm in diameter. Small tubercles grow on the ribs, which have corymbose outlines with spines. They are located in different directions on the sides, there are 10-12 units, and in the center there is also one more prominent one. When opening, the flowers reach a diameter of about 2 cm, their petals are yellow in color, the flowering process begins from mid-summer until its end. In culture, this variety is very changeable.
- Copiapoa hypogaea. At the stem, the height reaches five centimeters, the outlines are spherical, the color is brown. Areals with dense pubescence are located on wide tubercles, they are located so densely that with their cover they form a dense felt "robe" of a cactus. Under natural conditions, this protects the plant from adverse influences. As soon as the dry period begins, the kopyapoa turnip root pulls the aboveground part into the soil, so that only its stem top is visible above the soil surface. When blooming, flower buds with yellow petals begin to break through from the dense fluffy cover, the sizes of which are comparable to the parameters of the stem. The species of spearpoa, which was bred in the recent past, is highly prized by cactus collectors, as the plant has textured epidermis. Its color is quite decorative.
- Copiapoa bridgesii represents singly placed cacti, which in height can take parameters in the range of 20–40 cm with a diameter of up to 5–8 cm. There are up to 8–12 ribs on the stem. The number of central spines is 1–3, and the number of radial spines ranges from 5–10 units. The spines are measured in length by two centimeters. The length of the flower can reach 4 cm, the color of the petals is yellow.
- Copiapoa Coquimbana bears the local name - Coquimbano and is a variety with abundant branching. Under conditions of natural growth, it can form whole colonies of stem "heads", the length of such growths is often measured in meters. The tubercles serve as distributors for the ribs, the skin color is grayish-green. The flowers have bell-shaped outlines, and the shade of the petals takes on a yellow tint.
- Copiapoa cinerea is the rarest and most precious of the collection. The plant is large in size and has a ribbed trunk of almost columnar outlines. In the upper part, the trunk is covered with a whitish shade with thorns, black as pitch, but these thorns fall off easily and their number is often variable. On the crown there is a covering with pubescence of a gray shade. The flowers are yellowish in color.
- Copiapoa echinoides (Lem.) Britt. Et. Rose) has a spherical stem, painted in a greenish-gray tone. The ribs on it are convex, low. Flowers with yellowish petals, there is a reddish tint outside. If measurements are taken, the diameter of the stem can vary within 7–18 cm. The number of ribs reaches 11–17 units. Up to three central spines can form at most, and radial spines are measured in the range of 6–10 pieces.
- Copiapoa haseltomana It is very similar to the species of spearpoa Cinerea, but only the stem has a grayish-green tone, but the number of thorns is more multiple and their length is greater. Their color is light, the pubescence at the very top of the stem takes on an orange-brown color.
- Copiapoa calderana. The native territories of growth are in the lands of the northern regions of Chile, Antofagasta and the North Caldera. Basically, these cacti like to settle on the rocky surfaces of coastal areas. The variety has a tuberous root that is buried very deep in the soil in order to deliver organic matter to its stem that is not present in the soil. The layer on the surface of such a substrate consists almost entirely of granite (it is called "maicillo"), and already at a greater depth there is a sufficiently dense clay that allows it to retain moisture throughout the hot summer period. Rain is rare in this species' native land, but coastal fog is usually present, which helps the spearpoa replenish its fluid reserves for successful growth. This variety often grows as single cacti. The root processes are very long with tubercles. The color of the trunk is greenish or gray-greenish, its shape is spherical or cylindrical. If measurements are taken, the height can vary within 15–30 cm, with a diameter of about 10 cm. There is dense pubescence at the apex, the number of ribs is in the range of 10–17 units. The color of the areolas is yellowish at first, but over time it changes to a black color. There are usually 1–2 central spines, growing up to 2, 2–3 cm in length. Radial spines can vary within 1–1, 5 cm in length and their number ranges from 5 to 7 pieces. The flowering process occurs in the spring and summer. The flowers are formed with a funnel-shaped corolla, the petals are light yellow, their length reaches 3–3.5 cm, with a diameter of up to 3 cm. The flowers have a fragrant aroma. Fruits that ripen after flowering are colored in a light greenish color, which is replaced by a reddish tint. Their length is 15 mm. Seeds are placed inside, which have a glossy surface and black color. This variety is highly variable.
- Copiapoa cinerascens under conditions of natural growth, it can form into wide "cushions".
What a spearpoa looks like, see below:
