I have been after a Copiapoa hypogaea for a while now and was lucky enough to get one through our trade thread

http://forum.auscactiforum.net/trade-and-sell-f5/free-thread-a-continual-trading-thread-t4.htm

Was wondering what requirements this cactus has as I have never grown any from this genus prior to this.

Thanks.

Are you growing subsp. barquitensis or just hypogaea?

It shouldnt really matter but I found that mine have been prone to root mealy which might be something to watch out for.
Partial sun, not too much food as they are slow growers if you havent worked that out already. Be careful not to over water. I'm still learning with this genus as I go...

I'm sure I have just stated the obvious here but I hope this help Trig.

Id treat them the same you would any astro Trig. I dont really give mine any special care and they thrive.

I don't think the copiapoas need special care, believe me for mine to survive you don't need to

Hey Trig I could cut a pup off of my haseltonia if you want, I had a picture of it in another thread.

PM if you do

Cheers people, didn't think they would be too difficult.

I don't know Betty, you often say things like that but your collection is large, healthy and well...eviable in many ways. I think you are a far better grower than you let on.

Trig if you could see the ones I don't post pics of. Scale grrrrrrrrr makes them look so ugly and horrible. Its really hard to get rid of, I am forever treating for it

I'm sure we all have a few cacti that we would rather others not too see lol

Can't you hammer them with something nasty like Malathon? That should give those scale something to think about. I get them occasionally, never had them too badly, got a few mealies I am keeping my eye on though.

Anyone grow C. lauii? Definitely one on my 'must have' list.

Trig i don't have many Copiapoas but my cinerea and humilis have survived temps below 2C with no ill effects, and could probably go lower. as long as they are dry they are fine. in summer they (particularly cinerea) can burn extremely easily in the sun and it is best to place them in at least semi shade. even though in the wild they are exposed to some of the highest intensity light of any cacti in habitat, they are shielded by a waxy coating over the skin which is often an attractive colour (eg. cinerea is white), conveniently, in cultivation this is washed off by overhead watering, leaving the plants naked and more susceptible to burn.

Yeah I was reading about the waxy coating on the epidermis, apparently it has something to do with the mist in the area, this mist, or so I understand, is an important source of moisture/water for the plants. Very interesting genus IMO. I wonder if by misting them and giving occasional capillary watering, makes me wonder if you could maintain the waxy coating if special attention was paid to cultivation, especially if grown in a greenhouse. I'm sure people have tried that, but it's a bit of food for thought anywyay. I have some C. humilis seeds, am looking foward to germinating them in spring.

Yes, mist spraying is supposed to be beneficial becuase it mimicks the Atacaman mists. In fact copapoas rarely receive any rain at all in their habitat, this desert being one of the driest places on earth, in which there are areas where it has not rained for 400 years.

heres a good site:
http://www.copiapoa.info/

i believe it is possible to keep the attractive waxy coating on the plants by never using overhead watering and practising only deep bottom watering, mist spraying and growing the plants under cover for their entire lives.

my research of the Atacma tells me that it is actually the driest place on earth:

''The average rainfall in the Chilean region of Antofagasta is just 1 mm per year, and at one time no rain fell in the entire desert for 400 years. Some weather stations in the Atacama have never received rain. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971.''

and in some places there is no life in any form whatsoever, like the surface of Mars:

''a team of researchers published a report in Science magazine titled “Mars-like Soils in the Atacama Desert, Chile, and the Dry Limit of Microbial Life” in which they duplicated the tests used by the Viking 1 and Viking 2 Mars landers to detect life, and were unable to detect any signs in Atacama Desert soil.''

the only reason copiapoas survive at all is the coastal mists, and they only grow along the coast. considering that they are adpated to this hyper-arid environment, it is surprising that they actually take well to cultivation at all.

Hello, there isn't a valid "ssp. barquitensis" published and actually the New Cactus Lexicon only accept:

- C. hypogaea ssp. hypogaea
- C. hypogaea ssp. laui


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Copiapoa hypogaea from "Pan de Azucar"




C. hypogaea var. barquitensis Ritter
photo 1


photo 2, with the root exposed (notice an older "head" covered by the ground)



They live in front of the Ocean and that mean a lot of wind (from the sea to the continent).
Days are very warm, but normally with clounds in the sky. And aprox. from the 18:00 to the next morning, the clounds are more intense and some drops condense in the ground and in the spines of the plant.

Normally this specie grows absolutely covered by sand so it is not necesary to put them exposed to direct sunlight.

During winter, temperatures never "down" more than 5º C. ¡NEVER under zero!


Here in Big size


good luck!

Juan

Some great info there.

Would you say the cultivation (and habitat etc;) of other Copiapoa spp., like Copiapoa cinerea for example is similiar, or the same as for Copiapoa hypogaea? Or is it completely different?

Thanks!!!

wel, it change a little but not so different abitat, a thing i have learned some time ago, the copiapoas resist relativeli to sun but not so god to heat, so if you want to place it in ful sun rimember that a little wind is necessary, if the copip are inide a closed gh sunburn are assured !