Aylostera DEMINUTA

Aylostera DEMINUTA - Deminuta Aylostera, Aylostera deminuta, Rebutia.

Aylostera is a genus of plants in the Cactaceae family, numbering, according to various sources, from 10 to 30 species. In nature, they grow high in the mountains, in crevices and hollows of rocky slopes, and are accustomed to sharp daily temperature fluctuations.

The genus is very close to Rebutia, but differs from them by cylindrical stems in adult plants, bristles on the floral tube, and a pistil fused with the tube for half of its length. Some authors generally consider Aylostera a subgenus of Rebutia, so in catalogs the same plants are found under both names.

The plants are small, up to 6 cm (2.4 in) across, ovoid or cylindrical, densely covered with thin spines and abundantly forming side shoots. There are 11-25 ribs, divided into small tubercles. Spines are white, thin, bristle-like, about 0.5 cm (0.2 in) long, with central ones longer, up to 2 cm (0.8 in). Flowers are solitary, funnel-shaped, orange or red, up to 4 cm (1.6 in) across.

Aylostera deminuta is a species from Northern Argentina with a dark green stem up to 6 cm (2.4 in) high and as much across.

There are 10-12 white spines, up to 0.6 cm (0.24 in) long. Flowers are up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long and across, orange-red. This is one of the oldest and most reliable species of the genus in cultivation: it readily produces offsets, flowers easily, and grows well on its own roots.

Aylostera seeds are very small, dark, maturing in small dry fruits at the base of the stem. Before sowing, they are disinfected by holding them for 10 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dried in air. Scarification and stratification are not required.

Sowing is carried out on the surface in a sterilized substrate of completely rotted leaf mold, washed river sand, and finely crushed charcoal in a 1:1:0.5 ratio, with mandatory good drainage. The sowing is moistened from a spray bottle with a growth stimulant solution: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon, covered with film or placed in a propagator, and germinated in light, but not in direct sun, at a temperature of 15-20 °C (59-68 °F).

Under favorable conditions, the first sprouts appear as early as 7 days, the main germination is completed in 7-14 days, and individual seeds may delay for longer than 30 days. Sowings are regularly ventilated; waterlogging and drying out are unacceptable. Pricking out is carried out after the appearance of 2-3 true spines into pots sized to the seedlings, with the next repotting only the following year. Caring for a seedling as an adult plant is possible only from two years of age, and adapting to such a regime must be gradual. Young plants need good lighting, but direct sunlight should be avoided.

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Aylostera needs good lighting and fresh air. It prefers bright direct light without shading and does best on southeastern and southern balconies and windows, slightly worse on eastern and western ones. On a north window, the plant loses its natural appearance, stretches out, and does not flower, so artificial supplemental lighting is required there.

In summer, the plant is kept at 25-35 °C (77-95 °F), preferably outdoors, or if that is not possible, with regular room ventilation. If there were few sunny days in autumn and winter, in spring the plant is gradually accustomed to direct rays; otherwise it will get sunburned. In autumn, the temperature is gradually lowered, preparing the cactus for dormancy.

During dormancy, a cool, dry, and bright room is needed, optimally 6-10 °C (43-50 °F). At higher temperatures, plants stretch out, overgrow with numerous offsets, and flower poorly. Observing the autumn-winter temperature regime is particularly important here: warm air coupled with lack of light prevents the cactus from entering dormancy and leads to stem deformation.

In summer, watering is regular as soon as the substrate in the pot dries out. The water should be well-settled and preferably acidified with citric acid at a rate of half a teaspoon per 7 liters (1.8 gal). From mid-September to mid-May, watering is stopped completely; only young plants smaller than 1 cm (0.4 in) across are watered. Watering resumes when daytime temperatures settle above 20 °C (68 °F).

The substrate should be nutritious, water- and air-permeable: for example, 1 part coarse river sand, 1 part peat, and 3 parts leaf mold, with a particle size of 3-5 mm (0.12-0.2 in). Drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot.

Fertilizer is applied with the start of the growing season, once a month, using a specialized fertilizer for cacti; it is not used during dormancy. There should be less nitrogen in the fertilizer than other elements: its excess triggers root rot. The approximate ratio is nitrogen 9, phosphorus 18, potassium 24.

It is impossible to indicate the exact repotting time: it depends on the climate, where the collection is located, and even window orientation. The moment must be caught on your own - when plants plump up and begin to grow. Early-flowering species are repotted after flowering. Young specimens are repotted annually only if necessary, adults once every 3-4 years, moving from dry substrate into dry substrate as well, and the first watering is given only after 5-7 days, keeping the cactus in a shaded spot all this time. In addition to seeds, aylostera is propagated by rooting side shoots - offsets.