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Weather and Light
Astrophytum prefer a temperate climate. Generally, they do best in areas with bright filtered sunlight. Most Astrophytum can tolerate full sunlight, however some can get sunburn if they are in full sun during the afternoon when the temperatures are highest. Full sun in combination with temperatures above 90 can damage most Astrophytum. Morning and/or evening sun with partial shade (at least 40%) is ideal.
Soil, Potting, and Container
One of the most crucial parts of working with Astrophytum is having a well-draining soil. Astrophytum roots will rot if they sit in water or wet soil for too long. If the soil you are working with doesn’t drain well, you can add a soil amendment such as gravel, pumice, perlite, turface, expanded shale, or coarse sand. These will help loosen the soil and allow the water to drain more quickly, thus allowing the soil to dry faster. In general, it is best to use a pot with a drainage hole to allow water to flow out of the pot.
While most store-bought succulent and cacti mixes (e.g., Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm, and Citrus, Black Gold Cactus Mix) will be fine for Astrophytum, mixing your own will generally produce the best results. The best soil ratio in our experience is 20%-40% organic material such as store-bought cactus potting mix, fine bark, topsoil, peat moss, coconut coir, mix with 60%-80% inorganic material such as crushed granite, coarse grain sand, perlite, pumice, turface, akadama, granulated calclined clay.
Using a top dressing, such as a pea gravel or decorative rock is recommended. It adds a professional touch to an arrangement.
Watering
Watering once a week is a good place to start if you’re unsure of how often to water. However, look for signs of watering problems to help determine if you need to increase or decrease your watering frequency. Making gradual changes to the watering frequency as you notice early signs of over or under watering will help ensure your Astrophytum stay healthy.
How frequently you water is greatly determined by your climate, soil and the size of pot you are growing them in. When the weather gets hot your Astrophytum will need more water, in the winter months (November-March) when it’s cold reduce or withhold the watering because they enter in the phase of dormancy.
Fertilizer
Your Astrophytum will also benefit from regular fertilizer during the growing season (spring and summer) Use a fertilizer with low nitrogen. Spring is generally the best time to fertilize as this is when most cacti begin actively growing.
Happy Growing!
