I love a good root

[iann]

Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele caught my eye with its miniature turnip

Mammillaria magnimamma

Can I count this as a root?

Copiapoa tenuissima would be expected to have big roots. The pot was slightly translucent, so they're also green!

Not as big as you might expect, but long and thick enough to be a nuisance potting them.

[KarlR]

Nice roots! Got to love a big tap root

Here's a couple of fun ones. First a couple of Pseudolithos propped up by their own roots, and a sitting Adenium.

[iann]

Root made art!

[KarlR]

Root made art!

Indeed! Growing the roots into fanciful shapes would be fun for an exhibition. Don't know if the plants would be happy though.

[Aiko]

I especially like the Pseudolithos.
What did you do with the roots potting the plant up again? Untangled them, or just kept them in the same shape and pot them up in a bigger pot like that?

[KarlR]

I especially like the Pseudolithos.
What did you do with the roots potting the plant up again? Untangled them, or just kept them in the same shape and pot them up in a bigger pot like that?

Thanks! Just potted them in bigger pots. Not really possible to untangle them as the roots sort of stick together a bit, and also not necessary.

[Aiko]

The Pseudolithos I have / had have always had shallow roots. I don't know what you did to get them like this but if there is a secret, let me know...

[KarlR]

The Pseudolithos I have / had have always had shallow roots. I don't know what you did to get them like this but if there is a secret, let me know...

These were just three years old from seed when that photo was taken. They are about 5 cm in diameter there. I grew them under artificial light, using metal halide 400w bulbs. The main benefit of this with regards to Pseudolithos is that those bulbs give off a lot of heat (I think around 25-35C at soil level). Coupled with the intense light from the bulbs and the mineral potting mix, I would water about every week all year.

I imagine the conditions would be comparable to those nurseries in Thailand that produce these plants by the thousands. Take a look at FB or Instagram - it's incredible to see.

[Ivan]

Beautiful looking roots!! Is this a good time to repot, especially the alstonii in flower? I have quite a few pots that are just rock solid. I'm afraid to pull them out and have a look at them. Also, it is not easy finding very long, deep pots that are not too wide as well.

[MikeDom]

When I read the title of the post, I though I had strayed onto the wrong forum. The word 'root' means something very different in Aussie slang.