A process of becoming.

Early 2018, I purchased a plant of Gymnocalycium anisitsii subsp. damsii, a very common and inexpensive cactus that is available practically anywhere in the Philippines. It was acquired mainly for experimental purposes; these past years I have been trying to emulate the appearance of wild plants by using purely- yes, 100%- inorganic, mineral mix. No soil, just rocks. I was inspired by photos of wild plants in their natural habitats and the interest coincided with a paradigm shift wherein mainstream 'knowledge' relating to cacti mix have been totally thrown out of the window in favor of a much more natural way to grow these plants. Anybody who has spent a fair deal of time cultivating cacti surely knows what G. anisitsii subsp. damsii looks like: dark green, plump cacti with short and thin spines and  prolifically surrounded by pups. The plant I bought is typical of these store-bought varieties. Upon returning home, I immediately removed all the pups, potted it in a purely mineral mix, watered it, then placed in a spot where it will receive full, unfiltered sun throughout the day. That was January of 2018. By mid-April, the plant looked like this (photo below). The ribbing became more prominent and the spines grew longer. It should be mentioned that while these plants are known for producing multiple offsets, my specimen stayed single-bodied.

Fast-forward to April 8, 2020. This is how the plant looks like now. The coloration has changed to a yellowy-green with reddish suffusion. Seen from above, the plant looked remarkably similar to G. mihanovichii. The ribbing became more triangular and the spines grew longer.

Seen from the sides, one will notice the corking at the base and a wrinkling of the 'skin'; novices get panicky when this happens and immediately resort to cries of help on social media. But, I am no beginner. This plant has NEVER been fertilized since its acquisition, and the very limited nutrients available perhaps prevented the plant from sprouting offsets. The pups you see here are all that's been produced in two years' worth of growing it really hard. This is the way I wanted it to look- lean and wild. There is an air of an indignant survivalist in the face of abandonment, a countenance shaped by the very toughest of conditions. Contrast this 'edgy' look with that of a typical, pampered damsii and you will see the difference. One may even misidentify this as something else, a common outcome for cacti grown in more severe conditions. However, I must submit that this approach, as well as the plant's looks, is not for everyone. But as this pandemic rages on and I am being unwillingly restrained indoors, the sight of plants that evoke the wilderness throws me into fond reminiscings of the earth and sky, instead of seeing only tiles and roofs.