Blossfeldia liliputana
And here is the smallest cactus, the stem of which does not exceed 1-1.5 cm. This amazing species grows high in the mountains, ranging from southern Bolivia to the northern regions of Argentina.
The miniature cactus does not have ribs and thorns; during the flowering period, it throws out beautiful white-pink flowers. They grow only on gravelly surfaces or in crevices of rocks, and dry quickly in pots with soil.
Today, biological science knows 6 species of Blossfeldia, and this is the only species from the whole variety of cacti that can completely dry out and then hydrate as a result of watering.
In conclusion, we note that in the course of evolution, cacti acquired a thick cover with thorns to protect themselves and survive in the most severe conditions. But their ability to store a large amount of moisture in themselves cannot but amaze, and therefore cacti can be found in the most deserted places of our planet, and even on the tops of high mountains.
In recent decades, cacti have become a very popular type of houseplants, since at the end of the twentieth century, scientists proved that they perfectly ionize indoor air.
Article author: Valery Skiba
Home care
Although Cleistocactus are very sensitive, require attention and care, it is not at all difficult to learn how to take care of a plant.
Post-purchase actions
Transplanting is the very first and most important thing to start with proper care.
The container and substrate in which the flower was in the store are used for sale only.
They are not suitable for permanent plant maintenance.
To transplant a cactus, you need to take a new pot (about a size larger), put a drain, fill it with fresh substrate.
It is best to purchase a special mixture for growing cacti and succulents.
You can prepare the soil yourself. To do this, mix coarse sand, turf and leafy soil in equal proportions. Add peat and brick chips to the finished mixture.
Then carefully remove the cactus from the previous container, shake off the root system. Be sure to inspect the roots for rot or pests.
Only then can you start transplanting.
Lighting
"Cleistocactus" are very light-requiring. They do not need protection from direct sunlight. Most comfortable for this flower will be on the window facing the south side.
Pay attention to the light conditions in the fall and winter.
During this period, the days are often cloudy and rainy. If necessary, take care of creating additional artificial lighting.
Temperature
In spring and summer, the cactus will be comfortable in a room with a moderate, warm temperature - 22-26 degrees. In winter, there comes a time of rest. The temperature should be lowered to 11-14 degrees.
You should not lower it anymore, because the cold will negatively affect the health of the plant.
Important! The cactus really does not like drafts, sudden temperature changes.
In summer, in dry, hot weather, take the plant outside so that it warms up in the sun, ventilates, and breathes fresh air.
Air humidity
The plant is well adapted for growing indoors with dry air. Additional moisture is not required. Only on hot summer days, you can spray the flower with warm water 1-2 times a week. This will freshen it up a bit and remove dust.
Watering
During the period of active growth, frequent, regular watering is required.
At the same time, make sure that the soil dries well between waterings.
The flower tolerates a lack of moisture much better than an excess of it.
Stagnant moisture can lead to rot formation.
In winter, the cactus is practically not watered.
Fertilizers
In its natural environment, the flower grows in soil depleted in minerals. It is well adapted to growing without fertilization.
If you want to feed the plant, it is recommended to do this no more than once a month, only in spring and summer, and use only special fertilizer for cacti and succulents.
Bloom
The flowering time of the Cleithocactus is spring. During this period, the frequency of watering should be increased.
To start flowering, it is important to properly care for it during the dormant period.
Transfer
Kleistokactus is sensitive to transplants. At a young age, it is transplanted in the spring once a year, and an adult flower is only transplanted as needed (about once every 2-3 years).
Reproduction
The flower is propagated in two ways: cuttings, seeds.
The cactus is propagated by "children" most often
To do this, carefully break off the handle
Please note that it must be broken off, not cut off. Then they are dried for 7 days in a darkened, dry place and planted in a ready-made substrate for cacti and succulents.
The cuttings are placed one at a time in each container.
Note! At the time of rooting, they should be tied to a support so that they are fixed.
Seeds are planted less often, although they are sometimes found in specialized stores with detailed instructions for care and cultivation.
They are sown into a peat-sand mixture. After the seedlings are formed, they are transplanted into separate containers.
Cactus colors
Depending on the species, the succulent can be multi-colored. The most common are green, grayish, there are also other colors.
Pink
In order for the cactus to have a deep pink color, it must be modified, artificially prohibiting the development of chloroplasts. They are responsible for all shades of green in nature. Elimination of chloroplast harms the flora - without it, the process of photosynthesis is impossible. Therefore, there are few such plants. They get them like this: a modified sprout is grafted into a healthy one.
Interesting. This procedure was invented in Japan, because cacti are called Japanese.
Red
The cactus can be bright red, but only on top. A striking example of this is Mikhanovich's Gymnokalycium, a variation of Friedrich. It was with him that the creation of colored succulents began.
Gymnokalycium Mikhanovich
The upper red part is a scion that cannot exist without the rootstock - the lower part, a healthy, unmodified plant.
Blue
Bright blue cactus are rare on sale. However, in nature there are blue succulents obtained without human intervention, thanks only to nature, for example, Cereus Myrtillocactus geometrizans.
Less popular
In stores you can find indoor purple cacti, orange, yellow. Although they are bought less often.
Interesting! In any case, bright, eye-cutting colors are a sign of human intervention, not evolution.
Lobivia
This numerous genus includes up to 100 species of cacti. In their natural environment, plants can be found only in the highlands of Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. The plants got their name in honor of the last country, but their name is an anagram.
The succulent plant is a classic round cactus. At a young age, the culture has a symmetrical spherical stem. But over time, it stretches and becomes cylindrical. The stem does not branch, but numerous basal babies are formed on it. Thanks to this feature, even one specimen of an exotic flower can form a large cushion-shaped colony.
Depending on the variety, the ribs of the succulent are sharp or rounded. Areoles with hard spines are located on them. The culture blooms well in indoor conditions. Single, dioecious buds reach 30 cm in length and 15 cm in diameter. The color of the petals is of various colors and even multicolored. The bud lasts from 1 to 3 days, after which it fades. But a new flower opens in its place. During flowering, up to 25 buds bloom on the culture.
Popular types
This genus is extremely fond of breeders for such a variety of shapes, colors and sizes of the stem, as well as for the beauty of flowers, therefore, many artificially bred varieties appeared in the hymnocalycium.
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii
This species is characterized by the spherical shape of the cactus. Stem color is grayish-green, sometimes brownish-reddish. The flower has 8-10 sharp triangular ribs, on which in small areoles thorns grow. The spines are bent towards the stem, their length reaches 1-2 cm and they have a grayish-white color. This type of hymnocalycium, depending on the variety, has flowers of red, yellow, white, orange, pink color.
Gymnokalycium mikhanovich / Flowering
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii var.friedrichiae
Cacti of this variety have the least amount of chlorophyll. They are painted in brown red-brown or burgundy-purple tones.
It is from this variety of cactus that the famous red and green cacti are derived. For the first time such cacti were bred in Japan, by the breeder Watanabi, therefore such bright cacti are called Japanese.
Gymnocalycium friedrich / Blossom
Japanese Gymnocalycium (Gymnocalycium Facilisis)
This is a hybrid form of Friedrich's hymnocalycium, which has a bright color of the stem. But this color means that chlorophyll is not formed in the plant. Initially, such cacti are not viable, but if they are grafted onto a suitable stock, they can grow on it. The most famous and common colors are yellow and red, but breeders have also bred orange cacti, as well as pink, burgundy and almost black.
Gymnocalycium Japanese
Gymnocalycium baldianum or Gymnocalycium baldianum
The plant of this species has a distinctive feature - a gray-green color of the stem. The cactus, like all hymnocalycium, is low up to 9 cm, spherical with 9-11 triangular ribs, the spines are light and long protruding to the trunk of the cactus. Flowers are numerous, varied in color from white and pink to dark red and orange.
Gymnocalycium baldianum / Flowering
Gymnocalycium nude (Gymnocalycium denudatum)
A few short spines look very unusual on the shiny green stem of this cactus species. The plant is low - up to 8 cm in height. On its wide rounded ribs, which number from 5 to 8, there are transverse stripes.
Gymnocalycium nude / Flowering
Gymnocalycium humpbacked or lumpy (Gymnocalycium gibbosum)
It can reach half a meter in adulthood, stretching out like a column. Its stem is dull green, the ribs are low, distinct, divided by grooves into segments, in which areoles with spines are located. The spines are long, yellowish brown. This species blooms with white and cream flowers.
Gymnocalycium humpbacked / Flowering
Gymnocalycium stellatum
It has large areoles with a light fluff, from which small thorns (from 3 to 5) grow, directed in different directions and pressed against a dark green stem. Due to this shape of the thorns and their contrast with the stem, the cactus seems to be covered with small stars or snowflakes.
Gymnocalycium stellate / Flowering
Colored cacti
cactus before painting
The beauty of plants is often simply amazing, but when a human hand is attached to beauty, it is truly an art. In this article I will talk about an unusual way of coloring cacti. You ask: how? Is that possible? Doesn't such a procedure harm the plant? Definitely not. After staining with natural dyes, cacti (in my experience) feel no worse than other naturally colored cacti.
And surprisingly, you can make cacti with colored needles without any special effort. You can choose any color: red, blue, purple, light green, light green and even white, the main thing is to find a high-quality FOOD coloring.
The only caveat is that you can achieve a bright color after a couple of years, and you can give a light shade in a couple of months.
How to paint a cactus
For this I needed:
how to paint a cactus
- cactus (or little cactus babies)
- soil for cacti (you can use sand)
- small pot for planting
I took 1 part of the soil, mixed it with 3 parts of the dye and poured it into the pot. I planted a cactus and watered it. That's all. Over time, the cactus will absorb substances from the soil along with moisture and dyes and, after a while, the thorns will become colored.
Of course, many growers may think that this is very harmful to the plant, but you feed your children beets, parsley and other vegetables that contain natural food coloring. So why would it be harmful for plants? Even half-year-olds eat carrot puree, which contains food coloring, so I believe that the plants will not suffer from this.
Colored cacti care
It is necessary to care for colored cacti in the same way as for ordinary ones. In summer, the plant loves sunny places (strong sun stimulates flowering), although everything needs to be shaded. In the summer, it is advisable to take the plant out into fresh air.
Colored cacti hibernate at temperatures no higher than 10-12 ° C, otherwise the mammillaria will not bloom at the right time or the flowering will not be intense enough.
It is recommended to water from spring to late summer regularly with a small amount of water, every 8-10 days. In autumn, watering is gradually reduced, and in winter it is watered no more than 1 time per month. Colored cacti are very sensitive to excess moisture, it is better not to add water to the pot than to pour it over. Since mammillaria grows on limestone, it can be watered with tap water.
You do not need to spray colored cacti.
Cacti with colored thorns should be fed during the period
cactus after 6 months
active growth, from April to September-October, feed once a month with special fertilizers for cacti. In winter, the plant is not fed.
Colored cacti reproduce by lateral shoots - "children". They are also planted in a mixture of soil for cacti and food coloring (see proportions above).
The most dangerous pests of colored cacti are root nematodes, they often lead to the death of the plant, therefore, the timely detection of these microscopic worms and the removal of the spherical swellings that cause these pests is the key to the health of your plant.
All affected root areas should be removed with a sharp knife. After that, make a hot root bath: for 10 minutes, place the roots in a container with water (45-50 ° C), but avoid getting water on the root collar of the cactus. Sprinkle the treated roots with crushed charcoal. In the future, use only sterile earthen mixtures.
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Cereus peruvian (Cereus peruvianus)
Peruvian Cereus is also called Rocky Cereus, the name of the cactus acquired due to its appearance. Cereus Peruvian has a cylindrical stem of greenish-gray color. On the surface of the stem, there are ribs. It is noted that when growing a cactus at home, its height can reach from 50 to 100 centimeters. This species blooms at night.
Cereus needs sunlight. Therefore, it is recommended to display the plant in the southern part of the balcony during the summer season. In winter, additional lighting will be required, which can be provided with special phytolamps. Watering is moderate, since the cactus has the ability to accumulate moisture. In the summer season, it is recommended to spray the plant more often than water it.
Cereus Peruvian / monstrous
Cereus azure (Cereus azureus) Blue
Cereus azure grows in Brazil. It is a tree-like plant about three meters high. A distinctive feature of this species is the presence of shoots on the sides. Shoots have a silvery-bluish bloom.The ribs on the plant are about 6-7, they have wavy edges and felt, light brown areoles.
Cerius is very prickly. Spines about 1 cm long are located radially on the ribs of the plant. The cactus blooms with large white flowers (20-25 cm long and 8-10 cm in diameter).
Cereus azure
Strong Cereus (Cereus validus)
Cereus validus, grows in the eastern lands of Bolivia and Argentina. It grows in the form of a shrub, the size of the plant reaches two meters. The cactus actively branches, usually 5-8 shoots, located on the sides. Shoots are light green and bluish green in color. The plant has 4-8 ribs, with a soft outline.
There are radial spines on the ribs, 4-6 each. They have a yellow-gray tint, are rigid in structure, and reach two centimeters in length. It blooms with white or red buds. The plant bears fruit with red fruits with white flesh.
Cereus strong
Cereus - spiral shape (brasile)
Spiral Cereus is a perennial with fleshy stems of spherical, embossed or flat shape. The spines are brown-green in color, reaching a size of two to three centimeters. It blooms with large white-pink flowers.
Cereus spiral shape
Steel Cereus (Cereus chalybaeu)
It is noted that the stem in diameter can reach ten centimeters. The cactus of this species also has shoots located on the sides of the plant, bluish-green or pale blue in color. Shoot sizes reach 10-20 centimeters in diameter. With age, the size of the shoots increases.
The ribs of a cactus are 6-8 pieces, straight with light gray halos. The spines of the cereus are 2-3 centimeters long and are brown-gray in color.
In structure, the thorns are hard, in number they reach twenty units. It blooms with one or two butomes at a time. The buds are very large, up to 30 cm, white-green. Fruits are about 10 cm long, dark carmine color.
Cereus steel
General information about cacti
Cacti are a relatively young plant family on our planet; they appeared at a time when mammals were already reigning on earth. The homeland of cacti is South America, from where they settled throughout the Western Hemisphere. And thanks to migratory birds, some of their species came to Africa and Asia.
At their core, all cacti are succulents, that is, plants that can accumulate water in the stems in case of long periods of drought. A distinctive feature that distinguishes the cactus family is the presence of areoles - special modified branches that have the shape of buds. It is from the areolas that thorns, flowers and "children" grow in cacti, with the help of which cacti carry out vegetative propagation.
Areola of the cactus grandifolius
Cacti are truly unique plants. Even their photosynthesis is different from that of the rest of the plant world: carbon dioxide for it is collected by the plant at night, and not during the day. This is due to the fact that during the day, in order to avoid moisture loss, the stomata of the cactus are closed.
The living conditions of cacti are the most extreme. Some of them live in desert areas with devastating daily temperature changes and a very low precipitation rate. Others, on the contrary, live in conditions of exceptional humidity that can destroy all other plant species.
The appearance of cacti has always surprised flower growers: the appearance of a plant cannot be called attractive or friendly, however, the flowers that appear on it from time to time can amaze any connoisseur.
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Tropical (forest)
Aporocactus
Aporocactus
One of the most common and beloved cacti. Consists of branched and long (up to 1 m) shoots 1.5–3 cm in diameter, covered with bristle spines. In young plants, the color is bright green, in adults, the stems become gray-green. Flowers - tubular, 8-10 cm long, crimson or pink.They bloom in the spring.
Melocactus
Melocactus
A cactus with a spherical or cylindrical stem and clear, straight ribs. Spines - straight or curved, 1-3 cm long.
Among other cacti, the plant stands out for the presence of cephaly - a woolly formation at the top. In some species, several cephalics grow.
Small crimson flowers bloom from the cephalius. Juicy white or pink fruits ripen there.
Pereskia
Pereskia
Pereskia is the only leaf cactus in the family. This is a small tree or bush with powerful stems, green or purple leaves, in the axils of which thorns grow. During the dormant period, the foliage of perxia dies and falls off.
Epiphyllum
Epiphyllum
A plant with flat and up to 50 cm long fleshy shoots with jagged edges. A few spines grow in the serrations.
Epiphyllum is prized for its abundant and colorful winter bloom. Fragrant funnel-shaped flowers with a diameter of 10-15 cm are white, pink, red, yellow. With cross-pollination, edible fruit can be set.
Selenicereus
Selenicereus
A cactus with very long, thin, serpentine shoots. They can grow up to 5–12 m. The surface of the shoots is glossy, with sparse and small spines.
Selenicereus is distinguished by its unusual and large flowers. In some species, they have huge sizes - a diameter of 30 cm and a tube up to 40 cm long. The structure of the flowers is complex: the central part of the white color looks like a bowl or water lily. Around it are long and narrow outer lobes of pink, yellow, red, brown.
The magnificent flowers bloom in the evening and wither before dawn. For this, Selenicereus was nicknamed "the queen of the night", "moon cactus".
Schlumberger (Zygocactus or Decembrist) (Schlumbergera)
Schlumbergera
Unpretentious and disease-resistant plant. Drooping and branched shoots consist of flat toothed segments 4–6 cm long and 2.5 cm wide.
White, pink, orange and red Schlumberger flowers bloom in December-January at the ends of the shoots. Flowering lasts for 1 month.
Rhipsalis
Rhipsalis
The plant consists of many thin, drooping shoots of a rounded, ribbed, flat shape. Shoots are covered with short hairs.
In winter, the shoots are covered with small flowers of pale pink, white, yellow or orange. At the end of flowering, the stems are decorated with berries that look like bright beads. Rhipsalis can be grown as an ampelous plant.
Rhipsalidopsis
Rhipsalidopsis
Externally similar to Schlumberger, but has differences in the structure of the segments, flower shape and flowering time.
Shoots consist of flat or ribbed segments up to 6 cm long and up to 3 cm wide. They are bright green, burgundy edging appears in the sun. Protrusions at the edges of the shoots are smoothed, at the ends of the segments there are dense bristles.
The flowers of the plant are semi-double with a diameter of up to 4 cm, pink, white, red. Up to 3 buds can be set in one areola. Ripsalidopsis blooms in spring.
Hatiora
Hatiora
A plant with an exotic appearance. It is a small bush with branched green shoots up to 30 cm long. They consist of many cylindrical, bottle-shaped parts 2–5 cm long. Shoots are covered with fine hairs.
In winter, small flowers of crimson, yellow, orange color open on the upper shoots.
Once in the world of cacti, you understand that these are not primitive thorns. Everyone here is waiting for amazing discoveries, long-term "friendship" with plants, excitement and joy when even one long-awaited flower appears.
You can learn more about the types of cacti from the video.
