Cactus Catalog
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SucculentShop.co.za Page: 2 BRAIN CACTUS - MAMMILLARIA ELONGATA ‘CRISTATA’ The Brain Cactus, also known as the Mammillaria Elongata ‘Cristata’ cactus, is native to central Mexico. It’s a rare form of the Mammillaria Elongata cactus and has a unique, crested shape. Its growth pattern kind of looks like worms or brains, which is how it got the nickname Brain Cactus. Mammillaria Elongata cacti are called Ladyfingers and grow nice and straight, but this crested form has stems with lots of kinks in them that grow in one big round clump. How did that happen? It didn’t happen through cultivation—it actually happened through mutation or damage. Source: https://succulentcity.com/ Read More SucculentShop.co.za Page: 3 EASTER LILY CACTUS - ECHINOPSIS OXYGONA Echinopsis Oxygona is also commonly known as the ‘Easter Lily Cactus’. As the plant matures you can SucculentShop.co.za Page: 4 expect it to reach up to around 30 cm (12″) tall and about 25 cm (10″) in diameter. The plant is best known for the dark green colour and the beautiful flowers that grow from the stem. When the cacti flowers you can expect pale red, lavender or white flowers. Echinopsis Oxygona ‘Easter Lily Cactus’ can be quite beautiful when it is well-taken care of. This succulent type needs typical watering as the other succulents. The watering method is very important to keep your Easter Lily Cactus healthy. It should not sit on the water, and an excess amount of water should be avoided. The best way of watering is soak and dry method this succulent. Yet, the succulent should be controlled to avoid overwatering. Echinopsis Oxygona ‘Easter Lily Cactus’ is native to Argentina (around buenos Aires, Santa Fe, and Entre Rios), Brazil (arond Rio Grande Do Sul), Uruguay, and Paraguay (around Guaira). Prefers full sun Can be grown outdoor Grows 30 cm (12″) tall Grows up to 25 cm (10″) wide Can die easily if over-watered Does not handle cold well Best propagated by grafting, offsets or seeds Flowers are pale red, lavender or white Source: https://succulentsnetwork.com Read More SucculentShop.co.za Page: 5 LADY FINGER CACTUS - MAMMILLARIA ELONGATA Small Plant ± 7 cm height This funny-looking plant is a brilliant cactus for beginners to grow. Mammillaria elongata is native to Mexico, where it thrives in the wild at an altitude of approximately 1300 to 2300 meters above sea level. If given the opportunity, it will grow to about 20 centimeters tall and can spread 30 centimeters wide. We rather like its street name, so we will refer to it as ladyfinger cactus for the purpose of this article. You will learn about its appearance and how to identify it, whether or not it has any known benefits to wildlife in your area, and if this cactus is toxic to houseplants. Growing ladyfinger succulents is very easy. They don’t need very much tender loving care as they are used to growing in very harsh conditions. These plants have evolved to become very heat tolerant plants and, therefore, need little water to survive – but we will get to that shortly. Follow the instructions and advice in this care guide to ensure your ladyfinger cactus survives and grows to its full potential: Ideal Soil Plant this succulent in well-drained sandy soil. One of the biggest mistakes people make when growing succulents and cacti is that they pot their plant in store-bought potting soil that is inappropriate for cacti. To avoid making this mistake, purchase cacti potting soil that does not contain fertilizers and pot your ladyfinger cactus using in that soil. If you bought your cactus from a garden center, we recommend re- potting it in an appropriate soil of your choice as often the soil that is already in the cactus pot isn’t ideal for it. You should also put your plant in a pot with extremely good drainage. This is to ensure that excess water drains out of the pot and does not suffocate your plant. Ladyfinger cacti are prone to root rot as a result of being planted in a pot without sufficient drainage. Top Tip: if the pot you bought does not have enough drainage holes, you can drill some yourself! Ideal Weather Conditions Ladyfinger cacti are not cold hardy. If their water reserves freeze over, they can burst or split open, leaving permanent scars on your plant. These cacti need at least four to six hours of sunlight to thrive and to grow SucculentShop.co.za Page: 6 in an area that isn’t overly windy, and the temperature doesn’t drop below -6 degrees Celsius. Dormancy Winter dormant plants such as ladyfinger cacti do not grow over the cold winter months. You might be thinking, why is this important? Well, this all comes down to how much you need to water the plant. It will need little to no water during its dormant months as you will find out in the section below. Watering You should follow the typical watering methods for all succulent and cacti plants. The ‘soak and dry’ method works the best as this ensures you never overwater them. Do not follow a daily watering routine as you would for other garden and house plants, as ladyfingers certainly won’t need watering on a daily basis. Instead, touch and check the soil every morning; if the soil is damp, you must not water the plant, if the soil is completely dry, you can water it. You could find yourself watering your plant weekly in the summer and then not watering it for a month or so over the winter. This is completely normal! Ladyfinger cacti are dormant over the winter months and need less water, attention, and care during their dormant phase. Source: https://www.sublimesucculents.com/mammillaria-elongata/ Read More SucculentShop.co.za Page: 7 LADY FINGER CACTUS - MAMMILLARIA ELONGATA ‘COPPER KING’ Small Plant ± 7 cm height Mammillaria Elongata ‘Copper King’ is like many other cacti – it needs little water, likes temperatures on the warmer side (no lower than 30 F/-1.1 C), and prefers shaded to full sun. With this in mind, it’s the easiest to grow outdoors, though indoor growing is possible as well. Watering Mammillaria Elongata ‘Copper King’ are sensitive to overwatering and can develop root rot if water is allowed to sit at their root level. To avoid overwatering this cactus, you should water it only when its soil is dry to the touch. The Copper King cactus is drought-resistant and does well even with a limited amount of water. In cold winter months, the water supply to Mammillaria Elongata ‘Copper King’ should be little to none. The Copper King becomes dormant in the colder months of the year, and it also gets much more sensitive to overwatering in winter than in summer. Where to plant The Copper King cactus should be planted in a light-draining cactus mix. This is to encourage draining and to prevent standing water around the roots of the plant. For extra drainage, you may add some mineral grit like pumice, perlite, or coarse sand to the mix as well. Mineral grit should make up 70-80% of the entire mix. The pot should also have large drainage holes not to allow water to linger in the soil for too long. Since the Copper King cactus likes shaded to full sun, it does the best when kept outdoors, whether in a pot or garden soil. This cactus may be kept under direct sunlight all day, but make sure to move it to a shaded location on very hot days to prevent sunburn. You may also keep the Copper King cactus inside, but be sure to place it in a spot that receives direct sunlight most of the day. Again, shade the plant on very hot days. In winter, you may want to move the Copper King cactus inside since it is not a frost-hardy plant. If winters in your area aren’t cold though, you won’t need to do this. SucculentShop.co.za Page: 8 General care information Fertilize the Copper King cactus throughout its growing season, which is spring and summer. Depending on the fertilizer, you should fertilize the cactus once every 4-8 weeks. The fertilizer should be high in phosphorus and potassium. As the plant grows, you will need to think about moving it to a larger pot at some point. The Copper King is a relatively fast grower, so you should probably repot it every spring. After repotting, keep the plant away from direct sunlight and don’t water it for around a week to allow it to recover. Frequent repotting is also helpful since it allows you to have a look at the plant’s root health, as well as introduce it to new, high-nutrient soil. Source: https://www.plantedshack.com/mammillaria-elongata-copper-king/ Read More SucculentShop.co.za Page: 9 PEANUT CACTUS - ECHINOPSIS CHAMAECEREUS Small plant ± 8 cm SucculentShop.co.za Page: 10 Echinopsis chamaecereus is a species of cactus from Argentina. Synonyms include Chamaecereus silvestrii and Lobivia silvestrii. E. chamaecereus has long stems about 1 cm across. Orange flowers up to 4 cm wide appear in late spring. In cultivation, E. chamaecereus is hardy to temperatures as low as −7 °C (19 °F) if kept dry. Perfect cactus for miniature and Fairy gardens. SucculentShop.co.za Page: 11 SucculentShop.co.za Page: 12 SucculentShop.co.za Page: 13 Source: Wikipedia Read More SAN PEDRO CACTUS - TRICHOCEREUS PACHANOI - ECHINOPSIS PACHANOI - PLANTS Note: Some plants may have some insect damage that has naturally healed.