The genus Mammillaria has about 200 species of cacti. Among them there are both unpretentious and often found among lovers of indoor plants, and very rare and demanding care. Readers will be interested in how to properly care for cactus mammillaria, what are the varieties of this plant.
Types of Mammillaria
If the grower decided to breed a mammoth cactus, their species are very diverse. Among mammillaria, short-cylindrical or spherical species are found. The stems are covered with overgrown leaf bases - papillae, on top of which there is an areola, i.e. altered axillary kidney. Here is a bunch of hairs, thorns. In the sinuses of the papillae appear children, flowers.
Interesting. These cacti ripen fruits. This usually happens in the second year.
Most species of mammals are decorative; they are grown indoors and in greenhouses.
Mammillaria Prolifera
Another name for this species is Mammillaria sprouting. The word "proliferator" in translation means "bearing offspring." This name is given because of the distinctive ability of the plant to form a large number of shoots - "children." Prolifeifer Mammillaria grows in the natural zone - the southern states of the USA and Mexico.
Mammillaria Prolifera
Proliferators regularly bloom flowers. Usually this phenomenon resumes from the beginning of spring. Flowers appear within a few weeks. They have a pale yellow, sometimes creamy tint. There are a lot of buds. Sometimes it seems that the plant is simply plastered with beautiful and delicate flowers.
The fruits of this cactus are oblong, long, red. They are not edible. They remain on the plant for a long time, decorating it. At home, they rarely appear. To make them pleasing to the eye, you need a lot of heat.
Prolifera cacti are self-pollinating. The stem is spherical, sometimes elongated. Its diameter reaches 4 cm, height - 8 cm. It has a dark green color and branches in the lower part. The lateral processes are children, sometimes intertwined.
The papillae are round and soft. In the center there are from 5 to 10 spines. They are yellow, in length can reach 8 mm. The spines that grow the entire cactus are white, thin and grow to one centimeter in length. Typically, up to 50 thorns can be counted on an entire plant.
The described species needs a lot of light. He will feel good on the south side, will not suffer at all from direct sunlight. Since spring, cactus needs fertilizers with a specially developed solution.
Mammillaria Bokasana
The difference of this species is the presence of soft spherical stems and small cylindrical tubercles. At the top of each tubercle is one or two red spines, which are surrounded by a fluff of white and very thin hairs. Their length reaches 2 cm, in the beam can be up to 50 and even more.
Mammillaria Bokasana
Thanks to the presence of cannon spines, the entire cactus resembles a small balloon. Its diameter reaches 5 cm and more.
Early enough, a large number of processes are formed on the spherical stem. In early spring, buds appear on top of the plant, from which elegant flowers bloom up to 2 cm in diameter. They are white or pinkish in color.
Mammillaria Bokasana is very easy to breed, so it is common among lovers of cacti. Different plant instances differ in size, length and number of small spines, their color. Some hybrid varieties delight the eyes of gardeners with particularly bright flowers.
There is a form of Mammillaria bokasskaya, almost devoid of hairs and spines. The stem of some Mammillaria mix is soft, light green, covered with small warts. In some varieties, the stem is yellow-green. All these amazing varieties of cactus gave him the opportunity to gain popularity among flower growers.
Mammillaria Elongata
Another name for this cactus is elongated mammillaria. This is a very variable type of cactus in the thickness of the stems and the length of the thorns. The stem is cylindrical, green. In length reaches up to 10 centimeters. The plant is able to grow well and beautifully. Ideal for decorating small rooms.
Mammillaria Elongata
Papillae are small, have the shape of a cone. The sinuses between them are bare. Spines are arranged radially. In one "point" there are from 12 to 22 spines of different shades: from straw to reddish-brown. There are no central spines with rare exceptions.
Mammillaria Elongates have small flowers of light yellow or pink color. The same flowers can be seen in Mammillaria Karvinsky, Carmen.
When caring for this plant, you need to remember that in summer it should provide sufficient watering. In winter, the plant is not watered at all, placing it in a cool room. It should be illuminated intensively, even on hot summer days. It is necessary to transplant Elongat once in 2 or 3 years. Before transplanting, the plant is watered so that the lump of land is well separated from the plant.
Important! Elongated Mammillaria does not tolerate waterlogged soil. From the overflow, the plant will slowly die.
Mammillaria Plumoza
Another name for the plant is feathery mammillaria. This is a very luxurious view of cacti. The plant is very fluffy, covered with a large number of spikes-fluffs. The stem is spherical, with a diameter of 5 to 7 cm.
Mammillaria Plumoza
Interesting. The structure of the spine resembles bird feathers. Mammillaria Bakeberg is similar.
As it grows, the cactus turns into one large pillow, covered with white fluff. Its diameter can reach 20 cm.
Mammillaria Plumeza bloom extremely rarely. If you are lucky to see the flower, it will be small - with a diameter of about one and a half centimeters and white. Flowers timidly rise above a cloud of fluffy thorns, then fold inward.
It is necessary to contain such beauty on a sunny windowsill. For the plant, choose the loosest soil. Water very sparingly, avoiding droplets of water falling on delicate spikes.
Mammillaria Wild
This is one of the most unpretentious species of cacti. The stem grows up to 15 cm in height and up to 6 cm in diameter. From the base, it branches. The papillae are soft, pink at the base. The sinus has several hairy bristles. The thorns are located radially: at each "point" there are about a dozen small needles. They are transparent, light yellow in color.
Mammillaria Wild
The flower of Mammillaria Wilda is about a centimeter in diameter, cream or white. After flowering, a small berry is formed. The same can be observed in the mammals of Arizona and Baum.
Important! This mammillaria does not tolerate direct sunlight. In summer, the pot with the plant should be placed in a shaded place.
Mammillaria prickly
This cactus has a light green or bluish-green stem. In height, it reaches 25 cm, in diameter - up to 10. The sinus between the papillae has white spines and bristles.
Mammillaria prickly
In total, about 15 central spines grow. They are elastic, have different lengths and colors: there are yellow, white and even red options. There are about 20 radial spines. They look like bristles and reach 1 cm in length.
The flowers are pink or purple, up to 2 cm in diameter.
Mammillaria is excellent
This plant has a spherical or slightly elongated stem. In diameter, it can reach 6 cm. Sinuses have small spikes-hairs. Radial spines numerous (from 14 to 30 pcs.), White. Their length is about 3 mm. The central spines grow in length from 2 to 6 mm.
Mammillaria is excellent
The flowers of Mammillaria Gracilis are red or pink. Their diameter is about one and a half centimeters.
Mammillaria Zeilman
This is a fairly small cactus with a light green stem. Its shape is cylindrical. A large number of shoots are formed on the sides. The cactus is covered with many thin needles and light long villi.
Mammilaria Zeilman
The peculiarity of Seilman's mammillaria is that it gives flowers of pink and purple tones, which are located around the entire circumference of the stem. Thus, the plant resembles one large wreath.
A plant can reach 10 centimeters in height and 6 centimeters in diameter. The difference between this cactus and others is the duration of flowering. Under favorable conditions, it reaches 6 months or more.
The cactus tolerates low temperatures well, due to waterlogging of the soil, the roots begin to rot, and the plant dies.
Rules for home care
The care and flowering of mammillaria at home is closely interlinked. Subject to simple recommendations, the plant will delight the eyes with its flowering for a long time.
Transfer
If a mammillaria grows in the house, care for it involves periodic transplants.
Transplanting a plant, perform such actions:
- They remove it from the pot, shake off the roots and examine for damage, diseases and pests.
- If the roots are clean, then the plant is placed in a new pot.
- In the presence of diseases and pests, appropriate treatment is carried out.
Soil and watering
The soil mixture for this plant is prepared by mixing sheet and turf soil, peat and a little crushed brick chips. You can buy ready-made land in a flower shop, specially prepared for cacti.
Watering a cactus
Water the plant once a week. In winter it is not watered at all, the life cycle requires it. In the warm period, the plant can be irrigated from a spray gun.
Lighting and temperature
Mammillaria loves bright sunlight. From its lack, the cactus begins to stretch up and toward the light source. This significantly affects the decorative properties of the plant. The pot can be safely placed on the sunny side even on the hottest summer days.
The optimum temperature for the cactus is from 22 to 25 degrees. In winter, you need to make sure that the temperature in the room is about 12-15 degrees. Some species can be kept at even lower temperatures without fear that they will freeze.
Breeding
Mammillaria cacti are propagated by children and with the help of seeds.
Kids
The following actions must be performed:
- Carefully separate the shoot from the adult plant. It is best to carry out such an operation with a sharp and disinfected knife.
- Dry the baby under normal conditions for 2 days.
- Prepare a small container, drop off the baby, put in a warm room, where there is no direct sunlight.
- Be sure to water the baby after transplantation.
Cactus kids
Note! When the cactus is propagated by children, the cactus grower immediately receives a new plant.
Seeds
In this case, you need to perform the following sequence of actions:
- Sow the seeds in the prepared soil, sprinkle them and place in a warm place without direct sunlight.
- After emergence, the pot is transferred to the sun.
Diseases, pests of mammillaria
The most dangerous parasite is a red tick. It feeds on plant juices, polluting it with waste products. As soon as the pest is detected, the plant is treated with an insecticidal composition. After a week, the procedure is repeated.
As a result of overflow, root rotting is possible. The earliest sign of decay is the blackening and softening of the stem. Over time, spotting appears on it. If you do not transplant the plant, then it will soon die from a change in the structure of the root.
To restore the affected roots, you need:
- remove damaged fragments and lower the healthy part of the root into the hot water bath for about 10 minutes;
- dry the treated roots, treat the places where the cuts were made, with crushed coal, plant the cactus in new soil.
Cactus bloom
The flowers of these cacti emerge from the buds. Their corollas are in the form of tubes, small circles or bells. The size of the flowers is highly dependent on the species and can vary from barely noticeable to almost hooked, with large petals up to 3 cm in diameter.
The shade of the flower petals varies from white, pink and almost to dark red (for example, in Luti).
The plant begins to bloom in spring or early June. The duration of flowering varies greatly depending on the species: from several weeks to several months and even up to six months.
Mammillaria flower
Cactus mammillaria is characterized by unpretentious care, a wide variety of flower colors. Subject to the rules of care, the plant will delight the eyes with long flowering for a long time.
