Description and types of echinocactus (hedgehog cactus), growing conditions at home, the main difficulties and methods of dealing with common diseases. Echinocactus belongs to the large family of cactus. In Latin, it is known as Echinocactus, and among the people, for its appearance, the plant was called the hedgehog cactus. Most of the representatives of the family today are on the verge of extinction, and in total this ancient genus includes 6 varieties of spherical cacti. Echinocactus grows extremely slowly, after overcoming the 5-year age limit, they form no more than 1–2 areola per year.
An interesting fact is that adult plants differ significantly in appearance from young ones. Cacti up to 3-4 years old do not have sharp outlined edges, but they demonstrate a clearly visible trunk and specific tubercles. Adult plants are distinguished by sharp ribs and a huge number of thorns, which cover the echinocactus with a thick layer from the scorching rays of the sun.
Until recently, amateur flower growers could grow only one type of echinocactus, which is called Gruzoni, but now it is not difficult to buy seeds for other species of the family.
Representatives of the echinocactus family
As already mentioned, the most popular is the Gruzoni variety. Its Latin name is Echinocactus grusonii. Its natural habitat is Mexico, where it was first discovered by Heinrich Hildmann, a German collector who conducted his research in 1891. The name was given in honor of one of the inventors of Germany, Hermann Gruzon, who was also a fan of cacti and was engaged in collecting them.
The Gruzoni cactus has the shape of a ball, growing at home up to 40–45 cm in diameter. In their natural habitat, individual representatives reach much larger sizes. The spines of this species can be straight or slightly curved, but they are always very strong and long enough, which is why the name of hedgehog cacti is attached to the whole family. The shade of the spines is usually pale yellow, less often white.
The number of ribs in an adult plant reaches 40 (+/- 5), the central spines are arranged crosswise and are 5 cm long, while the radial spines are 9-10 pieces, 3 cm each. Flowers appear exclusively in mature plants. There are cases when old Gruzoni over 20 years old pleased with the appearance of beautiful large yellow flowers with a 7-centimeter corolla and a diameter of 5 cm. When grown at home, flowering does not occur.
The shape of the Gruzoni remains spherical until about 13-14 years of age, but then begins to change and becomes barrel-shaped, stretching up to 1, 2-1, 5 m in height and expanding to 0, 9-1 m. Because of this feature, the name has taken root among the people Golden Barrel Cactus.
The second most popular was the flat-pricked catus. In Botany, it is known as Echinocactus platyacanthus. Its height is 1.5–2 m, and its width is 1–1.5 m. If we compare it with the Gruzoni cactus, then the ribs of the flat-spiked species are much smaller - no more than 20–25. The shape of the spines is straight, and the shade is grayish. In total, there are 3-4 central, 4-5 cm long and 5-6 radial 3-4 cm each. The shade of flowers is rich yellow, and they appear at the very top. The flowering period also occurs only in adult plants, and the habitat is Mexico and two US states - Oklahoma and New Mexico. Because of its taste, the flat-spiked catus was on the verge of extinction, since in Mexico they got used to making delicious sweets from it.
The horizontal echinocactus is slightly different from other species in shape. The Latin name is Echinocactus horizonthalonius. The plant got its name for a flattened spherical body with spiral ribs in the amount of 11–12 pieces. Habitat - southern United States and Mexico. The size of adult representatives reaches 25-30 cm in diameter. The spines of a slightly flattened curved shape have a rich red tint. The flowers stretch up to 3 cm in length and delight with a beautiful red-purple hue. This type is liked by amateur flower growers, since if you follow the basic rules of maintenance, you can easily ensure its flowering at home.
A variety of the Texas echinocactus got its name from its habitat. This species is found exclusively in Texas (USA). In Latin, the name sounds like Echinocactus texensis, the plant has a spherical body slightly flattened from the sides, which has a diameter of 30 cm and a height of 15–20 cm. The number of ribs ranges from 14–24, and a white fluffy bristle forms on the upper areoles. The number of thorns is often 8 units, 7 radially located at 4–4, 5 cm and 1 central about 6 cm. Not so long ago, this variety was included in the genus Homalocephalus. The advantage of growing Texas echinocactus is its undemandingness to conditions.
The fifth and penultimate species of hedgehog cactus is called polycephalus or in Latin Echinocactus polycephalus. The size of one adult plant is on average 70 cm, the number of ribs is up to 2 dozen, and the rounded shape, bristling with thorns, most of all resembles a real hedgehog. Polycephalus loves to grow in large groups, which sometimes include up to hundreds of plants! During the flowering period, the crown can be decorated with relatively large (up to 6 cm in length) flowers of a yellow hue, but this happens very rarely.
Closes the list of Parry species (in Lat. Echinocactus parryi). This globular echinocactus grows in northern Mexico. Young representatives are round, but over time it changes and becomes cylindrical - up to 30–35 cm in height. The number of ribs varies from 12 to 15, curved spines can be pinkish-brown, and in old plants they are completely white. The flowers have a beautiful golden hue, but you will have to try to get them, since Parry is very picky about care and keeping conditions. Seeds are notable for poor germination, and young plants are susceptible to various diseases, of which root rot is the most dangerous.
Due to the similarity in appearance, Parry is often confused with polycephalus, but scientific research has proven that these are still two separate varieties. The main difference is that Parry is smaller and bush in large families, as does the Echinocactus polycephalus discussed above.
Echinocactus care recommendations
- Temperature. For the most part, hedgehog cacti are not demanding on temperature when grown at home in a temperate climatic zone. In summer, the usual room temperature will be quite comfortable, and in winter, a cool climate of 8-12 degrees with sufficient dry air is suitable. In the summer, it is preferable to expose the echinocactus outside, but in early spring and late autumn, the night temperature should be controlled. In their natural habitat, of course, they can withstand a short-term drop in temperature to -10–12 degrees of frost without any special negative consequences, but cacti grown in our climatic zone should not be subjected to such tests. Without harm, they can only tolerate + 5– + 7 degrees, but not lower.
- Lighting. For a whole year, Echinocactus can be kept in the most illuminated places in the house or outdoors in direct sunlight. For home growing, it is good to choose south-facing windows, where there is always a lot of light. In summer, if possible, it is better to take the plant out into the fresh air, choosing an open place. If you do not pay due attention to the illumination, then the thorns will form weak, they may fall off, and the newly regrown ones will be very thin and pale.
- Watering. Moistening the soil is required as it dries completely. It is impossible to be too zealous with watering, since the roots are very sensitive to moisture and easily succumb to diseases like gray rot. Usually, the substrate is allowed to dry completely, then they wait a day or two, and only then add a little water. It is extremely important to ensure good drainage so that moisture does not stagnate, otherwise the echinocactus may die.
- Fertilizer. Top dressing is carried out in the first two summer months. To do this, use a fertilizer for cacti sold in specialized stores. They bring it in every two weeks, following the instructions.
- Humidity. Echinocactus is accustomed to extremely dry desert air, but it is not very afraid of a humid climate either. Moreover, at home in the summer it will even be useful to periodically spray it using ordinary warm water.
- Transfer. Echinocactus should not be specially transplanted. Such a procedure is carried out only in case of urgent need, since there is a great risk of damaging the roots in the process. In addition to this main reason, there is another one related to the fact that in practice it is extremely difficult to carry out a transplant due to sharp thorns. Thick gloves will not help here, but you will have to construct a loop of wire, trying to thread it as neatly as possible between the long needles. Only with the help of such a trick can you pull out a hedgehog cactus that deserves its name in order to transplant it. For transplantation, use the soil of this composition: 1 part is taken crushed pumice, leaf and sod land, adding half of the part with river sand. Instead of pumice, you can use akadama (sintered Japanese clay, which was formed as a result of volcanic activity) or use the budget option, taking small expanded clay. If possible, it will be very useful to add birch coal to the soil. The optimum acidity index for the soil should be 5, 7–5, 8 pH.
- Reproduction usually occurs by seed or by grafting. It is especially difficult in the last way to derive a species of echinocactus called Parry, which requires a whole series of inoculations. First, the seedlings are grafted onto Pereskiopsis. After that, they transfer it to Echinopsis, and only then directly to Eriocereus jusbertii, where the plant will already continue to develop. Attempts to inoculate directly rarely end in a positive outcome.
Echinocactus pest and disease control
Pests of hedgehog cacti are spider mites, cactus scale insects, worms, cactus flattenders, etc.
The cactus flattender, also called the flat mite, is a very dangerous insect that can greatly harm all members of the succulent genus. The axils of leaves and stems usually become the favorite places of ticks. As pests multiply, they suck out nutritious juices, which causes necrosis and damage to individual parts. Visually, this manifests itself in the form of the formation of a brown layer from the hardened plant tissue.
If you do not catch yourself in time, then the active reproduction of the flat heifer will lead to the fact that the echinocactus will wither and die. It is not easy to remove a flat tick, since some of the chemicals do not have the desired effect on it. Therefore, you should use only proven insecticides that will help cope with the problem. Among them are:
- the avermectin group, of which phytoverm and actofit are widespread in our country;
- hormonal drug nissoran;
- pyridabene: taurus or sunmite;
- carbonate: carbofuran or carbosulfan;
- spirocyclic: envidor, oberon, marshal, giudo.
The hardest thing to overcome is the flatling, which settles on cacti with strong pubescence. The problem is that the top protective layer prevents the chemical from effectively targeting the pest. In such a situation, it is recommended to use the drug "Marshal" from the spirocyclic group, but it is extremely toxic, so you need to observe safety measures and do not spray it in the living room.
Another type of mite is quite common and dangerous - the spider mite, so named because of the formation of a thin cobweb on plants, which becomes noticeable when the pest colony is very prolific. It is very difficult to consider a tick, since the size of its body is 0.5 mm, but the cobweb is easy to notice, therefore, at the first signs of the appearance of this parasite, a number of protective measures must be taken immediately. This is important because mites spread quickly and are constantly looking for new sources of food.
Often, echinocactus is affected by a red spider mite, less often normal or Atlantic damage is caused. All three species are quite "popular", as they are widespread throughout the world and harm a wide variety of plants. At the moment, about 1000 cultures are known that constantly suffer from spider mites, as a result of which development is constantly being carried out to create the most effective methods of control.
With regard to preventive measures against spider mites, first, you should regularly conduct an external examination of echinocactus and all plants in the house, as well as those that bring. In this case, it does not matter where the plant came from - from a company store, or a private greenhouse. Ticks can be everywhere and can even be airborne on their webs.
In addition, it must be borne in mind that the spider mite does not like moist cool air. Therefore, the room should be ventilated, maintaining normal climate humidity values. As mentioned above, it is useful to spray echinocatus with warm water, which will also reduce the likelihood of infection and subsequent active reproduction of spider mites.
When pests appear, the first means of control will be spraying with soapy water. For these purposes, rub with fine laundry soap and soak in water. You can use other types of soap, the main thing is that it does not contain reagents that oxidize the solution.
For more details on caring for echinocactus, see here:
