Distinctive features of the plant from other members of the family, recommendations for home cultivation, the rules for breeding a cactus, the fight against possible pests and diseases, facts to note, species. Echinocereus (Echinocereus) belongs to the genus of cacti, for which the territories of North America, which include the United States, as well as the central and northern regions of Mexico, are considered native lands, which also includes Baja California. All varieties of such cacti have similar external characteristics. They are settled on open prairies, and they also prefer Echinocereus to settle on bare rocks from outcrops of gypsum, limestone or granite, which are most often possible in the mountains or hills. Only some of the cacti can be found in the shade formed by shrubs or trees. If echinocereus grow in the northern regions of their range, they can tolerate low temperatures without harm to themselves, but those varieties that prefer coastal areas suffer from a lack of heat.
These plants not only belong to the Cactaceae family, but also belong to the Pachycereeae tribe. This cactus received its scientific name due to the fact that its fruits have thorns, which was not characteristic of the cereus varieties, but many other characteristics correspond to the plant, therefore the name that the genus bears translates as "hedgehog cereus". The term combines the Greek words echinos "meaning" hedgehog "and" cereus ", indicating the genus of cacti. Scientists have up to 70 varieties in it.
All representatives of Echinocereus have rounded outlines and small dimensions in height. The stems have multiple shoots that appear over time. The shape of the stems themselves is cylindrical, they are soft to the touch. Some Echinocereus species can grow lodging. The height of the plant varies within 15-60 cm. The surface of the stem is covered with a thin epidermis of grayish-green color. When cacti reach adulthood, but begin to bush or branch, large clumps (group low-growing thickets of plants) are formed, in which there can be up to a hundred shoots.
If we take into account the ribs that can appear on the stem, then their number directly depends on the variety and can vary from five to 21 units. For the most part, the ribs are straight and low in outline, only some of the representatives are ribbed with a spiral shape or it is divided into tubercles. Areoles on the surface of the stem are relatively far apart.
When echinocereus blooms, the color of the petals of the buds is characterized by a wide range of shades, which include greenish, yellow, pink and lilac. The flowers themselves are large in size, their length is 2–6 cm with a diameter of about 4–9 cm in full disclosure. The corolla is funnel-shaped. Basically, the buds are located on the side of the stem. Inside, a bunch of staminate filaments with anthers and an ovary is clearly visible. However, not all types of cactus can boast of such a beautiful flowering; there are varieties in which the flowers are quite small, not of interest in a greenish color scheme. Flowers in all species are distinguished by the hairy and bristle covering of the flower tube and ovary. A strong citrus scent can be experienced during flowering.
And also the fruits of this cactus have a surface completely covered with hairs or thorns. The color of the berries takes on different shades - green, reddish or purple, their shape is spherical. The diameter of the Echinocereus fruit is 1-3, 5 cm, the inside is fleshy and juicy. It is interesting that the fruits of this plant have the most pleasant taste of all members of the family, because of this feature in their native lands of growth, Echinocereus are called "strawberry cacti".
Due to its decorative qualities and colorful flowering, as well as ease of care, the plant is highly appreciated by lovers of cacti.
Recommendations for growing echinocereus, home care
- Lighting. For a cactus, a place is selected on the southern windowsill, but the only exceptions are plants with very rare thorns and a small number of them. They will have to arrange shading in the summer afternoon, and after winter gradually accustom them to the sun.
- Echinocereus content temperature should be in the range of 20-24 degrees in the summer months. In summer, "air baths" are recommended, when the pot with the plant is taken out onto the balcony or terrace, but the place must be protected from wind and precipitation. Or, daily ventilation of the room will be required, while the window must be opened at night in order to organize the average daily heat drops. With the arrival of winter, the cactus begins a dormant period, when the thermometer should not go beyond 8-10 units. The minimum temperature drop is possible up to 5 degrees only if the soil in the pot is completely dry. This time continues until the formation of buds on the stem, which lasts until February-March, which will correspond to the natural increase in heat and the number of sunny days.
- Air humidity when growing Echinocereus is not a playing "factor", as the plant naturally "settles" in a rather arid area. But some flower growers prefer to spray with water from a very fine spray gun in the summer (such operations are possible only from April to early September). In this case, it is important that drops do not fall on the trunk, and the spraying is similar to fog. This is due to the fact that many varieties of Echinrocereus grow in places where morning dew is constantly present. However, it should be noted that even such spraying can lead to corking of the stem, which will ruin its appearance, or worse, root or stem rot can be provoked.
- Watering. When growing these cacti, it is recommended to moisten the soil in a pot in the spring-summer period moderately, but with the arrival of autumn, watering is reduced and in the winter months, with the onset of dormancy, Echinocereus is not moistened at all. At such a time, there is a possibility of even shrinking of the shoots of the plant. As soon as the temperature is in the range of 14-15 heat, and buds appear on the stems, they begin to gradually water the cactus, or they spray in the form of fog.
- Fertilizers for Echinocereus are introduced during the period of activation of its growth, which falls on the period from mid-spring to the end of summer days. It is recommended to use formulations intended for succulents and cacti, but occasionally growers use products for orchids without changing the indicated dosage on the pack.
- Transplant and advice on soil selection. Young cactus should change the pot every year, but specimens that are more than five years old are transplanted every 2 years. The new container may not be too deep, but its width is selected sufficient to accommodate the subsequently formed offspring from the "children". A good layer of drainage material is placed on the bottom of the pot. The substrate for Echinocereus is loose but nutritious. You can use a commercially available cactus and succulent formula by adding crushed charcoal to it. Or a soil mixture of equal shares of sod soil (you can use the soil from mole heaps, carefully sifted from the sod), coarse river sand, brick chips (sifted from dust) and fine gravel (the fraction should be approximately 2-3 mm in size). Crushed coal is also added there.
Echinocereus breeding rules
This unpretentious cactus can be propagated by sowing the collected seeds or by rooting the lateral shoots (babies).
Using seed, a large number of young Echinocereus are easily obtained, however, in this case, varietal properties may be lost. The seeds are stratified before they are sown in the soil - usually, it is recommended to keep them in cold conditions for about a month, with heat values of about 4-5 degrees. To do this, the seeds are wrapped in a paper bag and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. After the expiration of the specified period, you should fill the pot with wet sand and sow seeds there. Then it is recommended to wrap the container with a plastic bag and put it in a warm place with a temperature of about 20-24 degrees.
Crop care is to carry out regular ventilation and if the substrate begins to dry out, then it is sprayed with warm and soft water from a spray bottle. After about 14–20 days, you can see how the first shoots will "hatch". The shelter can then be removed, accustoming young Echinocereus to room conditions. When they grow up, they are transplanted into separate small flowerpots with a suitable substrate, or you can plant several pieces in a large common pot.
Often, small daughter processes begin to form in the lower part of the echtnocereus. It is recommended to separate them and leave to dry for 2-3 days. Only when a whitish film is formed on the cut of the baby, it will be possible to plant the shoot in a pot of wet sand. Usually the cutting is pressed slightly into the substrate. Until the formation of root processes occurs, the seedling is provided with support, or you can plant it next to the wall of the pot on which it will rest. It is recommended to water the seedlings using the wick method so that moisture does not accumulate near the fragile base of the baby. Rooting takes place quite quickly and after 15–20 days, the young cactus will develop with greater activity.
Fight against possible pests and diseases of Echinocereus
The plant is loved by flower growers not only for its appearance, but also for its resistance to harmful insects and diseases. If the soil in the pot is constantly in a waterlogged state, then sooner or later this will lead to rotting of the root system, and to save the cactus, an urgent transplant will have to be carried out with the replacement of the pot. Too high air humidity readings bring the same nuisance. After the cactus is removed from the container, its affected roots are removed, and the plant is treated with a fungicide. Then planting is carried out in a sterile pot and substrate. Then it is important to properly maintain the watering regime.
Facts to note and photos of Echinocereus
In 1848 this genus got its name and was introduced to the scientific botanical community. This was done by George Engelmann (1809-1884) a botanist and mycologist with Germanic roots from America. Although earlier some of the varieties were already known, and one of the representatives of the genus was in the botanical nomenclature under the name Cereus pentalopus, which was described in 1828 by Augustin Decandol (1778-1841) - a French and Swiss scientist, known in botany as the first author-classifier of plants …
The popularity of these cacti was so great that this led to the publication of a specialized magazine, in which one of the sections was devoted to this rather diverse group of plants and was called "Friend of Echinocereus". Julius Heinrich Karl Schumann (1810-1868), a German botanist and scientist engaged in research in the field of algology, also made an invaluable contribution to the systematization of the Echinocereus species, the result of his work was published by the scientist in works dating from the late 19th century. But all modern knowledge that is available in the taxonomy of Echinocereus is based on information gleaned from the monograph by Nigel Paul Taylor (1956) of the British botanist, a specialist in the study of cacti, published in 1985.
Since the fruits of the cactus have excellent taste, it is customary to make jams and jams from them in their native lands of growth (areas of the USA and Mexico). In these areas, special farmlands have even been built, where they are engaged in the cultivation of those varieties of Echinocereus, the fruits of which are large in size. To prepare sweets, it is necessary, after the harvest is ripe, to collect the fruits and separate the juicy pulp of a bright red color from the skin, which is covered with thorns. Since the thorns are quite sharp, and this process is still not performed by mechanisms and all operations are carried out manually, the prices for cactus fruits are not low.
Echinocereus species
- Echinocereus crested (Echinocereus pectinatus) sometimes referred to as Echinocereus Pectinatus. The cactus has a cylindrical stem, the top of which is rounded. In length, it does not exceed 20 cm, with a width of about 3–6 cm. On the surface of the stem, there are shallow ridges located vertically. There are 20-30 of them. The surface pattern is created by radial spines that are very tightly pressed against the stem. Funnel-shaped buds open up to 6–8 cm across and are usually formed at the top of the shoots. The color of the petals in the flowers is pinkish, but gradually, towards the middle, their shade brightens.
- Echinocereus reichenbach (Echinocereus reichenbachii). The area of natural distribution of this cactus stretches from the southwestern regions of the United States (which include Colorado, Kansas, as well as New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas) to the northeastern regions of Mexico. Often, the plant can be found in the Chihuahua desert, on the Texas plains, in the foothills of the cliffs, where the absolute height is 1500 meters. The shape of the stem is cylindrical, at a young age it is solitary, but later the trunk becomes branched. In length, its parameters vary in the range of 8–25 cm with a width of about 2.5–9 cm. The ribs on the stem are 10–19 units, they can grow both straight and with a slight curvature. In areoles, the number of radial spines reaches 20–36; their usual arrangement is in the form of a bundle growing on both sides of the areola. These spines are distinguished by a slight bend and are very strongly pressed against the body of the stem. Central spines do not grow, but in some forms of this species there are 4–7 units (for example, in Echinocereus reichenbachii ssp. Armatus). When blooming, a bud opens with petals of a bright pink color and a purple tint. The corolla in opening can reach 10 cm. The buds have a covering of hairs, bristles and spines.
- Echinocereus thornless (Echinocereus subinermis) differs in a rather short length of spines on a cylindrical stem. Its color is light greenish. On the surface, there are up to 11 ribs with a clearly visible relief. The arrangement of areoles is quite rare and from them originates from three to eight spines of a silvery color, which have a bend towards the stem. They vary in length within 1–7 mm. Flowers usually grow on the top of the shoot. The color of the petals in them is bright yellow, the corolla in the opening reaches a diameter of 12 cm.
- Echinocereus rigid (Echinocereus rigidissimus). The stem has a columnar shape and reaches up to 30 cm in height, the shoot width is 10 cm. The stem has a dark green tint and on its surface there are vertically formed 15–23 ribs. Short curved spines are tightly pressed to the epidermis of the shoot, while creating a beautiful covering in the form of combs. The color of the spines can be either yellowish-whitish or pinkish.
