General characteristics of notocactus, tips for care when growing indoors, do-it-yourself reproduction, difficulties in leaving, interesting facts, types. Notocactus (Notocactus) is a plant that botanists attributed to the oldest genus Cactaceae, which separated during evolution about 30-35 million years ago. The native habitat of this representative of the flora falls on the territory of South America, namely, it covers the lands of Paraguay and Brazil, not uncommon notocactus in Bolivia and Argentina. Most often, they can be found in these areas at an altitude of up to 2000 m above sea level. This genus includes up to 20 different species, differing in external parameters.
Basically, notocactus is spherical or its stems appear in the form of columns. In the modern classification of representatives of the family, it is customary to classify Notocactus as a parody, and even often call the first plain parodies, because, unlike real parodies, Notocactus prefer to "settle" in the shade formed by shrubs growing on grassy hills. A little earlier, these cacti were identified by scientists in a small separate genus.
If we turn to the name of the plant, then it is based on the translation of the Latin word "notius", which means south, and fully characterizes those areas where notocactus are found - rock taluses, rocky cliffs under the sun's rays. So, as mentioned earlier, the stem of the notocactus is spherical or cylindrical, and on its surface, ribs covered with pubescent areoles with multiple spines are clearly visible. The number of radial spines reaches 40 units, their color is yellowish, and from one to five reddish-brown spines are formed in the center. The height of an adult plant rarely exceeds one meter, the color of the stems is dark green. The growth rate of these cacti is very slow, but if the owner adheres to all the rules of cultivation, then he will be able to enjoy flowering already for 3-5 years of notocactus cultivation.
The stems do not have branching and "children" (young shoots that form on the maternal specimen and are ready for planting) are not formed in the cactus.
Depending on the variety, the flowering process for this South American "inhabitant" occurs in the spring or summer. In this case, flowers of different sizes are formed on the stem, the parameters of which also directly depend on the species. The arrangement of the buds usually occupies the upper third of the stem, but most often the flowers adorn the top of the stem.
The calyx has the shape of a funnel or bell, made up of a large number of petals. Their color can be either yellow, pale yellowish or wheaten, or change from dark red to yellow-violet color. At the base, the color is brighter or more contrasting. Pedicel is not long, thickened and fleshy, its surface is abundantly covered with bristles and spines.
Flowers usually open one at a time, sometimes several at a time. In almost all species, the pistil is quite prominent, located among the numerous stamens of yellow color. The pistil has a stigma, with a rather bright (usually red) decorative color. Each of the flowers lives up to 5 days or more. Occasionally there is a smell of wildflowers.
After flowering, small fruits are formed, which finally dry out when ripe. Inside there is a dusty seed material.
Recommendations for growing notocactus, home care
- Lighting. A lot of sun is needed, but no direct rays. A southeast or southwest location will do. In winter, additional lighting is needed so that the daylight hours are 10 hours.
- Content temperature. Heat indicators are recommended in the range of 22-25 degrees in summer, in winter they are reduced to 8-10 units.
- Watering. Drying of the soil is not allowed; moisture is abundant in the spring and summer period. With the arrival of autumn, watering is reduced, but there should be no drying. Soft water is used.
- Air humidity when growing this plant does not play a significant role, does not need spraying.
- Fertilizers for notocactus it is used from a vein until the end of August. Their regularity is once every 14 days. Special preparations are used for cacti, which contain a high percentage of potassium.
- Transplantation and selection of soil. Since all varieties of notocactus differ in different growth rates, it is recommended to change the pot and soil as needed, that is, when the plant becomes cramped in the old container and the diameter of the stem exceeds its diameter.
The substrate is selected loose with neutral acidity, and it should contain a large amount of coarse sand. You can compose the soil based on the following options:
- river sand and clay soil in a ratio of 1: 3;
- peat, leafy soil, turf and river sand (parts equal), a little brick chips sifted from dust are also mixed there;
- a special purchased substrate for cacti and succulents, where coarse sand is added, but its amount directly depends on the purchased soil - the sand should be clearly visible in it.
Rules for self-propagation of notocactus
Reproduction of this cactus is carried out by sowing seed material or by jigging lateral daughter processes - "children".
The seeds are planted in early spring. Before that, they are soaked for 24 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (its color should be slightly pinkish). Then the seeds are placed in a bowl filled with a substrate consisting of leafy soil, coarse sand and charcoal (in a ratio of 1: 1: 1/2). The soil and the bowl must be thoroughly disinfected before planting. The soil in the pot is not compacted, the seeds are not sealed, but laid out on the surface and only slightly sprinkled with sand. Watering is carried out only from the bottom, when liquid is poured into the stand under the pot or crops are sprayed from a fine atomizer.
The dish is covered with a piece of glass or wrapped in a plastic bag. The container is placed in a warm and well-lit place, but without direct sunlight. Heat indicators should be in the range of 25-27 degrees. Here it is important not to forget about regular spraying and airing of crops. Seedlings will hatch by 10-15 days. During this period, the temperature in the daytime should be at least 28 degrees, and by night it can be lowered by 3-5 degrees.
The first time picking of seedlings of notocactus is performed after 1, 5–2 months. It is recommended to pre-sterilize the container and soil. The second time a pick is necessary when thorns have formed on the stems and the plants have begun to constrain each other. In this case, the composition of the soil should become more nutritious, but also have sufficient looseness.
The third pick is performed again after 1–1.5 months, if conditions are favorable. For this, the seedlings need to be dried for several days, then those specimens in which the root processes are weak are transplanted according to the following rules. If the seedling has one or more roots that are too long and strong, then these processes are shortened in half.
The landing is in dry ground. Pots with seedlings are kept open for 2-3 days, and after that they are placed in a plastic bag or covered with a glass or transparent plastic container. Containers with young notocactus are placed in a mini-greenhouse or on a windowsill that is well warmed by the sun, but this directly depends on the time of year, room conditions and location.
So the seedlings stand without watering for another 7-14 days. In such a place (dry and warm), the wounds on the roots heal rather quickly, and the formation of "waiting" roots takes place. The first time the plants are watered with a weak solution of heteroauxin. After a couple of days, the seedlings begin to grow, they develop good roots, and growth is noticeably accelerated.
Pick No. 4 is carried out by analogy with the third. Caring for notocactus is the same, but the only difference is that after 2-3 weeks, after the first watering, some specimens are recommended to be transferred to a content with stricter rules. After the last dive, it is necessary to accustom young cacti to room humidity, removing the shelter for a short time, gradually increasing it, until the shelter is removed altogether.
All dives are recommended to be performed very carefully, using tweezers or a stick specially prepared for this. Water the crops only after several days have passed and only with boiled water. It is important to conduct a thorough examination of the seedlings daily in order to determine the onset of putrefactive processes in time and prevent their appearance.
During the first two years, small notocactus must be gradually accustomed to lighting, watering is carried out without the earthen coma completely drying out. In the autumn-winter period, it is recommended to keep them with heat indicators slightly higher than for adult specimens at this time. Young plants are watered more abundantly and kept in mini-greenhouses, with uniformly moist soil.
If reproduction takes place with the help of "children", then they are carefully pinched off from the parent specimen and rooted in a soil mixture, in which there is an increased content of sand. It is not necessary to arrange a mini-greenhouse or cover with a hood. Root shoots will be formed if they adhere to sufficient lighting and heat indicators.
Pests and diseases during the cultivation of notocactus in indoor conditions
Among the problems that may accompany the cultivation of this representative of cactus are distinguished:
- If the substrate is often in a waterlogged state, especially in winter, then this will entail wrinkling of the tip of the stem, and spots of soft rot are formed below.
- When watering is not sufficient in the summer or frequent waterlogging in winter, the notocactus stops growing.
- The formed cork spots on the surface of the stem indicate local damage by harmful insects, lack of moisture in the summer, wounds on the stem or hypothermia.
- When brown spotting is visible, it can be caused by stem rot. It must be remembered that a cactus that grows well is rarely affected by such a disease. To get rid of the problem, the affected area is cut out, then the soil is disinfected using a carbendazim solution, and then the conditions for keeping the plant are carefully leveled.
- With a lack of lighting or high temperatures in winter, the stem takes on an elongated shape that is uncharacteristic for it.
If we talk about pests that can affect notocactus, then mealybugs, spider mites and scale insects are distinguished here. At the same time, on the stem you can see small whitish lumps resembling pieces of cotton wool, a thin cobweb and brown-brown dots, a sugar coating. To eliminate harmful insects and products of their vital activity, treatment with insecticidal preparations is used.
Interesting facts about notocactus
The history of notocactus can go back up to hundreds of years and today its end is not expected. For the first time, these plants with the name "notocactus" became known from the works of Karl Schumann, a German botanist (1851-1904). It was in the work of 1898 that he made a selection within the large genus of Echinocactus, which have a spherical shape, the subgenus Notocactus.
This continued until the 1920s, when the gardener and botanist from Germany Alvin Berger (1831-1931) did not bring this innovation to the status of a genus (that is, a southern cactus). The same innovative idea was supported by the Czech botanist, traveler and cactus lover Alberto Vojtech Fritsch (1882–1944). But only in 1938 the status of notocactus was determined and its criteria and boundaries were defined. We should be grateful for this to Kurt Bakkeberg (1894–1966), a botanist from Germany who collects and systematizes cacti.
Today, the genus of Notocactus has been poured into an extensive genus of parodies, but this decision has not been made unambiguously by many schools of botany and there is still heated debate about this.
Synonyms of notocactus are: Brasilicactus or Brasiliparodia, you can often find the name Wigginsia or Eriocactus and Malacocarpus.
Types of notocactus
Since there are many varieties of this plant, we will dwell on the most common.
- Yellow-pink Notocactus (Notocactus roseoluteus) has a spherical stem, reaching a diameter of about 18 cm. The color of the stem is copper-green, at the top there is a covering with whitish woolly pubescence, which is penetrated by spines growing from new areoles. The number of ribs reaches 15-18 units. Areoles are divided into semicircular tubercles. Areoles look a little recessed, their diameter is 5 mm, and the distance between them is about 1 cm. Young areoles are round, with pubescence of white wool. There are up to eight radial spines, their length reaches 11 cm. Their color is light brown with a completely brown base and tip. There are only two central pairs, they are placed crosswise and the parameters of the longest of them are 3 cm, it is directed downward. The color of the central spines is the same as that of the radial ones. The flowers are bell-shaped, they reach 8 cm in diameter. The buds originate from young areoles located at the top of the stem. The color of the petals is glossy salmon, in the middle of the petal there is a darker stripe. At the base of the corolla, the color is light yellow, on the outside it is covered with scales of a lilac-brown color. The color of the pistil is light yellow, it has 9 stigmas of a light pink shade.
- Notocactus graceful (Notocactus concinnus) often referred to as the graceful Notocactus or Parodia concinna. It has a single stem, with a flat-shaped shape, reaching 10 cm in diameter and about 6 cm in height. The color of the stem is glossy greenish. There are no thorns at the apex; on the surface of the stem, there are up to 18 ribs formed by low tubercles. On the ribs, areoles are spaced 5–7 mm apart. The number of radial spines ranges from 10–12 units, they differ in thin lines, similarity to bristles, their color is light yellow, the length is 7 mm. The central spines, including two pairs, are arranged crosswise, 17 mm long, and there is a slight bend towards the bottom. The thorn located at the very bottom is slightly thicker than the others, yellowish in color, but it can also be brown. When flowering, buds are formed in length reaching 7 mm, their color is yellow. This variety begins to bloom in the 3rd year.
- Reddish Notocactus (Notocactus rutilans) differ in a stem 5 cm high, its color is bluish-green. There can be 18-24 ribs, with small tubercles, which are arranged in a spiral order. The color in the lower part of the radial spines is whitish, at the top they have a red-brown tint. The central spines are brownish-red in color. The resulting flowers with petals of a carmine-pink tone can measure 3-4 cm in length with a width of about 6 cm.
Watch in the following video how the notocactus blooms:
