How to grow Echinofossulocactus
How to grow Echinofossulocactus
The genus Echinofossulocactus Lawr. it is made up of succulent plants of the Cactaceae family, originating from Mexico.
These plants are globular cacti that at full maturity take on a columnar shape, with numerous ribs in marked relief, wavy, and with areolas in a disorderly arrangement and with few robust spines.
The flowers are small but particularly beautiful: they have the shape of a funnel, colors mottled from white to pale pink, up to violet, with central yellow stamens. Usually sprout from the top of the cactus in small groups of 3, 5 or more – depending on the age and size of the specimen.
Two species belong to the genus Echinofossulocactus, which are:
– Echinofossulocactus confusus (Britton) P.V. Heath;
– Echinofossulocactus rosasianus (Pechanek) P.V. Heath.
In this card we will see how to cultivate Echinofossulocactus, following the pedological and climatic characteristics that these plants prefer.
The Echinofossulocactus can be cultivated both in pots and in the ground, in this last case it must be taken into account that the minimum temperature that these plants can tolerate must not fall below 4 ° C.
For the choice of the substrate it is necessary to choose or create a very porous one that is composed of fibrous earth and a lot of sand, even coarse, mixed with gravel in order to give the plant an excellent drainage.
For the selection of the pots it is advisable to use the small ones, just larger than the base of the plant, and possibly in terracotta.
Whether cultivated in pots or in the open ground the Echinofossulocactus needs positions in full sun, or in any case sunny for many hours a day, avoiding areas subjected to north and cold winds outdoors.
For watering it is advisable to proceed on a regular basis, avoiding excesses and waiting for the soil to be perfectly dry between one water intake and another. The watering will then be suspended in the winter period and then resumed with the vegetative resumption of the spring period.
The Echinofossulocactus is also a plant that can be multiplied, quite easily by seed. The multiplication by seed takes place with the planting, in a bed of wet sand, of the seeds, taking care to maintain the temperature around 20-22 ° C and in a shady position; condition that must be maintained even until the young seedlings are formed.
Another form of feasible multiplication is that through suckers. The emission of suckers, however, is rarer, however if at the base of the plant you will see sprouting shoots, these can be cut with a previously sterilized blade and used as a cutting.