There are different types of home cacti that differ in appearance and size. This page presents the most common types of indoor cacti that can be grown at home. All types of indoor cacti with photos and accompanied by brief botanical characteristics. You can also find out their correct names.
Cacti have long been grown as houseplants, but they are rarely considered an important decorative element.
For those wishing to collect houseplants, this is a durable and varied group that can be easily assembled. For a not very keen indoor gardener, cacti are convenient in that they do not need regular watering, pruning, transplanting, spraying, etc.
Decorators need to be mindful of the thorns, which are dangerous to people watching and caring for these plants. When handling prickly cacti, wear heavy gloves or use a folded strip of newspaper.
Another issue is cost – the adult Strauss Cleistocactus or the Peruvian Monstrosa can certainly serve as a focal point as a single plant, but they are too expensive.
An alternative approach is to design a special type of indoor garden. This deserted garden can be placed in any type of container – from a large floor-standing designer drawer to a dish on a windowsill. Start by laying a layer of soil, then cover it with sand on top and, if space is available, place a few stones and pebbles. Various types of cacti are planted in this soil – the most long-lived of special groups of plants.
As noted above, cacti can survive with insufficient care, but this approach should not have a place in interior design. In order to grow noteworthy and possibly flowering exemplary plants, you need to read the information in the next column.
Care and transplantation of types of home cacti
Home cacti care is not difficult, but correct in terms of agricultural technology. Different types of cacti may require special care or the usual care that is used when growing other plants. The following are the main procedures for cactus farming: care and transplantation, watering and feeding.
Temperature: Moderate from spring to autumn. Keep in a cool place during the winter – ideally 10 Β° -13 Β° C, but nothing bad will happen even at 4 Β° C. Plants from the windowsill should be rearranged into the room at night if the weather is very cold and there is no artificial heating.
Shine: Choose the brightest spot available, especially during winter. In the greenhouse, some shading may be needed during the hottest months.
Watering: Increase watering in the spring, and from late spring to late summer, tend like a normal houseplant, watering thoroughly when the soil begins to dry out. Use warm water. At the end of summer, watering is reduced, and from mid-autumn the soil is kept practically dry – there should be enough water just to prevent shrinkage of the plants.
Air humidity: Do not spray in summer (exception: Cleistocactus). Fresh air is essential – open windows on hot summer days.
Transfer: Transplant at a young age annually; transplant afterwards only if necessary. Transplant into a pot that is only slightly larger than the previous one in the spring.
Reproduction: Cuttings of most varieties take root easily. Take stem cuttings or scions in spring or summer. It is very important that the cuttings dry for a few days (large cuttings within 1-2 weeks) before planting them in peat-based compost. Another breeding method is sowing seeds; temperature for seed germination is 21-27 Β° C.
How to make a cactus bloom – to make cacti bloom
While some cacti will bloom at a fairly young age, there are others, such as prickly pears and cereus, that are more difficult to bring into bloom. For cacti to bloom, they need to create conditions close to their natural habitat. The following is the question of how to make a cactus bloom at home using simple methods.
In a large number of cases, cacti are able to bloom indoors by the time they reach the age of three or four years. They will bloom every year, usually in the spring. You can also collect a small collection of cacti that bloom at different times throughout the year.
The secret is that most cacti can only bloom on a new growth. For growth to appear, cacti will need summer care and relative peace in the winter, as described in the Secrets of Success section. It should also be remembered that flowering encourages cultivation in a slightly cramped pot.
The names of indoor cactus species
The following are the types of indoor cacti with the names and brief characteristics of crops and varieties.
Aporocactus lash-shaped (Aporocactus flagelliformis) easy to grow. Its stems, 1 cm thick, grow a few centimeters per year, and in spring flowers with a diameter of 8 cm appear. Suitable for hanging baskets.
Astrophytum Capricorn (Astrophytum capricorne) grows at first like a ribbed ball, but becomes cylindrical with age. Yellow chamomile flowers form in summer on adult specimens, which reach 15-30 cm, depending on the species. A. capricorne has curved spines; A. decorated (A. ornatum) has long straight spines.
Cereus Peruvian (Cereus peruvianus) – one of the most important cacti for interior design, suitable for growing as a separate plant. The stem eventually reaches 0,6-1 m and blooms in summer with large flowers 15 cm long. The form of C. Peruvian Monstrosus – (C. peruvianus monstrosus) is a slowly growing “ugly” mutation that attracts attention.
Hamecereus Silvestri (Chamaecereus silvestrii) grows rapidly; red flowers appear on its stems 8 cm long in early summer.
Strauss’s Cleistocactus (Cleistocactus straussii) Is another design-friendly cactus. In adulthood, it reaches 1 m or more. The white hairs and thorns that cover the surface give the plant a silvery appearance.
Echinocereus comb (Echinocereus pectinatus) grows into a column 25 cm high, studded with thorns. E. Salm-Dyck (E. salm-dyckianus) has fragrant bright flowers.
Gymnocalycium Mikhanovich, a variety of Friedrich (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii friedrichii) is also called Hibotan, or Little Red Riding Hood. Its colored stem is grafted onto a green cactus stock. It is an attractive and original cactus.
Mammillaria bokasskaya (Mammillaria bocasana) Is a silvery plant that blooms in spring with white flowers arranged in a ring around the stem. M. Wilda (M. wildii) is similar to her, but has an oval rather than round shape.
Notocactus Otto (Notocactus ottonis) spherical, with hard spines. At the age of several years, it has flowers 8 cm wide. N. Leninghaus (N. leninghausii) is grown for its cylindrical stem, and not for the flowers.
Prickly pear (Opuntia microdasys) grows to a height of about 30cm and bears small hooked spines. They can be red or white, depending on the species. Opuntia come in a variety of shapes and sizes..
Π£ Tiny rebutia (Rebutia miniscula) spherical stems 5 cm in diameter. It is capable of blooming with deep orange tubular flowers every summer. R. senilis is a ball with a diameter of 8-10 cm.
Trichocereus whitening (Trichocereus candicans) in its mature state it is a stately plant – a column 1 m high, which freely expands as it grows older. T. spach (T. spachianus), reaching a height of 1,5 m or more.
