#FEROCACTUS SEEDS FULL#

Use a well-draining, porous potting medium and make sure that the pot or container has sufficient drainage holes. To avoid this, follow the recommended watering regimen. This is primarily due to wet soil and poor drainage (3). They can be removed using tweezers and brush or spray with isopropyl alcohol or apple cider vinegar diluted in water.Ī barrel cactus, especially one grown at home, is susceptible to rotting. They can be difficult to manually remove because of the spines and these pests latch in the grooves of the cactus. When kept unattended, they leave light to deep scars on the plant, and in severe cases, cause the plant to die. Mealybugs and scale insects are the most common pests appearing on cacti. They appear as orange marks that fade to gray scars. wislizeni are frost-sensitive and are prone to freeze-damage (4). They can continue growing between 64 and 86 ☏ (10-30 ☌). Temperature and Humidityīecause they live in hot arid deserts, cacti are used to high temperatures and humidity, but they are fairly tolerant of changes. Come late fall to winter, stop watering the plant and keep the soil dry (3). From spring to early fall, water thoroughly when the top ¼ inch (2 cm) of the soil is dry. However, landscape and indoor barrel cactus can benefit from light watering, ideally rainwater. Watering a cactus is almost unnecessary, considering the little to no moisture that they receive in their natural habitat. Transition this plant into the right light condition gradually to avoid scorching and further damage to the plant. On the other hand, insufficient sunlight exposure for long periods will cause the cactus to etiolate and appear like it’s being stretched out at the center. Note that even though they are desert plants, most cacti that come from nurseries are already acclimatized and may respond poorly under extreme heat.

#FEROCACTUS SEEDS FULL#

When growing a barrel cactus at home, position them under full sunlight, and gradually introduce a little shade during the high heats of summer. Growing and Caring for Barrel Cactus Light and WaterĪlmost all cacti prefer exposure to bright sunlight for most of the day. They make unique house plants in pots and dish gardens and are attractive solitary cacti for themed landscape and gardens. Many species of Ferocactus are now commercially sold like f. These plants thrive in flat sandy areas and porous rocky soils with limited water and bright sun. The group of plants is native and widely distributed in the southern United States and Mexico, occurring at elevations from 0 to 1,200 meters above sea level (2). The Barrel cactus originated from the Sonoran Desert in North America. However, research says that the stored moisture from the plant is too alkaline to drink. They are fleshy but dry and inside are thousands of tiny brown to black seeds (2).Īnother nickname for the Ferocactus is “The Traveler’s Friend’ because in the desert, it serves as a moisture reservoir for a parched traveler in dire need of water. The resulting fruits look like small pineapples clustered on top of the plant. The petals come in shades of red, orange, pink, and yellow, creating a soft visual accent against the green plant during the early summer in May. They are funnel-like in shape-the size of 1 to 2 inches in diameter when in full bloom. They appear at the apex of the plant in a striking ringed cluster. Like most cacti, the Ferocactus bears amazing flowers. They are even traditionally used as a fishing hook by the Native Americans (1). Their color ranges from white to gray and yellow to pink and their shape may be straight or hooked. The Barrel cactus is covered with hard large spines that protect it from thirsty creatures and small finer spines that help the plant deflect the desert sunlight. Ferocactus species have 20 to 28 ribs and their root system is shallow, reaching up to 8 inches (20 cm) deep. Young plants grown indoors are solitary and small enough to grow in containers. In the wild, their height can range from 2 to 10 feet (3 meters) and the diameter from 18 to 33 inches (45 to 83 cm). These cacti are usually unbranching with ridges called ribs running down the stem but there are several species with smaller stems and form clumps. Like the Echinocactus, cacti under this group are commonly referred to as Barrel cactus because of the characteristically large stout stem that can be rounded to cylindrical in form. The Ferocactus is a genus of plants belonging to the cactus family. Growing and caring is also rather straight-forward so keeping it as a house plant is definitely worth a shot.

The Ferocactus is an impressive house and landscape plant and can be a practical and valuable resource in its xeric environment.

Ferocactus seeds