Gymnocalycium belongs to the cactaceous family and is a spherical cactus. The origin is South American (Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil). His name is Latin: "gymnos" and "calycium", which translates respectively as "naked" and "calyx". And all because the tubules of its flowers are naked and covered with many smooth scales.
There are several types of hymnocalycium, the size of which can vary from 2.5 cm to 25-30 cm. The stem is flat-shaped or rounded. The flowers are apical with an elongated tube without spines or hairs, which is covered with smooth leaf scales. Almost all species begin to bloom at the age of two or three, which begins in spring and ends in late autumn. Flowers can have a variety of shades.
Gymnocalycium care at home
Lighting
Gymnocalycium is a light-loving plant that needs bright light, especially in winter. However, in the summer, it is worth creating some shading from the direct rays of the sun to avoid burns on it.
Temperature
The temperature when growing hymnocalycium should be moderate in spring, summer and autumn. But in winter, it should be in the range from 15 to 18 degrees Celsius, although they can withstand even lower - 5 degrees.
Air humidity
Hymnocalycium is not demanding at all to air humidity. They perfectly tolerate dry indoor air without the need for spraying.
Watering
Like most indoor plants, hymnocalycium is watered as the soil dries up. The water should be settled and preferably warm, it can be acidified. By the end of summer, the irrigation regime is adjusted, reducing it, and by the middle of autumn it is completely limited, watering very rarely and a little bit.
The soil
The soil is a mixture of turf, humus, peat and sand in equal proportions, the only caveat is that you need to add charcoal and crumb from bricks in small quantities. The soil for hymnocalycium is preferable to be slightly acidic, without the presence of lime impurities. You can purchase ready-made soil for cactus plants.
Top dressing and fertilizers
You can feed this plant once every two to three weeks in spring and summer. As a top dressing, ordinary cactus fertilizers, which can be bought at any flower shop, are quite suitable.
Transfer
Plants are usually transplanted in the spring season. The new container should not be much larger than the old one.
Reproduction of hymnocalycium
The hymnocalycium cactus reproduces with the help of lateral layers and seeds.
Propagation by lateral layers
Some types of hymnocalycium form lateral layers.Of course, this method of reproduction is the easiest, since it is enough only to separate them from the main stem, dry the cut site for a couple of days and plant in a moistened substrate. The separation of the lateral process from the stem is very simple, since it does not have its own roots, it is enough to turn the cuttings and the connection with the mother stem will break off. Rooting occurs very quickly, and caring for it is exactly the same as for an adult plant.
There are also cases when the lateral layers have their own roots, which are intertwined with the roots of the main plant. In this case, you can carefully dig up the roots of the appendix and plant in a separate pot.
Seed propagation
Seed propagation is inherent in most hymnocalycium. Of course, this method is no worse than propagation by layering, but, on the contrary, even better, since the offspring can be obtained from the obtained seeds much healthier and of better quality.
Sowing seeds is carried out in a fine-grained substrate, which can be pre-calcined in an oven to disinfect it. It is better to take a small and shallow pot for sowing. Seeds are sown on top of a moist substrate. The main condition is that the soil must be constantly moist, for this, for the first time, you can cover the seeds with a transparent film or a lid, periodically sprinkling with water or pouring the substrate through a tray. The ideal temperature for seed germination is about 20 degrees.
Sowing seeds can be carried out in any season, if it is possible to provide them with the necessary conditions (light and heat). Seedlings grown from seeds grow quite quickly, therefore, already at the age of one year, they can be transplanted into a separate pot.
Graft
Only chlorophyll-free hymnocalycium needs inoculation. Of course, vaccinations can be used in other cases: if you need to save a decaying seedling or grow rare species of cacti in a short time.
Grafting takes place according to the general rules, as for all cacti: first, healthy growing plants are selected, which are necessary for grafting. Then all instruments are disinfected and sharp cuts are made on the rootstock and scion, after which they are immediately attached, trying to connect the conductive bundles. In this position, they are secured with a bandage, but not too tight and held that way for about a week.
Diseases and pests
The main pests of these plants are red flat mites and worms. And the main disease is root rot. The most difficult and harmful pest of cactus is the red flat mite. Although he does not really like hymnocalycium, despite the skin of plants that is too thick for a mite, he still settles on them. These microscopic mites are not visible at first glance, they leave only traces behind them - dry rusty spots. But for hymnocalycium such an event is infrequent, it occurs only on young plants or in those places where the epithelium is not sufficiently strong.
It is very simple to deal with them - just rinse the stems under running hot water or anoint them with an ethyl solution. There is another way - to use an acaricidal and universal toxic chemical. Of course, the chemical method is worth using when you have a whole collection of different cacti at risk. And if you only have one or two cacti, this is not at all necessary.
Mealybug is a small worm-like pest that settles on the roots and stems of a plant and sucks out all the juices from it. They live on hymnocalycium as well as on other plants in this family. They can be easily seen with the naked eye, especially on the flat surface of the plant, since their bodies are pinkish and covered with an airy layer similar to cotton wool.
If the growth of the plant has stopped and the flowers do not appear anymore, this means that this pest has settled on the roots. If you have any suspicions about this, then it is recommended to inspect the root system, you can easily spot the worms.To get rid of these parasites, you can wash the roots and the whole plant for a long time with hot water (but not boiling water, but so that the hand suffers). In addition, insecticidal or universal preparations can be used to combat them.
Another trouble is the defeat of the plant by rot, which occurs with an unsuitable substrate, improper watering, or under poor temperature conditions. The root system is most often subjected to the decay process. Of course, in such a situation, you can try to save the cactus itself. To do this, you need to rinse them with hot water and cut off all affected tissues, and disinfect the remaining healthy ones with crushed coal or fungicidal preparations. After that, dry the roots for a couple of days and plant in the substrate as when propagating by layering.
even I have this cactus, I'm glad for it !!!!!
but how to dry the process?
just put it on the newspaper next to the cactus pot and let it sit for 2-3 days and then plant it
Good time of the day! I have been growing a cactus Gymnocalycium for 3 years and black spots began to appear on the red, and then on the processes. Can you save him?
I also have dark dots above the pink flowers. I decided that the flowers were starting to fade. Is it so? What kind of care is needed? Thanks for your reply, in advance.
Thank you very much for the interesting article! Details, understandable without further ado. I keep trying to get this cactus, but for some reason it keeps swimming away ... It's a pity, but there is still hope: