Cactus echinopsis is one of the most popular plants in the Cactus family today. Its funny balls abundantly cover the stony plateaus of the Andes in Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and some regions of Brazil. A distinctive feature are large flowers of various colors on elongated legs. They, like antennas, are directed in different directions. With proper care at home, echinopsis blooms regularly and delight their owners with bright colors.
Plant description
Echinopsis (echinopsis) is a perennial, slowly growing cactus. It has a well-developed rhizome, which is located in the upper layers of the soil. The stem is rarely covered by lateral processes. At a young age, it takes a spherical shape, but gradually stretches out. On the surface of the stem are embossed vertical ribs densely covered with areoles. In each areola there are short whitish villi and several sharp, straight or curved spines.
Flowering of echinopsis begins in the spring and can last up to six months. During this period, several flowers with a diameter of up to 15 cm bloom along the sides of the upper part of the stem. They have a long leg in the form of a spiny tubular process up to 20 cm long. Narrow petals are arranged in several rows and can be painted in white, yellow, pink, orange and purple shade. Some varieties exude an intense pleasant aroma. In the genus, there are varieties with night and day flowers.
After flowering on the legs, small oblong fruits are tied. The juicy pulp contains many smooth seeds with a black, shiny skin.
Types of Echinopsis
Echinopsis flower has more than 50 varieties. Several hybrid varieties of this plant have also been bred. At home, only some of them are grown.
Echinopsis is tubular. The plant with a dark green stem is covered with 10-12 embossed ribs. The areoles can be white, silver or black and contain yellowish curved spines. Funnel-shaped flowers up to 10 cm in diameter are located on a stalk about 25 cm long. The petals are painted white or pinkish.
Echinopsis is golden. Bright green oblong stem covered with deep ribs. In frequent areoles there are several straight spines about 1 cm long. Flowers with a diameter of 4-6 cm bloom on long stems. Petals are painted in yellow and orange.
Echinopsis Airies. An oblong stem of light green color covers 11-18 relief ribs. The areoles are densely covered with a silvery pile, from which short needles barely peep out. White or light pink with a bright stripe flowers in length reach 25 cm. This species often forms multiple lateral processes.
Echinopsis Huasha. The plant has long dark green shoots. They can be straight or curved. On the ribs there are multiple areoles with a terracotta pile and thin, long spines. The top of the stem is crowned with several flowers on a wide and shortened leg. Petals are orange or red.
Echinopsis is pointed. A plant with a dark green stem with a diameter of up to 25 cm. It contains 8-14 vertical ribs with deep grooves. Rare areoles are covered with short hair and white needles. Pink or reddish flowers are located on a spiny process 22 cm long.
Echinopsis is hybrid. The plant with a dark green oblong stem is covered with embossed ribs. Spines are located in small groups in the areoles. On a long, thin and often curved leg is a large flower with wide petals of white or light pink hue.
Echinopsis subdenudate (half-naked). Even an adult plant has a short spherical stem of dark green color. Its diameter is about 12 cm and a height of 5–9 cm. Relief ribs contain rare areoles with a short whitish nap. In each of them there is a single spike 2 mm long. In spring, white flowers bloom on the plant with a tube up to 20 cm in length.
Propagation Features
Reproduction of echinopsis is performed by the method of planting seeds or rooting children. The processes are preferably separated in the spring. During the day they are dried in air until a transparent film is formed. Then you should slightly push the shoot into the wet sand and support it. The rooting process takes 1-2 weeks, after which the seedlings can be carefully transplanted to a permanent place.
Seeds are sown in March in a bowl with turf and sand. The soil should first be calcined. Seeds are soaked for several hours in manganese, and then distributed on the surface of wet soil. The plate is covered with a film and kept in a warm place (+ 18 ... + 20 ° C). It is necessary to regularly ventilate and moisten the soil. Friendly shoots appear after 15-20 days.
Transfer
For planting echinopsis, you should choose wide and shallow pots. Transplantation of adult plants is carried out every 2-4 years. The soil for the cactus should contain a large amount of sand, gravel and large abrasive materials. You can add crumb brick, perlite, gravel to the finished cactus soil mix.
During transplantation, it is important to carefully move the old earthen lump so as not to damage the roots of the flower. Within a week after transplantation, echinopsis is not recommended to be watered.
Care Rules
At home, caring for echinopsis, like most cacti, is uncomplicated.
Lighting. The flower loves bright rooms and long daylight hours. However, it should be accustomed to the open sun gradually so that burns do not appear on the skin. You will also need protection from the summer midday sun.
Temperature. Echinopsis is not afraid of heat. In summer, he feels great at + 25 ... + 27 ° C. From mid-autumn it is recommended to start lowering the air temperature and bring it to + 6 ... + 10 ° C. This will allow the cactus to relax and form a sufficient number of flower buds.
Humidity. The stiff peel with a wax coating reliably protects the stem from excessive evaporation of moisture, so the flower feels fine even with heating radiators. It is recommended to bathe echinopsis periodically under a warm shower to get rid of dust.
Watering. This cactus tolerates a little drought better than flooding the soil. Even in hot weather it is watered 1-2 times a week, so that the soil has time to dry out by half. In winter, the earth is moistened no more than once a month.
Fertilizer. From March to the end of flowering, Echinopsis will benefit from fertilizer. A solution with mineral top dressing for cacti is applied monthly to the soil. In winter, fertilizers should be stopped, otherwise the stem may rot.
Diseases and pests. Echinopsis is resistant to diseases and pests. Only with prolonged flooding of the soil, the development of fungal diseases is possible. In this case, the earth should be replaced as much as possible with the plant, treated with fungicide and reduced watering.
Occasionally, on the stem you can see signs of spider mites or mealybugs. With the help of insecticides, it is possible to quickly get rid of the problem.
