🌸 Desert.plants.passion / Cacti spring flowers

Spring flowers

Turbinicarpus macrochele

Among the first cacti that bloom in spring are some species of Turbinicarpus genus. Never becoming large plants, just on the contrary, they are very small succulents. Watering should be always done with care, they will not forgive you a mistake. They develop a tap root that allows them to endure long period without water. Mineral soil mixture that dry fast will please them.

Turbinicarpus smiedickianus and Turbinicarpus macrochele

Turbinicarpus viereckii

Echinofossulocactus are larger than Turbinicarous and much more spiny. Spines are what I love at them! As they grow older spines are more magnificent! Flowers can be barely visible trough them. Echinofossulocacti are much easier to grow than member of Turbinicactus genus. They can stand on full sun and rain from spring to autumn. There is only one catch with them. When mature they really do not like to be repott, they can die from shock. It is better to repott them in bigger pot earlier when they are still young, and later only if it is necessary and then they should be treat with special care.

Echinofossulocactus lloydii

Echinofossulocactus

Echinofossulocactus

Epithelanthas have also start with blooming. Their flowers are so small, nothing spectacular, but I love to see them. It means plants are alive and satisfied. What I like about this genus is their white, gentle, thick spines that cover their body completely like somebody knit them in tenderness!

Epithelantha micromeris

Epithelantha unguispina

Epithelantha unguispina is my favorite among plants of this genus. Once (this one that you can see on photo above) it had almost died from red spider mite infestation. I had to spray it with acaricide for months. After that it stopped growing. I was looking at it next spring, and spring after that and nothing. It was alive, but nothing was happening. Finally it surprised me with five new side offshoots. Wonderful! Now it is true beauty!
What happened is that red spider mite damaged it’s main point of growth. It needed years to recover.

Neoporteria microsperma

For the end I’ll show you one of my favorite cacti
(Yes, that is the sentence that I say often 😊), Neoporteria microsperma.
Probably it is just a form of N. subgibbosa, they are so variable in nature. Those gray and black spines are adorable. It is flowering in winter and again in spring but then not so profusely like other member of this genus.
When some cacti species are very variable there is no guarantee that I can find another one which is the same as desired one. The same can be the ID but plants just do not look the same. There can be difference in color of the spines, or length of spines etc. So the only way to have another, just the same, is to have offshoot of that plant, but this one is solitary. Another way is to have field number (but that also cannot guarantee the same plant!) or have seeds of that plant. I have no field number of this one, so the only thing left is to wait for it’s seeds. Last year it gave one seed capsule, with few seeds in it. There is a little chance to have success with such a small amount, but I’ll give it a try. Probably will have to wait for some more richer seed production.