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Recommend me a cactus please


Quixote

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I'm looking for a short, fat cactus that has big and frequent flowers. Any ideas about what to go for? Ideally one that would flower all year round when living indoors in a pot in a window. But I guess there are no cacti like that.

Edited by Quixote
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I would go a echinocereus rigidissimus var rubrispinus. Has a lovely flower, but even if it doesn't flower because of being inside it is a very nice colour anyway.

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Thanks for the suggestion. Was hoping to find a cactus that would be happy inside though, since the climate in Northern Europe is pretty dismal for at least 6 months a year..

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A T. grandiflorus may fit your requirements.  I believe mine is a hybrid (unknown cross).  I picked it up at the big box hardware store for a decent price, I didn't really need another cactus but it had developing flower buds so I couldn't resist.  The attached pic is from last May, and it is developing buds again right now.  It does not perfectly fulfill your requirements, but it the best that comes to mind.  

Full disclosure, I have only had it for about a year, it appears to only flower once a year, and I keep it in my green house so even in winter it is getting more light than an indoor window would provide. Also, if lighting is poor and they are not dormant they will etiolate pretty badly (I've seen this in friends cacti).

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Looks like a nice little cactus, but I was hoping to find one that flowers once in a while throughout the year. I guess such a cactus just doesn't exist, as in their natural habitat there's only one time of year suitable for flowering...

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what about a soehrensia? theyre fat but ive not any experience with them so couldnt say for sure on flowering

rebutias flower like fireworks it seems from what ive seen of them theyre not that fat tho hmmm

 

what about a really old lophophora ?

they love flowering and love neglect - would be totally bored of them by now but they're so fwuffy, cute and fat

...and i dnno make ya weak at the knees , the little blue things 2017-04-08 23.06.11.jpg2017-04-08 23.05.48.jpg2017-04-08 23.05.39.jpg

 

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what about a soehrensia? theyre fat but ive not any experience with them so couldnt say for sure on flowering

rebutias flower like fireworks it seems from what ive seen of them theyre not that fat tho hmmm

 

what about a really old lophophora ?

they love flowering and love neglect - would be totally bored of them by now but they're so fwuffy, cute and fat

...and i dnno make ya weak at the knees , the little blue things 2017-04-08 23.06.11.jpg2017-04-08 23.05.48.jpg2017-04-08 23.05.39.jpg

 

 

Rebutia looks like a good candidate - to me it looks short and fat in the picture on wikipedia at least.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebutia

 

Also of course Lophophora. I have one that gets older and more beautiful year by year. Never get bored of that :)

 

Edited by Quixote
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you could look up Echinocereus species. Flowers last a couple days.. Also Mammilarias flower a lot and also Stenocacti and Turbini which flower twice a year.

 

but like all cacti they all need bright sun to grow and not etiolate... 

 

maybe lopho would be more forgiving in that.. 

 

Haworthias are also ideal for more shady places, but its not a cactus and doesnt do beautiful flowers... 

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Some good old Turbinicarpus would work well imo have had them in mostly shade with them flowering and stuff...very pretty flowers too!

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Some good old Turbinicarpus would work well imo have had them in mostly shade with them flowering and stuff...very pretty flowers too!

 

Which species ? Looking at Wikipedia, there are many, and they seem very different.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbinicarpus#Species_list

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Whoops was meant to say Mammillaria. Need more sleep I think... But I has some growing on a Windowsill..  Was Mammillaria elongata or something similar.

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Which species ? Looking at Wikipedia, there are many, and they seem very different.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbinicarpus#Species_list

Turbinicarpus lophophoroides flowers freely and copiously from spring through summer/early fall. Established specimens are easy to care for if you just keep them dry in the cold months and give them lots of sun in the growing season. Thelocactus are also pretty tough and have nice, huge flowers for their size. T. bicolor especially.  

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  • 1 month later...

Pelecyphora strobiliformis do it well for me - showy mauve flowers that just keep on coming.  And mine produce masses of seedlings all on their own.  My two largest adults and just some of their offspring.

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