Mammillaria belongs to the largest cactus genus, numbering about 500 species. The desert areas of South Africa, where there is a lot of heat and sun, are considered their homeland. Among them there are very unpretentious species, and species requiring special care. Cactus mammillaria differs from other cacti in the presence of papillae on the stems, from which its spines grow. In the sinuses between the papillae, flowers appear.
Plants love fresh air and direct sunlight, so it is advisable to place them in the garden or on the balcony in summer. In winter, the temperature of their maintenance should not be lower than 10 ° C (and for pubescent species - not lower than 15 ° C), and irrigation is very limited - once a month. With the onset of spring, watering is gradually increased, in the summer they are brought to a maximum. Cactus mammillaria tolerates low humidity, but loves spraying (from a very small atomizer).
Pots for cacti should be chosen not deep, but wide, which allows numerous children to take root right there, next to the mother plant, and which are then transplanted into a separate container. It replants young plants annually, and old ones - usually after a year. The soil for transplantation is prepared from equal parts of sand, sheet, peat and turf land and brick crumb is added.
Cactus mammillaria breeds well by children, but in order to avoid premature degeneration of the plant, it is advisable to periodically apply seed propagation.
The most common types of mammillaria in indoor floriculture are:
Mammillaria Wilda - with a thick elongated stem, thick papillae. The cactus branches heavily due to the formation of numerous children who themselves do not fall off. Blooms in large white flowers and in almost any environment.
Mammillaria long-papillary - blooms unusually beautiful large yellow flowers. Does not require special care.
Mammillaria is fragile (slender) - a plant with a sufficiently long thin stem, papillae in the form of tubercles are abundantly covered with white spines. Numerous baby processes fall off by themselves and easily take root near the mother plant. Cactus blooms only under favorable conditions, with white small flowers.
Seilman Mammillaria - has a cylindrical low stalk with characteristic bent spines. The flowers are white or intense pink.
Mammillaria cactus is highly susceptible to being hit by a red tick. You can fight it by rubbing the plant with a swab slightly moistened with alcohol.
Peyote cactus (in another way - lofofora williams) is considered one of the most interesting and amazing cacti. His homeland is the USA and Mexico. The Indians of America have used this cactus for ritual purposes for thousands of years. The plant causes severe hallucinations. Even before the conquerors arrived in Mexico, local residents knew about its narcotic effect. Supernatural properties were attributed to him and claimed that people who had eaten peyote could look into the future and predict it. In the United States, lofofora williams was banned in 1970.
Peyote can be attributed to the most hardy of known cacti. It is rather wide than tall. The root is thick, repetitive, 10-15cm in length. The stem is elastic, soft, spherical, gray-green in color, consists of ribs, which can be in an amount of 5 to 15. The ribs of some forms of cacti can break up into tubercles, with bundles of hairs merging at the apex into a thick, woolly grayish or yellowish white. From it, throughout the growing season, flowers grow light purple in color, with a dark stripe in the middle.
Cactus Parody from the cactus family, distributed in Brazil and Bolivia and has up to 160 species. A feature of this cactus is that its crown is always tilted to the sunny side. Plants prefer bright sunlight and moderate (21-22 ° C) temperature. During dormancy, in winter, the temperature should be 11-13 ° C. Prekrsano tolerates dry air. Well propagated by seeds. In spring and summer, special fertilizers intended for cacti should be introduced. Parodies are extremely sensitive to water quality, so it is recommended to use filtered or at least standing water.