Cacti are very interesting flowering plants that adorn the window sills of not only flower growers, but also simply lovers of aesthetic beauty. These plants are not difficult to care for, but at the same time they are very attractive due to their beauty and variety of forms.
One of the representatives of the cactus family is ferocactus - a cactus with pink flowers that attract the eye. But this genus of cacti is distinguished not only by the variegated shades of the petals, but also by the amazing multi-colored spines. The ferocactus has large white roots, the stem is fleshy, oblong in shape, outwardly covered with a dense dark green skin, sometimes with a bluish tint.
Some features of representatives of the genus
Ferocactus is a genus of perennial plants belonging to the cactus family, including about 30 plant species. The variety of appearance of ferocactus allows you to choose the type of plant that the buyer likes. By external signs, cacti are elongated, round, voluminous or small, flowering orno. In nature, it grows to enormous sizes, sometimes even with highly branched branches.
Pink cactus flowers are usually large, differing in shades, except for purple and pink, yellowish and red. In nature, it grows on the lands of North America, California, Oaxaca, Quetetaro and other desert areas. Today it is successfully cultivated, and breeders are breeding new varieties, allowing you to grow ferocactus on your home window.
One of the popular varieties of pink cacti, the name of which is associated with the South American country - latispinus (Latispinus).
What is the difference between pink latispinus and its relatives
One of the most beautiful representatives of the genus, today successfully grown at home. Large bell-shaped flowers, painted pink, sometimes with a whitish tint, differ in size, slightly curved. This type of flower is sometimes referred to as "damn's tongue" due to the characteristic shape of the needles.
Fordi and its features
A type of cactus characterized by a spherical shape with a gray-green stem, over the entire surface of which small sharp spines are evenly concentrated. The cactus blooms bright pink or purple funnel-shaped with a yellow center. Such a spectacle from the outside looks impressive.
Features of home care
The temperature regime in the summer, given that this is a heat-loving plant, should not fall below +20 oС. The optimal temperature range for keeping a cactus inat home +20…+35 oC.
Please note that the room where you grow "prickly" friends should be regularly ventilated, but do not forget to be extremely careful. Since, for example, ferocactus is sensitive to drafts.
Watering succulents is plentiful, using well-settled water at room temperature. The frequency of watering is determined by the dryness of the earth in the flowerpot. The next portion of water is recommended to be applied only after the soil has completely dried.
Organization of lighting when growing cacti at home
Almost all cacti love the light, but there are some that feel great in the shade. Naturally, flowering plants need more light, so the south window will be the ideal location for such houseplants. If the windows of your house face the north side, blooming pink cacti will have to organize additional lighting, otherwise the succulent will either not bloom or quickly shed its buds, without pleasing the beauty of flowering.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that at noon some of the succulents need shading. This should be taken into account when choosing a plant care scheme.
What soil is best for planting succulents
In the wild, cacti grow on rocky or calcareous soils, and therefore at home it is desirable to create approximately similar conditions for growing succulents. In order for the plant to feel comfortable, the pot mustbe well-drained and acidic enough.
You can create a substrate for a cactus with pink flowers at home, observing the proportions in mixing the following components:
- turf land;
- leaf land;
- fine gravel;
- coarse sand.
All components are taken in equal proportions.
Please note that in order to prevent root rot, charcoal can be added to the soil mixture.
If you do not have time to prepare the soil for planting a cactus with your own hands, purchase it at a specialized store. Although even in this case, flower growers recommend adding a little coarse-grained sand or fine gravel to the purchased composition and be sure not to forget about good drainage. Below, in the photo, a pink cactus is “covered” with thorns.
Details of feeding succulents
Under natural growing conditions, succulents receive little nutrients, vitamins and minerals, as they grow on poor rocky soils, but at the same time they feel quite normal and viable. In this regard, making top dressing in a pot when growing at home will not take you much time, and you will have to feed the cactus only once a month. Please note that you should be careful when doing this.
As a top dressing, it is recommended to use liquid fertilizers for cacti and succulents, reducing the dose by half from the recommended on the package.
Subtleties of transplanting cacti
Like othersplants, flowering pink cacti are not recommended to be transplanted. It is advisable to wait for the dormant period of the plant and only after that proceed with changing the soil and capacity. Cacti are hypersensitive to transplants, have poor adaptation to new soil, and can get sick after being carelessly moved to a new pot.
The procedure associated with transplanting is itself painstaking and difficult due to the "thorniness" of the plant. You can't do this with your bare hands, and when transplanting plants with thick gloves on, you risk breaking the thorns, which will result in a spoiled external decorative appearance of the cactus, and in some cases even a diseased state of the succulent.
How flowering happens
In a pink ferocactus, which has pink not only flowers, but also spines, this process occurs as follows. As a rule, flowering has to wait a long time, and it often comes in the summer. The plant blooms several pink or purple flowers at once on a short tube covered with scales.
It is worth noting that this particular type of cactus lives extremely rarely at home, but in nature it surprises with its beauty. Therefore, if you want to decorate your window with a pink flowering cactus, take a look at other options with flowers of this shade and bizarre shapes, which, believe me, there are a lot in a variety of succulents and you will definitely choose your option.
Remember that if the cacti do not bloom, it is unlikely to be affected. Sometimes thisstage will have to wait up to 5 years, or even more.
Similar succulent cacti with pink flowers
Do you want to know more what pink cacti are called? Among the most beautiful pink-flowering representatives of the cactus family:
- Echinocactus Gruzoni (Echinocactus grusonii).
- Gymnocalycium (Gymnocalycium).
- Mammillaria.
- Echinocereus (Echinocereus).
- Echinopsis (Echinopsis).
Cactus, no matter what type and color it is, is generally an unpretentious plant, but like any living thing, it loves care. Observing all the growing conditions, or even just a few, you can count on the perfect decoration of the room not just a fancy inhabitant, but a flowering and spectacular succulent.
