Kleistocactus: a botanical description of the genus and various species, including Winter, Emerald and others, as well as instructions for caring for this indoor plant

Kleistocactus belongs to the genus of South American cacti, not so long ago a number of different subspecies of cacti were included in this genus, which were previously considered independent. At present, Cleistocactus includes about 50 subspecies of plants that are related to the family of South American cacti.

Recently, this genus of cacti has become popular as a houseplant.

Botanical Description

This succulent is considered one of the most beautiful among all cacti. The birthplace of this plant is considered to be Latin America, where it grows in natural conditions, in the more northern regions, cleistocactus is grown at home.

Succulents has the Latin name Cleistocactus, however, it came from the Greek "cleisto", which means "closed", this type of cactus received its name because of the peculiarity of its flowers, which are almost always closed tubes of various lengths.

The plant was first discovered in 1861 in the mountains. Since the genus has a large number of subspecies, the stems of these subspecies can be very diverse. It can be upright, and lodging, and branched, but in shape they are all cylindrical.

The stem has a pronounced ribbing, small spikes of white, gray or yellow color randomly scattered on the surface. The size of the cactus depends on the species, some can reach 4 meters. When grown indoors, the size of the sticky cactus will be small.

Kinds

The genus contains many species, but the most famous of them can be distinguished.

Winter

Consists of many not thick, but long yellowish stems, spines of this species have a greenish-yellow hue, and the flowers are pink in color with an orange middle.

Stupid

It has long and slightly curled stems of green color. On the stems there are thorns with various shades of pink. Red flowers are relatively small in size.

Ritter

The stem of this plant is quite short, it is covered with a large number of white needles. Yellow flowers are located almost around the perimeter of the stem. Due to its "fluffiness" and a large number of flowers, the subspecies is considered one of the most decorative in the genus (read about fluffy cacti here).

Emerald

Stems of this species can be either erect or partially creeping. Long yellowish spines are rare. Flowers have a pink color and an emerald frame on top (for cacti with pink thorns and flowers, read here).

Strauss

The most common cactus of its kind, the stem of this species is long and often branched, silver needles densely cover the stem. Clustocactus Strauss flowers come in all shades of red and pink.

Home Care

Lighting. Kleistocactus needs constant and good lighting. The plant is not afraid of direct sunlight due to the peculiarity of thorns. During insufficient natural sunlight (in autumn and winter), succulents must be periodically illuminated with special lamps for plants.
Watering and humidity. This plant is fully adapted to dry air and lack of moisture, however, it is best to constantly keep the soil under the cactus slightly moist, since it can not be flooded too much, because there is a risk of rotting the plant. You can also water the cactus spines with warm water to maintain normal moisture and remove dust.
Temperature. During the wakefulness of the plant, it is necessary to maintain very warm conditions (about + 25 ° C), during the winter break of cleistocactus, the ambient temperature should be cool (in the region + 15 ° C).
Important! Kleistocactus does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature, so the transition must be performed gradually.
Priming. Planting should be carried out in a special ready-made soil mixture for cacti, or create the soil yourself by mixing peat, sod, leaf soil and coarse river sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 2: 4.
We must not forget about drainage, since the glue-cactus does not tolerate an excess of moisture, it must be poured down the pot with a layer of several cm.
Pot. When planting this kind of cactus, preference should be given to clay pots of medium size. Each transplant should be carried out, choosing a pot 2-3 cm larger.
Pruning. Pruning Kleistocactus is no different from pruning a regular cactus:
1. First you need to prepare everything you need (a sharp blade or knife, a new transplant pot, soil and drainage) for proper pruning.
2. After preparation, you need to cut a piece from the old plant 7-8 cm.
3. Then it is necessary to grind the cut in the shape of a pencil so that when drying the top of the cactus does not look like a funnel.
4. After that, you should dry the cactus in a container for about a week and plant it in the soil, which is suitable for glue cactus.
Transfer.
1. First you need to prepare the soil, drainage and pot 5-7 cm larger than the previous one.
2. A recess is made in the soil of the new pot, which will fit the size of the roots of Kleistocactus.
3. Further, with special gloves and garden tools, the cactus is removed from the soil.
4. A cactus is placed in a moistened recess of the soil, then the roots need to be sprinkled with earth.
5. Now it remains only to periodically moisten the soil.
A transplant of a young plant should be carried out every spring, after the diameter of the pot is more than 15-17 cm, the transplant should be carried out every 2 years.
Top dressing. Feeding Kleistokaktusa need to be done every 2 weeks with special fertilizers for succulents, in winter, the cactus does not need to be fertilized.
Wintering. Wintering for all cacti is a special period. For the winter, the Cleistocactus should be removed in a dry, dark and cool place. The optimum temperature for wintering is + 10-12 ° C, watering at this time should be minimal, the main thing is that the earthen lump is not completely dry.

Features of outdoor care

Growing Kleistocactus in open ground implies growing it in suitable conditions. Therefore, the cultivation of this succulent is possible only in regions with a very warm climate and a large number of days with maximum sunlight. In Russia, the growth of cactus is possible only in a small number of southern regions. Cactus should have enough sunlight, nutrients, and moisture should be without excess. This means that it is necessary to constantly monitor the soil and, if necessary, moisten and fertilize.

Propagation by seeds and lateral processes

To propagate cactus seeds you need:

Prepare the seeds by pre-soaking them in water.
Prepare the soil and pot based on previous tips.
Plant the seeds in moist soil, and place the pot in a sunny place.
Wait for the emergence of seedlings, and then, when the succulent has grown, it must be transplanted into the pot each time more.

When breeding Kleistocactus lateral processes need:

First you need to choose the strongest and most healthy "children" and carefully separate them from the mother plant.
Then they need to be dried as well as during pruning.
You need to prepare a pot that is suitable in size, pour drainage and soil into it for succulents.
Then, having planted the lateral process in the soil, it must be tied to the support so that it is rooted correctly.
The soil must be moistened all the time, when the shoot takes root and grows up, you need to start feeding.
The shoot also needs to be constantly transplanted into a larger pot.

Bloom

Cleistocactus begins to bloom after the plant has matured and reached a length of about half a meter. The buds grow long and very bright, often have a pink color with a white top. The flower is only partially revealed, but this does not prevent it from being very beautiful.

Diseases and Pests

As a result of improper care or poor conditions, various types of rot may appear on the cactus. The diseased stem must be immediately separated from the rest, otherwise it threatens the complete death of the plant. A mealybug or spider mite can also settle on Kleistokaktus. The fight against them must be carried out using special tools that are sold in flower and garden stores.

Similar Succulents

Plants similar to Kleistocactus include a large number of different succulents, among which are:

Aporocactus - creeping cactus with chic flowers.
Mammillaria - a cactus is spherical, slightly elongated upward, with pink flowers.
Trichocereus whitening - a columnar cactus with white flowers (about trichocereus more information here).
Cereus - a cactus with one or several stems standing; zygomorphic flowers are located on the stems.
Echinopsis - a cactus, the stem of which is pulled out over time from a spherical, flowers are located on the top of the cactus.