CEREUS PERUVIANUS CRISTATA

ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS

It is a cactus native to South America, from Mexico and Guatemala, it belongs to the Cactacea family.

It is a perennial cactus having an irregular growth without a specific shape of rough texture. Its shape resembles coral, being of an intense green color having a white stripe on top of it. It also consists of short red spines that arise from these rough areoles. It can reach 2 or 3 meters in its natural habitat, it is a slow-growing plant. Its flowering comes in warm seasons (summer), giving white flowers.

DECORATION OF ... EXTERIOR OR INTERIOR?

It is a cactus quite different from the others due to its irregular structure, so it will be different from the rest of the plants that we may have, giving our environment a different touch.

We can have it both outside and inside, if we have it inside our house we just have to make sure it is in a sunny place and with a pot that meets the needs of this rough plant, so it must evacuate the water . On the other hand, if we plant it outdoors, it is usually only planted to further enhance its beauty or we can plant it with a set of cacti to enhance our garden.

CARE FOR CACTUS AND SUCCULENTS

They are showy plants, very pretty and that practically do not need much maintenance.

- They prefer places with direct light or that have good lighting, preferably next to a window, on a balcony, a terrace or in your Garden.

- They can withstand low temperatures, around 5ºC.

- It is essential that they have good drainage, both in the soil and in a pot.

- The ideal substrate for cacti has to be combined with sand and gravel, so that they have good drainage, humidity and excess water are not good.

- Irrigation does not have to be excessive. From spring to autumn, which would be its growth period, water every 15 days, abundant watering and wait until the soil is very dry again. In winter do not water or give one watering per month.

- Fertilizer. During the growing season (spring - autumn) you can fertilize them with worm humus. Eggshells are a good homemade fertilizer, they contain (Calcium, Iron, Potassium, magnesium and Phosphorus) these nutrients are very important and favor their growth, you must crush and mix them with the substrate, administer them a couple of times a year.

- Treatment against fungi due to excess humidity, disinfect the area with a copper-based fungicide.

- If you want to transplant them from the pot or the ground, the best time would be from spring.

And don't forget that to work with cacti you have to wear good gloves.