Gymnocalycium

Gymnocalycium are cacti that always look good on a terrace. They are small plants that rarely exceed ten centimeters in diameter and twenty in height, so it is very easy to have them watched and well cared for.

There are around 70 varieties, many of them being easy to get, something that will undoubtedly make you happy, since the flowers they produce are some of the most beautiful of all cacti.

Origin and characteristics of Gymnocalycium

These are cacti that are found mainly in central and northern Argentina, although they also grow in other places such as Bolivia, Uruguay or Brazil. They have a globular stem, sometimes compact when they are young, but as they grow they gain some height but without becoming columnar.

They have numerous thick ribs, with often white areoles from which both the spines and the flowers sprout, and also the sprouts if it has suffered damage or if it is a species that produces suckers. The spines are of two types: radial, which are the ones with a shorter length, and central. Its flowers are white or pink, and sprout from the top of the cactus.

Types or varieties of Gymnocalycium

As we said at the beginning, there are about seventy species of Gymnocalycium. Some are well known, such as the Gymnocalycium mihanovichii or Gymnocalycium baldianum, but there are others that, on the contrary, are not so.

Gymnocalycium baldianum

El Gymnocalycium baldianum It is a cactus that grows in Argentina. It has a globose bluish-green body, which measures 10 centimeters high by 7 centimeters in diameter maximum. Its ribs are divided into tubercles, and 5 to 7 grayish radial spines sprout from them. The flowers are reddish-pink.

Gymnocalycium bruchii

El Gymnocalycium bruchii It is a miniature cactus, which measures about 5 centimeters high by 3 centimeters in diameter. It is native to Argentina, and tends to form colonies up to 10 centimeters in diameter. Their ribs are not as well defined as in other species of the genus, but from the areolas that have yellowish-white radial spines sprout. The flowers are pinkish-white.

Gymnocalycium damsii

El Gymnocalycium damsii It is a cactus that grows in Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. It reaches a height of 10 centimeters, and measures between 8 and 15 centimeters in diameter. Its body is globose, brownish green in color, and has radial spines of up to 12 millimeters. The flowers emerge at the top, and are pink.

Gymnocalycium horstii

El Gymnocalycium horstii It is a bright light green variety that has only 5 to 6 tuberculate ribs. It is originally from Brazil, and measures about 12 centimeters in diameter by 5-6 centimeters in height. From its areolas arise from 5 to 6 radial ribs, yellowish in color and with a length of 4 centimeters. The flowers are pink, although in the buenekeri variety they can be red.

Gymnocalycium mihanovichii

El Gymnocalycium mihanovichii it is an endemic species from Paraguay and Argentina that is widely used and sold grafted. It has a rounded, greyish-green to reddish-green stem, which has eight narrow ribs. Its height is 5 to 7 centimeters in height by 10-15 centimeters in diameter. The spines are flexible, grayish to yellowish in color, and the flowers are green, yellowish-white or pink.

Gymnocalycium pflanzii

El Gymnocalycium pflanzii it is a cactus endemic to Bolivia and Argentina. It has a globose stem, with a height of up to 10 centimeters and a diameter of 15-20 centimeters maximum. The spines are very long and fine, measuring about 2-3 centimeters. It is, in fact, one of the largest, and also one of those with the longest spines. It blooms producing white flowers at the top.

Gymnocalycium saglionis

El Gymnocalycium saglionis it is endemic to Argentina. It reaches a height of 20 to 30 centimeters, and a diameter of 20 to 40 centimeters. On rare occasions it can grow larger, up to 80 centimeters in height by 50 centimeters in diameter, but in cultivation it is normal for it to stay smaller. The spines arise from very small areoles, and are yellowish to reddish-brown. The flowers are white or pale pink.

What are the care that must be provided to them?

Caring for these cacti is simple. They are plants that, being relatively small, if they have a problem, it is quickly detected. So let's see how they have to be cared for and maintained:

Location

Where do you put them? Ideally, they should be outside, since it is the only way that they receive direct sunlight. But this is not always going to be the case.

If we have bought a Gymnocalycium in a nursery where they had it in semi-shade, or if it is grafted, we will have to put it in a protected area of ​​the star king. If we don't, then it will burn.

Earth

• Flower pot: you have to fill it with a mixture of substrates that is capable of draining the water. It must therefore be light, and it must also allow air to circulate well between its pores. Therefore, we advise you to mix pumice with 30% universal substrate or black peat.
• Garden: a good way to grow it will be by planting it in, for example, rockery with other succulents. Of course, the earth has to absorb the water quickly, since if the precious liquid remains stagnant for a long time, the roots will rot.

Irrigation

In summer, coinciding with the rise in temperatures and, perhaps, with the drought if we live in an area where there is usually, we will water about twice a week. But since the rest of the year the earth does not dry out so quickly, then we can pour water into it once a month or a month and a half.

In any case, when we rehydrate it, we must add water until all the soil is thoroughly soaked. In case of having it in a pot, if we put a plate under it we will ensure that it is always empty, otherwise the roots will always be in contact with the liquid and, as a consequence, they could rot.

Subscriber

Throughout the spring and through the summer We will pay it with a fertilizer for cactus (for sale No products found.). We will follow the instructions for use so that there are no problems and the plant can be fine.

Multiplication

Gymnocalycium multiplies by seeds, suckers and grafts during spring and summer.

• Seeds: it is advisable to sow them in trays of low height and that have some holes in the base, with cactus soil previously watered. We will cover them with very little soil, and then we put this seedbed inside a larger tray without holes. In the latter is where we have to pour water every time we water. Then we take it to an area protected from the sun but with great clarity, and that's it. They will germinate in about 5-7 days if they are fresh seeds.
• Young: if the species you are growing produces them, you can separate them from the mother plant as soon as they are about 1-2 centimeters tall. Of course, then let the wound dry for a couple of days, and then plant them in pots with pumice (for sale No products found.) or similar, in semi-shadow.
• Grafts: Gymnocalycium grafts are usually done using as rootstock some hylocereus. The upper part of a stem is cut from the latter, and then a Gymnocalycium is cut in the lower half or a sucker of a certain size is separated from the mother plant. Afterwards, it is attached with tapes for grafts and is kept out of the sun.

Plagues and diseases

Generally they do not usually have any of importance. Mealybugs y aphids They are pests that we will sometimes see, especially if the environment is very hot and dry; and in terms of diseases, the phytophthora will be the fungus that probably makes an appearance if they are watered excessively and / or if the environmental humidity is very high and the roots grow in compacted soil.

The former are removed either by hand, or with a brush soaked in water and neutral soap. It is also advisable to treat with diatomaceous earth, as it is a natural insecticide that is quickly effective. As for the latter, we will treat them with systemic fungicides, and we will suspend the irrigation. If they are soft, it may be necessary to cut their teeth and cover the wound with healing paste.

Rusticity

The ungrafted Gymnocalycium resist cold, as well as weak frosts down to -3ºC. But the grafts are much colder, to the point that they should not be left outside if the thermometer drops below 0 degrees.

What is your opinion of these cacti?