Mammillaria Vetula ssp. Gracilis cv. Arizona Snowcap

[singular9]

Hey Everyone.
Im new to the whole cactus world. My dad had a huge collection in the USSR but here in america he didnt, and he told me about it and i kinda wanted to try.

In home depot, i bought (for now red) Arizona Snowcap...ill just call it that because the name is super long. (mammillaria Vetula Gracilis Arizona snowcap)

I have went on google and looked up its natural habitat but i havent found any tips on how to care for it.
How much water, temperature, lighting, fertilizer etc...what do i need to know to care for this little guy.

Its current habitat:
68-70 degrees Fahrenheit
Sits by the window so its a bit colder there. Gets about 5 hours of sun in the morning. I gave him a little bit of water. Just a little. My dad told me cacti dont need the amount of water plants do. He (the cactus has 3 individual heads) sits in a plastic pot that sits inside a ceramic one. Ill try to post pictures soon. He has drainage although so far no water has actually drained out.

[iann]

It will need very little water in winter. They can go 4-6 months in winter completely dry, but indoors it will probably need occasional water. Probably best not to water any more for now. In summer you should water until the soil is completely soaked, then leave to to dry out completely. You can worry about fertiliser later, maybe next year.

What it probably does need is better soil. These things are grown in factories in the cheapest possible soil, but you'll struggle to keep them alive in it. You need something with better drainage. And possibly a slightly bigger pot if it is very cramped. With a hole in the bottom, because they shouldn't ever sit in water.

This is a fairly simple cactus to grow, and it will develop rapidly once it starts growing in summer. Then you'll soon be back to a white plant. It does fall apart at the slightest breath of air, so you might have several by the end of the year.

[singular9]

@iann
Thanks for the good info...lets see...um the soil is kind of a mulchy type. like small wood chips and some fertilizer. Um it has holes on the bottom of the plastic pot to drain into the ceramic one. Also there are 3 heads...does that mean there are 3 plants? if so ill just separate them out into 3 separate pots of similar size as the one they are in now.

I give it a few drops of water (like literally 3 - 4 drops of water) a day for now. should i do it every other day or is that okay?

[DaveW]

No probably all the heads are a single plant as it is a clump forming plant:-

http://www.kakteensammlung-holzheu.de/e ... owcap.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The so called distribution given in the above link is obviously for Mammillaria gracilis the normal form, since 'Arizona Snowcap', as it's non Latin name indicates, is a cultivar and probably a sport not known to occur in the wild that has been artificially selected in cultivation.

This is the normal form of gracilis:-

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... lis_02.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As Ian says if it's your winter and the plants are in a cool environment just above freezing it does not require watering at all until the start of the growing season. However if in a warm room it may need a little occasionally.

Most of my similar plants are in a cool greenhouse which goes down to just a few degrees above freezing in winter and they go dry from September to March in the UK, but they are not growing at that time. Most desert type cacti prefer a cool dry winter rest and do not grow all year round.

Here's a rough idea on cultivation:-

http://www.cactusland.com.au/gguides/ggcact.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[singular9]

@DaveW

Thanks for the info.

I have it like on a window sill so the window is really cold and gives off the temperature to the plants pot which using my handy dandy lazer temperature meter its around 45-60 in the morning when its still dark, and then the window faces the sunrise so it warms up durring the day. BUT in my room, the air temp. is 67-70. Id like it to be an indoor cactus.

[CactusFanDan]

I give it a few drops of water (like literally 3 - 4 drops of water) a day for now. should i do it every other day or is that okay?

Don't water more than once in a week, that's just asking for rot. And giving several drops of water is pointless. Give it a generous watering roughly every 2 weeks from April-October (or so). Ideally you want to remove all of the old soil from the roots and replace it with something better. A mix of coir and pumice is good, but top soil and perlite or something similar is fine too. You want something which is light, airy and drains well. Avoid sand, it clogs up the soil.

[singular9]

Thanks Dan.

I repoted the cactus. As some other cacti growers recomended that my current pot was way way too small. It has good drainage. I made sure that that the soil has a mix of everything so that it would drain well. The soil was quite moist so the cactus isnt getting any water for a while. And it turned out to be 3 separate plants in one so i spaced them out a bit.

[CactusFanDan]

Sounds good. Should be easy enough from now on. If you have any problems feel free to come back and ask for help.