I grow several species of Melocactus. Mine like A LOT more water compared to desert cactus, but they need smaller amounts more frequently. Their roots are shallow and don't like drying out for very long.
The soil can get dry, but it shouldn't stay dry for more than a few days, even in winter.
Hi,
I have only this one and only Melo, so I can't say anything general about watering. I think, Aloinopsis is right: I am always surprised how much water it wants. These days it flowers very nice -- in PINK. Smallest cactus-flowers I know. And it loves loads of sun during summer! During winter it resides in my living room because it doesn't like it cold.
N.
DSCN0318-Melo-matanzanus-377-flowers.jpg (123.12 KiB) Viewed 11185 times
Some Melocactus do have tiny flowers, but some of the polyploid African Rhipsalis varieties have even tinier ones. Heres one of mine. They're tiny and translucent white.
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Thank you for the nice picture, Aloinopsis. Lovely. And a good idea with the pencil for comparison.
I won't compare the size, though. Important: I like them both!
N.
What is "cleistogamous"? Is it a word for hiding their flowers away? -- This is what I see with my Lophophores williamsii, too. The buds are nearly invisible until ready to flower.
It means that some or all of the flowers on any given plant never open fully. Instead, they pollinate themselves and form seed without ever opening. Frailea almost always does this. So you may not even see flowers, but you will still get fruit.
I suspect that some Blossfeldia, Epithelantha, Lophophora, Melocactus, and Turbinicarpus species also show cleistogamy, but I haven't seen anything in the literature and I couldn't prove it. That's just based on personal experience.
I brush mine and clean them out of old fruits, seeds, and loose hairs once or twice a year. That's honestly a little bit anal of me, so I'm just curious if you all do that as well.
I find that it keeps them looking nicer and more prim all year. But I also like the ugly, unkempt, look too, like you'd see in Cuba on a beach.