- Author: Amy Haug
Published on: August 18, 2017
When my son was born some 14 years ago, I was given a cactus. It is an Echinopsis. This cactus originated in South America and now is grown worldwide. I have had it in my kitchen window all these years and once a year it blooms. The bloom seems appear overnight and only lasts one day. The flowers can be 3 inches in diameter or larger and feature a spiny floral tube. They can come in many beautiful colors, like electric pink, deep scarlet, and even bright yellow. (Mine is pink and white).
Echinopsis is from the Greek word “Ekihnos,” which means both sea urchin and hedgehog and “opsis” which means resembling or appearance. It is a wonderful name for this cactus as it is ball shaped and can grow to about 6 inches in diameter.
If you can grow cacti or succulents, you will have no trouble growing this one. They do like to dry out between waterings and when watered, should be watered deeply. Never let your cactus sit in water or be damp for too long. Like most cacti, these like strong light during the growing season but should be prevented from scorching. They will grow very well in a kitchen window, as mine does.
They are very easy to propagate. Offsets tend to cluster around the base of the mother plant. The offset can be broken or cut off at the narrowest possible place. The cutting can be dried out slightly on a paper towel for a few days or weeks depending on the size. The cutting can be placed in potting soil and new roots will form in a matter of weeks. The new cactus should be kept warm and barely moist while the new roots are forming. I have done this may time with great results!
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