How to grow the golden barrel cactus? Care methods and points to note
How to grow the golden barrel cactus? The golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) originates from the dry, hot desert areas stretching from San Luis Potosi to Hidalgo in central Mexico. It is one of the most charming varieties among cacti, relatively easy to grow, and an ideal ornamental plant for urban and household greening. Let's take a look below at how to grow the golden barrel cactus!
Growing conditions for the golden barrel cactus
The golden barrel cactus likes plenty of light and needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. In summer it should be shaded appropriately, but not excessively, otherwise the ball body becomes elongated and its ornamental value decreases. The suitable growing temperature is 25°C during the day and 10~13°C at night. A suitable day-night temperature difference can speed up the growth of the golden barrel cactus.
In winter, the golden barrel cactus should be placed in a greenhouse or a sunny spot indoors, with the temperature kept at 8~10°C. If the winter temperature is too low, ugly yellow spots will appear on the ball body.
Propagation methods for the golden barrel cactus
The golden barrel cactus is usually propagated by seed sowing, offset grafting and cuttings.
1. Sowing method: Seeds harvested in the same year give a high germination rate. In spring or autumn, choose plump golden barrel cactus seeds (black), soak them to speed up germination for two days, then sow them into the potting soil. They germinate in about 7—10 days. When the offsets grow to 1 cm, thin the seedlings to a spacing of 5×5 cm between plants and rows. When they reach 4 cm, they can be planted out, one per small pot. 30~40 days after germination, when the seedling ball bodies are already the size of a grain of rice or a mung bean, they can be transplanted or grafted onto a rootstock to speed up growth.
2. Offset grafting method: This involves grafting seedlings that have been grown for more than 3 months onto tender Hylocereus undatus to speed up growth. When the scion has grown to a certain size or the rootstock can no longer support it, it can be cut off, the wound dried, and then planted as a cutting in a pot. In a fertile, well-ventilated environment, seedlings grown without grafting also grow quickly. After potting, seedlings or grafted offsets should be placed in semi-shade and kept away from direct sunlight. If the ball body does not shrink after 7~10 days, it has successfully taken root.
3. Cutting method: This is the most commonly used propagation method and can be done in all four seasons. First cut a mature small piece from the mother plant, place it in the shade for half a day, and then insert it as a cutting; this is the key to survival. The cutting medium should be a material with good aeration that both retains and drains water well, such as perlite, vermiculite or river sand. After inserting, do not water, only mist, just enough to make the sand slightly moist.
4. Grafting method: Propagation by grafting can promote growth and bring flowering forward. During the growing season, grafting can be done at any time except during the hot, humid period when the cut surface is prone to rot, but September is the most suitable. The rootstock chosen is the three-ribbed cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus), which has strong compatibility with the golden barrel cactus. When grafting, first make a horizontal cut at a suitable height on the rootstock, then make a horizontal cut on the lower part of the small scion ball. Immediately after cutting, press the scion onto the cut surface of the rootstock (make sure that at least part of the vascular bundles in the centers of the scion and rootstock are in close contact), then bind them vertically together with fine thread, pot and all, so that the upper and lower cut surfaces fit closely together. After grafting, place the pot in a slightly shaded spot and cover it with plastic film to maintain air humidity. After 3 to 7 days, the binding can be removed.
Preparation for growing the golden barrel cactus
1. Choosing the growing medium: It should be loose, moderately fertile, neutral or slightly alkaline in pH, and rich in organic matter. Bagged soil is available on the market, or you can mix your own.
① 3 parts loam, 2 parts leaf mold or peat soil, 1 part sieved bone meal, 4 parts coarse sand,
② 3 parts coarse sand, 3 parts garden soil, 2 parts leaf mold, 1 part calcareous material, 1 part crushed brick or tile, with a little superphosphate, charcoal granules or bone meal added.
2. Choosing the pot: An air-permeable clay pot is best, followed by ceramic and porcelain pots. The size of the pot depends on the ball body of the golden barrel cactus; the gap between the ball body and the pot wall should be 3~4 cm. For a larger ball body, the gap can be appropriately larger.
3. Light and temperature should be suitable: The golden barrel cactus likes plenty of sunlight and needs to be kept in a sunny spot during the growing season. In summer it prefers semi-shade, as direct strong light can easily scorch it. If kept for a long time in an environment with insufficient light, the ball body will become elongated, lose its vitality and decrease in ornamental value. In winter it also needs to be placed in a sunny spot indoors, with room temperature preferably kept at 8°C to 10°C. The minimum must not be lower than 4°C.
4. Water and fertilizer should be moderate: In spring and early summer, water appropriately and apply a small amount of diluted decomposed liquid fertilizer and compound chemical fertilizer as a top dressing. When the temperature in midsummer reaches above 38°C, the plant enters its summer dormancy period; at this time, control watering and stop fertilizing. Normal water and fertilizer management can be resumed once the weather turns cool in autumn. In winter, watering must be controlled even more strictly, just keeping the potting soil from becoming overly dry.