Normally, When you think of a cactus, the normal thing is that among its care you say that it is a plant that does not need much watering, low humidity and takes good care of itself. But what if we told you that there are tropical cacti? Well yes, there are.
Now, what are they? What care do these have? Can they be kept at home? All that, and some more things, is what we are going to talk about in this article. Take a look if you are interested in the topic.
What are tropical cacti
The first thing we want you to keep in mind is that tropical cacti exist. They are those originating from tropical rainforests, specifically in southern and central America.
However, these, a priori, are not the typical cacti that you might recognize by their thorns. Mainly because they lack them, or they are not plants that have very long and pointed thorns, as happens to others.
The vast majority of tropical cactus species tend to be epiphytes, that is, they live at the expense of other plants and are supported by them. In reality, they are plants with fleshy stems, but these are cylindrical or flattened in shape.
The good thing they have is thatIf you take good care of them, they eventually produce a lot of flowers, and they are also very fragrant.
Due to their natural habitat, these cacti actually grow in humid areas and the lighting is also filtered by other plants.
We can find them in stores, but many times, because of their appearance, we do not realize that they are actually cacti. But they are. Some of the most common species are Schlumbergea, Selenicereus or Zigocactus. One of the best known is the Christmas cactus itself., typical at that time of year, and which is considered a cactus but has no thorns (or almost none) and also does not have the usual shape of a cactus.
How to care for tropical cacti
Having seen the above, you will have realized that tropical cacti are totally different from those known as cacti. Not only physically, but also the care will differ. And enough.
Therefore, here we are going to leave you a guide in case you get one of them.
Location and temperature
We start with the place where you should have this cactus. In reality, it will depend on where you live, the climate... But if you can provide it with a semi-shaded place outside, with other plants, and that has medium-high humidity, then there would be no problem for you to have it outside the home.
Otherwise, and we must say that this is normal with these plants, it is better to choose indoors because they will be better cared for and healthier.
Now, in terms of temperature, they are plants that tolerate high and low temperatures, but not to the level of dry cacti. In this case, low temperatures can kill them, the same as the high ones. Therefore, it is advisable to have an ideal temperature of between 10 and 30 degrees Celsius so that it is in perfect condition.
Substratum
Regarding the soil of tropical cacti, due to its conditions, it will require a mixture that helps maintain moisture in the roots but also without going overboard. Thus, Combining universal substrate with a little worm castings and drainage such as perlite can be more than enough.
The main thing in this mixture will be the perlite and the universal substrate, the hummus must be minimal to prevent the roots from being affected when watering, or with the humidity there is.
Irrigation
One of the main and most important care for tropical cacti is watering. And many confuse the fact that it must have humidity with watering it too much.
It is not the best. In fact, we recommend that you water it only when you see that the substrate is very dry and that, to keep that need for humidity covered, you spray a little water around it. It is not advisable to apply it directly to the plant. and that it is left with the stems soaked. It is best to do this around it to create a moist environment from which it can feed.
In its natural habitat, humidity is in the environment, not directly in the stems of the cactus.
In fact, in autumn and winter you should not water it as much and control the humidity very closely, especially if it is a cold and rainy season.
Plagues and diseases
Although these tropical cacti are resistant, the truth is that one of the most negative diseases for them is excess water and humidity. If this care is not controlled, it is possible that the plant ends up dying of rot (not only the roots, but also the stems).
Excess light can also be harmful to the plant., which could burn the stems and end up with burns throughout the plant that you will not be able to recover (in those cases you have to cut it so it can try to sprout again).
Multiplication
Finally, the reproduction of tropical cacti is the same as with other cacti. You can get new ones, either from the seeds produced by its flowers, or by dividing the plant, perhaps from the bush (separating new plants) or with cuttings from the stems.
Depending on the species, there will be one method that is more effective and faster than another.
Examples of tropical cacti
We don't want to close the topic without giving you some names of tropical cacti that you can find in specialized plant stores. Keep in mind that, in many cases, they do not have the word “cactus” in their name, which is why they may be sold as other types of plants. These are:
- Schlumbergera truncata.
- Rhipsalis pilocarpa.
- Rhipsalis crispata.
- Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides.
- Pyrrosia piloselloides.
- Myrmecodia beccarii.
- Hatiora x graeseri.
- Epiphyllum tantico.
- Hatiora salicornioides.
- Coral cactus.
- Weberocereus bradei.
- Opuntia.
- Cereus peruvianus.
And many more. Keep in mind that there are thousands of species of cacti. And although the tropical ones are a small part, it has hundreds of varieties.
Do you know more tropical cacti? Do you have any at home? If you want, you can share with us some advice that you apply and know that it works well.