Biznaga-de-limilla

Biznaga-de-limilla Ferocactus hamatacanthus

What is the plant

Ferocactus hamatacanthus is a barrel cactus in the genus Ferocactus of the family Cacteae. These cacti occur mainly in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Ferocactus hamatacanthus, known as Turk's head, is a medium sized barrel cactus with spines somewhat variable in number, diameter, and position, depending on origin. It is solitary, or double or triple branched after injury, occasionally even uninjured plants may form clusters with more than tree heads, particularly plants growing in rock crevices. This cactus blooms in late summer to autumn. Flowers open midday, partially close at night, and reopen again for several days. Plants start blooming when stems reach 15 cm high or less. Ferocactus hamatacanthus is a summer grower species. It is not too difficult to care for in a greenhouse, although it grows quite slowly.

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Humidity

Dry

Lighting

Full Sun

Temperature

10°C - 20°C

Hardiness zone

min 6a

Difficulty

Easy

Water
This cactus requires careful watering to stay compact. Water sparingly from March till October. The thin, fibrous roots suffer if there is humidity, therefore the plant should be watered only when the surrounding terrain is dry. Keep dry as soon as the temperature starts dropping in October and keep it perfectly dry in winter at temperatures from 5 to 15°C.
Sunlight
Choose a place in light shade to full sun. Its colour tends to richer and darker when grown in light shade.
Fertilizer
It grows much faster with a low nitrogen content fertilizer in spring and summer. Potassium helps maintaining the plants compact and healthy.

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Soil
Use mineral well-permeable substratum with little organic matter (peat, humus). Plants may become too elongated if compost is too rich.
Temperature
This cactus is considered hardy in the areas with the lowest winter temperatures of −10°F (−23.3°C) to 50°F (+10°C). It can withstand freezing temperatures for short periods of time.
Container
This plant can be grown in a container. Choose a pot with enough drainage holes. They need to be repotted frequently, but when they reach 10 cm in diameter, grow them slowly, and adopt a new repotting period using intervals of every 2-3 years.