Monvillea

Family. Cactaceae.

Origin. Brazil, Peru, Argentina.

Description. Monvillea is a large, branching cactus at the base with long, thin, curved stems. The stems are green, dark green, up to 2.5 cm in diameter with 3 - 5 ribs. The areoles are sparsely located; the spines are straight, up to 1.5 cm long, absent in some species. The flowers are very large and showy, bloom at night, up to 13 cm in diameter, fragrant, with a long flower tube, can appear in any part of the stem, white or pale pink. The outer petals are often darker in color than the inner ones. There is a monstrous comb form of this cactus that resembles coral with a stem that is green, bluish-gray or purple. 

Height. Long shoots can reach 5 m.

Care at home

Temperature conditions

Normal room temperature during the growing season and cool in the winter. Do not expose the plant to temperatures below 10° C. 

Lighting

Place the cactus in a brightly lit place. The shoots can be under direct sunlight in the morning and evening, during the day, organize shading from the scorching rays. In the autumn and winter months, additional illumination with fluorescent lamps is possible.

Care

Monvillea is not as difficult to grow indoors as it seems. Give it plenty of space to develop and periodically tame too long shoots. Sometimes plants need support.

Substrate

Unlike most cacti, representatives of this species require sufficiently nutritious, porous soil with a high organic content. And, of course, the soil must have excellent drainage.

Feeding

Feed monthly during the warm season with fertilizers for cacti and succulents at half strength. Some species grow throughout the year, depending on temperature conditions, in which case they need to be fed in winter.

Purpose

A large cactus with huge, very showy, pleasantly smelling flowers.

Flowering time

It blooms in late spring or early summer, and individual buds may appear on large, mature specimens at any time of year.

Air humidity

When the indoor air becomes too dry and the temperature is high enough, monvillea will need to be sprayed with warm and soft water.

Soil moisture

Requires regular watering during the warm season. In winter, when kept cool, watering is reduced to a minimum. Just try not to dry out the soil. For irrigation, it is advisable to use soft bottled water at room temperature. 

Transfer

Repot if the soil needs to be changed or if the pot becomes too small for the root system.

Reproduction

It is quite simply propagated by stem cuttings about 15 cm long, rooted in moist peat with sand. The cut area is dried to avoid rotting. Seeds, but this is a long process.

Pests and diseases

Cacti rot when water stagnates, especially in autumn and winter.

Red mites, mealybugs, thrips and aphids sometimes appear.

Note

Wear gloves to avoid scratches from the sharp spines of the monvillea.