Trichocereus

Family. Cactaceae.

Origin. Argentina, Bolivia, Peru.

Description. Trichocereus are large tree-like cacti. The stems of young plants are round in shape, but with age they become club-shaped and cylindrical. Ribs numerous, deep, vertical. The stems can be colored in all shades of green, silver or bluish. The spines are straight, up to 2 cm long, light-colored, some cacti have no spines at all. The flowers appear at the top of the stem, funnel-shaped, white, pink, cream, red, typical of Cereus, up to 20 cm in diameter, fragrant, open at night. Flower tubes are long.

Height. It grows relatively quickly; in nature, reaches a height of 6 m. Small varieties have been bred for indoor cultivation.

Home care

Temperature conditions

In spring and summer, normal room temperature. In winter, the temperature of keeping trichocereus should be from 8 to 10 degrees Celsius with plenty of light. Withstands short-term frosts down to -2 ° C if kept dry. Requires a cool dormant period for abundant flowering.

Lighting

A well-lit place with access to direct sunlight in the morning and evening, every day. Shade plants on hot summer days.

Care

Trichocereus is easy to grow indoors and is undemanding. 

Substrate

The soil should easily pass water and air, pH not higher than 6.5. A suitable mixture of leaf humus, turf soil with a large amount of coarse river sand or perlite to improve drainage and small pieces of charcoal. You can use a ready-made substrate for cacti and succulents. 

Feeding

In spring and summer, feed trichocereus with fertilizers specially formulated for cacti and succulent plants with a high potassium content, at half strength, monthly. In autumn and winter, fertilizing is not carried out - the plant needs rest. 

Purpose

A large and spectacularly blooming cactus for large and bright spaces.

Flowering time

Buds form in summer, but indoor flowering occurs only with proper care.

Air humidity

Does not require high air humidity. There should be good air flow in the room where these cacti are kept. 

Soil moisture

Water in spring and summer until the earthen ball is completely soaked; be sure to remove excess water that has accumulated in the pan after watering. The soil should be dried between waterings. In the autumn-winter period, water extremely carefully - only to avoid drying out the earthen clod. 

Transfer

Trichocereus is replanted every 2 years, in larger pots, in the spring.

Reproduction

They propagate well by stem cuttings in spring and summer, after first drying the cutting site for several days. Seeds can be sown in spring in soil with a high sand content. 

Pests and diseases

Rotting due to excess moisture, especially in autumn and winter. 

Red mites, mealybugs, thrips and aphids sometimes appear.