Notocactus werdermannianus f. mostruosa spiralis

Synonyms:

Parodia werdermanniana
Notocactus ferrugineus
Notocactus memorialis
Notocactus vanvlietii
Notocactus vanvlietii var. gracilis
Notocactus werdermannianus f. ferrugineus
Peronocactus werdermannianus
Wigginsia werdermanniana

Habitat:

N. werdermannianus is native to Brazil South and Uruguay

Description:

N. werdermannianus is a cactus, much sought after by collectors, belonging to the Cactaceae botanical family. The plant has a cylindrical and spiral shape and can reach up to 13 cm in height and 10 cm in diameter. The stem is globular, pale green to yellowish-green and it is arranged in many ribs made of small tubercles. The tubercles bear white woolly areoles placed very close to each other which, merging, form a continuous line. On the areoles are set the radial spines and the central spines. The central spines are reddish, sharp and facing down, the radial spines are yellowish. The flowers are small with yellow petals and red stigmas. The plant tends to split up and take on unique ornamental shapes.

Cultivation:

This is a slow growing plant, easy to cultivate. The plant needs a full light sun exposure but is recommended to avoid direct sun-light in the hottest periods. The plant does not like temperatures below 6°C so it needs to be placed indoors in the coldest periods. The soil should be mixed with pumice, clay and loam to allow the drainage and prevent the root rot, the plant is prone to it indeed. Remember to use a perforating pot to drain excess water. Watering can be done regularly in Spring and Summer: during the vegetative period you can water the plant (every 7 days), checking that the soil is completely dry before watering again; in winter you should stop the watering to allow the plant to enter dormancy. If you want a faster and lush growth you can fertilize the plant once a month during the growing season with the specific fertilizers for cacti; stop fertilizing throughout the winter. If the pot starts to be too small for the plant you can repot the plant in a pot 2 cm wider. Repotting should be done early in the growing season with fresh new potting soil. Be careful to red spiders and mealy bugs.

Propagation:

Propagation can be done by cutting or by seed. By cutting you can make the cut during the spring and then let the cutting dry; after a few days the cut surface will dry and a callus will form, then place the cutting in a mixture of sand, soil and pumice. To increase the success of propagation you can make two or more cuttings at the same time. For cuttings it is recommended temperatures around 20 °C. By seed it is very simple to propagate the plant, it is enough to sow the seed in a sandy loam soil and keep it with a high level of humidity and at temperature of 14 C°.

Curiosity:

Its name reflects its geographical area of distribution, that is further south than the one of many other cacti, which usually come from central part of the Americas. In fact, the Greek word ‘nòtos’ means southern.

Official Web Site:
www.giromagi.com

Italian Blog:
www.giromagicactus.com

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