Care of the cacti Cleistocactus winteri or Golden Rat Tail |
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The genus Cleistocactus, family Cactaceae, includes 40 species of cactus native to Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. Some species are: Cleistocactus winteri, Cleistocactus strausii, Cleistocactus samaipatanus, Cleistocactus hyalacanthus, Cleistocactus tupizensis, Cleistocactus candelilla, Cleistocactus acanthurus. Common name: Golden Rat Tail. This species is native to Bolivia. Scientific synonyms: Cleistocactus aureispinus, Borzicactus roseiflorus, Winterocereus aureispinus, among others. They are cacti with a creeping or hanging bearing with long serpentine stems covered with small golden thorns; they reach 1 meter (3.28 feet) in length. The showy flowers are tubular and orange-red in color. They usually bloom in late summer. These fast-growing cacti are used in hanging pots, in rockeries, to cover slopes, on walls and to form borders. Cleistocactus winteri can grow in direct sunlight but prefers light shade; for example exposure east or west. The winter safety temperature is 4 ºC (39.2 ºF). The soil can be a mixture, in the same proportions, of washed coarse sand and well-decomposed leaf mulch. Water moderately, waiting until the substrate has completely dried. From mid-autumn to early spring, stop watering. Fertilize once in spring with mineral fertilizer for cacti to promote flowering. They do not need pruning. They are sensitive to stem rot if overwatered. They propagate by cuttings in summer or by seeds sown in spring or early summer. |
Images of the cacti Cleistocactus winteri or Golden Rat Tail |
 Cleistocactus winteri  Cleistocactus winteri  Cleistocactus winteri  Cleistocactus winteri  Cleistocactus winteri cristata  Cleistocactus winteri cristata |