Mammillaria backebergiana or Mammillaria fertilis

Care of the cactus Mammillaria backebergiana or Mammillaria fertilis

The genus Mammillaria, family Cactaceae, includes more than 350 species of cactus native to Mexico mostly. Some species are: Mammillaria backebergiana, Mammillaria longimamma, Mammillaria carmenae, Mammillaria elongata, Mammillaria karwinskiana, Mammillaria marksiana, Mammillaria hahniana, Mammillaria parkinsonii, Mammillaria bombycina, Mammillaria compressa, Mammillaria crinita, Mammillaria lenta, Mammillaria discolor, Mammillaria laui, Mammillaria magnimamma, Mammillaria pringlei, Mammillaria spinosissima, Mammillaria candida, Mammillaria haageana, Mammillaria vetula, Mammillaria petterssonii, Mammillaria magnifica.

Scientific synonyms: Mammillaria fertilis, Chilita fertilis, Mammillaria isotensis. This species is native to Guerrero and Michoacan, Mexico.

They are cacti with a cylindrical body that can be elongated until they bend and reach 30 cm (11.8") in height. They are light green in color and have short pyramidal tubercles. They have 1-3 straight central brown spines and 10-12 radial yellowish spines with dark tips. The flowers are purplish-red in color and appear in crowns around the plant. The fruits are red when ripe.

These relatively fast growing cacti are used in pots for terraces and balconies or as a houseplant. The adult specimens are used in rockery and on slopes.

Mammillaria backebergiana can grow in full sun or semi-shade exposures receiving direct sun early or late in the day. They resist frost down to -5 ºC (23 ºF) if the substrate is dry.

The soil can be a commercial substrate for cacti and succulents with 20% coarse sand.

During spring, summer and early autumn, water regularly, waiting for the substrate to dry. In mid-autumn reduce watering; do not water in winter.

Fertilize with mineral cactus fertilizer once in mid-spring and again in early summer.

They do not need pruning.

The biggest enemy of these plants is excess humidity.

They propagate from seeds sown in spring or by rooting suckers.