Mammillaria schumannii or Bartschella schumannii

Care of the cactus Mammillaria schumannii or Bartschella schumannii

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

Scientific synonyms: Bartschella schumannii, Mammillaria venusta. This species is native to Baja California, Mexico.

They are small cacti with a greyish green color and a globose or cylindrical body that become cespitose and reach 10 cm (3.93") in height. They have large rounded tubercles with armpits and woolly areolas in their youth. They have 12 straight radial spines and 1-4 thicker, hooked central spines. The flowers are small, pink or purple in color and appear at the apex of the cactus. The fruits are red or orange.

They are used in pots as a houseplant, greenhouse and balcony, window and terrace. When they begin to expand laterally, they are used in rockeries and in cactus and succulent gardens.

Mammillaria schumannii can grow in direct sunlight or light shade exposure. Indoors it should receive several hours of sun a day and have good ventilation. In winter the temperature should be above 5 ºC (41 ºF).

The soil can be a mixture of equal parts clay garden substrate, volcanic picon, and coarse siliceous sand or a commercial cactus substrate with 20% coarse sand. The pot transplant is done in early spring.

Water occasionally at the rate of once every 10 days in summer, every 20 days in spring, every 30 days in autumn and do not water in winter.

Fertilize in mid-spring with mineral cactus fertilizer.

They do not need pruning.

They are very sensitive plants to excess humidity but quite resistant to the usual pests.

They propagate by separation of suckers; propagation by seeds is a slow process.