Care of the cactus Mammillaria crinita or Pincushion Cactus |
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The genus Mammillaria, family Cactaceae, includes more than 350 species of cactus native to Mexico mostly. Some species are: Mammillaria crinita, Mammillaria longimamma, Mammillaria compressa, Mammillaria carmenae, Mammillaria candida, Mammillaria bombycina, Mammillaria backebergiana, Mammillaria elongata, Mammillaria karwinskiana, Mammillaria marksiana, Mammillaria hahniana, Mammillaria parkinsonii, Mammillaria lenta, Mammillaria discolor, Mammillaria laui, Mammillaria magnimamma, Mammillaria pringlei, Mammillaria spinosissima, Mammillaria haageana, Mammillaria vetula, Mammillaria petterssonii, Mammillaria magnifica. Common name: Pincushion Cactus. Scientific synonyms: Mammillaria zeilmanniana, Cactus crinitus, Chilita crinita, Krainzia crinita. This species is native to Mexico. They are cacti with an oval-cylindrical body of a glossy dark green color that reach 20 cm (7.87") in height; they can form colonies. The tubers are oval and the areolas are woolly in their youth. They have 15-18 hair-like white radial spines. Of the 5 radial spines there is a longer one with a hooked tip. The flowers appear surrounding the plant, measure 2 cm (0.78") in diameter and can be red, purple, lilac or white. They bloom from late winter to late summer and even young specimens can do so. They are used in pots, in cactus and succulent gardens and in rockeries. The Mammillaria crinita prefers a light shade exposure facing east or west. In winter they should rest at 8-10 ºC (46-50 ºF). The soil can be a mixture of equal parts coarse sand and leaf mulch or a commercial cactus substrate. Water moderately in spring and summer and reduce watering in autumn until watering stops in winter. Fertilize in early spring with mineral cactus fertilizer. They do not need pruning. They are resistant to the usual pests but sensitive to excessive watering. They propagate by rooting suckers produced by the mother plant or from seeds sown in spring. |
Images of the cactus Mammillaria crinita or Pincushion Cactus |
 Mammillaria crinita  Mammillaria crinita  Mammillaria crinita |