Care of the cactus Mammillaria petterssonii or Apozol cactus |
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The genus Mammillaria, family Cactaceae, comprises more than 350 species of cacti originating, the vast majority, from Mexico. Some species of this genus are: Mammillaria petterssonii, Mammillaria longimamma, Mammillaria magnifica, Mammillaria longiflora, Mammillaria carnea, Mammillaria brandegeei, Mammillaria vetula, Mammillaria spinosissima, Mammillaria schumannii, 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. Common names: Apozol cactus, Hamilton cactus, La higuera cactus. This species is native to Querétaro and Guanajuato, Mexico. They are cacti with a light green, globose body that can branch from the base and reach 12 cm (4.7") in diameter. They have pyramidal tubercles 1 cm (0.39") tall with woolly axils. They have upper radial spines measuring 3 mm (0.11") in length and lower radial spines up to 1.5 cm (0.59") in length; the central spines (1 to 4) are up to 2 cm (0,78") long. Small pink flowers 1.5 cm in diameter appear at the top of the plant. The ovoid red fruits are quite decorative. They are mainly used in pots for patios, terraces and windows but also in rockeries and in cactus and succulent gardens. Mammillaria petterssonii needs full sun exposure and a hot, dry climate. They do not resist temperatures below 3 ºC (37.4 ºF). The soil can be a mixture, in the same proportions, of coarse sand and leaf mulch or a commercial substrate for cacti. Transplanting is done in early spring. Water moderately in spring and summer, waiting for the substrate to dry completely; reduce watering in fall and no watering in winter. Fertilize once in spring with mineral fertilizer for cacti. They do not need pruning. They are plants resistant to the usual pests and diseases but sensitive to excess moisture in the roots. They are easily propagated from seeds sown in spring in the nursery. |
Images of the cactus Mammillaria petterssonii or Apozol cactus |
 Mammillaria petterssonii  Mammillaria petterssonii |