Description
The typical Debeque form of Sclerocactus glaucus is a a ball cactus with a squat, ovoid or globular shaped green or powdery blue coloured stems. They have 8-15 ribs and the rib is sometime tuberculous 4—30 cm tall, 4-9 cm in diameter; Spines: (0 or) 1 to 3 generally characteristic unhooked central spines, the lower ones brown, the upper ones white 1-3 cm long,; 6 to 8 radials, 5 mm long. Some specimens lack central spines or have central spines which are hooked. Red nectar glands are found above each areole.
The crested form is very rare and nice.
Origin and Habitat
Garden origin (Nursery produced form)
Cultivation and Propagation
It is a relatively easy plant to grow, both grafted or on its own roots. During the summer it is best to keep the plants outside, where the temperature can rise to over 30 C with no harm to the plant. Furnish good drainage and use a an open and free draining mineral compost that allows therefore roots to breath. They should be kept almost completely dry during the winter months. From March onwards the plant will begin to grow, and watering should be increased gradually until late May, when the plant should be in full growth.
Water regularly during the summer, so long as the plant pot is allowed to drain and not sit in a tray of water. During hot weather you may need to water the plants more frequently, as long as the plant is actively growing. From late September watering should be reduced, to force the plant to go into a state of semi-dormancy. By October you should be back in to the winter watering regime.
It needs full sun, avoiding only the harshest summer sun. If kept too dark, plants may become overly lush and greener, and could be prone to rot, due to over-watering.
Feeding may not be necessary at all if the compost is fresh. Then feed in summer only if the plant hasn’t been repotted recently. Do not feed the plants from September onwards, as this can cause lush growth, which can be fatal during the darker cold months. Grown specimens resist to -20°C for a short time.
Propagation: By vegetative propagation grafting or stem cuttings from adult plants.
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