Snow cacti in the interior

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Cacti are familiar to everyone. These plants, which we consider to be an invariable attribute and a kind of "accessory" to computer technology, can be found in literally every office or home. Large and small, cacti are surprisingly similar to each other and easily recognizable. But this does not mean at all that the representatives of this family have no original varieties. After all, every cactus is really special. In some, flowering comes to the fore, which is perceived as a miracle, in others all forms or thorns attract all attention. The latter are represented in greatest variety among the legendary cactus genus - mammillaria, a separate group of which among amateur gardeners is better known as “snow cacti”.

Mammillaria (Mammillaria) is one of the largest genera in the Cactus family. Today it has about 185 species.

Content:

Decorative Snow Cactus Talents
How to successfully present snow cacti in the interior
Care for white cacti at home

Decorative Snow Cactus Talents

Hardy and amazingly persistent, able to accept even the harsh conditions of drought, cacti often amaze with absolutely amazing flowers, the beauty of which can outshine even the illustrious interior stars. Bright colors, exquisite shapes and amazing contrast with the prickly “body” of plants turns each flower into a small miracle. But despite all the amazing beauty of flowering, cacti for a much longer period of time remain the most prickly indoor plants.

It is simply impossible to imagine the dense storage shoots of these plants without the prickly "shell". However, spines in cacti are very different. In some, they are long, powerful and rarely located, seeming to be kind of daggers. For others, they are densely and patterned, they create unique ornaments on the surface of the cactus. And in some cacti, the thorns do resemble “feathers”, which envelop the balls and form “cotton” lumps, covering the shoots of these amazing plants with a fluffy coverlet and thin lace.

In snow cacti, mammals are distinguished by unusual effects and textures of those thorns. This is the most peculiar type and size of thorns collection of cacti. Spines in representatives of the genus Mammillaria (mammillaria) can be either straight or hook-shaped, curved, woven into bundles, cirrus, radiant, star-shaped, needle-shaped, short, not to mention the fact that different representatives of this genus of cacti have spines that are not necessarily stiff but soft.

Not all mammals are “snowy” cacti, but most of the prickly stars with a snowy white edge come from this genus. Among mammillaria there are also plants with beautiful yellowish, bluish edges, which do not at all create the effect of pubescence of thorns, as well as absolutely amazing varieties, in which the spines collected in peculiar “bumps” form spheres similar to rice balls or beads.

These cacti belong to those mammillaria, in which the needles create the feeling of a snow-white robe, thin veil or fluffy bedspread - the most illustrious mammals of the so-called “white group”, which seem to be sprinkled with shining snow.

Plants from the most diverse subspecies of this genus are combined in a group of snowy or white cacti. In all cacti of this group, spines, regardless of shape, are so densely and in such large numbers that they almost completely hide the shoots themselves and the cactus seems to be white, covered with a fluffy coverlet. Even long, hairy and needle spines emphasize this effect.

The color of the thorns themselves is also favorably emphasized by young densely fluffy areoles, which create the effect of a snow or wool coating on cacti. The flowering of white cacti cannot be called the most spectacular, but it surprisingly elegantly complements the texture of the edge on the plants themselves. Similar to miniature stars and colors reminiscent of Christmas trees, the colors are usually quite bright: the mammillaria flowers are colored in different shades of yellow and pink, and occasionally red.

Mammillaria, mammilopsis, extremes, dolichotel, echinopsis are considered the best species with a white edge. Mammilaria has several decorative forms. So Mammillaria bakasan seems like the perfect fluffy ball of wool. Gracilis develops in the form of a colony of spherical or slightly elongated colonies covered with snow lace, on which star-shaped flowers bloom.

At Mammillaria perbella large balls of shoots with a fine patterned texture of tiny thorns are unevenly covered with the edge and it seems as if this cactus was really sprinkled with snow. AND proliferator combines large and powerful spines, collected in bundles with a light edge under them.

How to successfully present snow cacti in the interior

Distinctive features of white cacti are completely unique very bright needles and felt formations that create the effect of a surface covered with fluffy snow-white lace or snow. Despite the fact that all cacti from this group of the genus mammillaria have different snow cover effects, it seems almost furry, it is similar to a dense web, it’s like hundreds of miniature dandelion seeds have landed on cacti or the whole surface is hidden under a prickly woolen blanket, all without Exceptions Snow Mammillaria in interiors play a very special role.

White cacti have a unique effect of radiance, they seem to highlight the space and attract sunlight. These are tiny, but very important plants that can be equated to the crowning composition in the interior decor. The restriction on the use of these types of cacti in the design imposes the need to provide them with the most vivid and sunny locations. That is why white Mammillaria are always exposed on the windowsills, mainly of the southern direction. But even in such a location, this cactus can become an important finishing touch to the design of the room as a whole.

In order to present Mammillaria to the maximum advantage in the room setting and emphasize the special status of this cactus, special attention must be paid to the selection of capacity. She should not argue with the color of the edge of the cactus by its shades, so it is better to choose pots of similar colors with a cold shade or give preference to a white palette and light pastel colors.

The glossy surfaces of the pot emphasize the beauty of these cacti better than matte ones. The shape of the container, its size should not reveal as much as possible the beauty of the texture and needles of snow mammamillaria, but the silhouette features, it is beneficial to emphasize the shape of the stem and line of the plant.

Snow Mammillaria are not similar not only to their relatives, but also to cacti from other genera. Despite the fact that these cacti perfectly contrast with any greenery, they should not be placed next to other cacti or house plants closer than 30-40 cm between the containers. The thing is that in other cacti, mammals can emphasize, “highlight” all the flaws and against the background of a shining edge of snow cacti, they will look inconspicuous and slightly neglected.

As for other indoor plants of any size, from groundcover to large woody, from decorative deciduous to flowering crops, their company will negatively affect the perception of Mammillaria itself, will lead to the fact that the effect of the snow cover will be completely lost, as will lacy with fluffy, and snow cacti will look like completely standard and unremarkable representatives of a kind.

But the additional decor will only benefit such cacti. It should be selected in accordance with the concept and style of interior design, from among the materials and accessories typical of the room in which the mammillaria stands. A small scattering of decorative pebbles or crystals, a string of beads, sisal, ceramic sculptures and figurines, souvenirs brought from travels, if combined well with the decor of the rooms, can emphasize the special status of a snow cactus and further enhance its aesthetic appeal.

Care for white cacti at home

In order for snow mammals to become really bright stars of the interior, they need to provide only comfortable conditions, because without sufficient access to light and other parameters, that same snow-like edge on cacti simply will not form, and there will not be enough needles and areoles to bloom.

Such cacti will need the brightest lighting in the house, they prefer to grow in sunny locations without any shading and are not so colorful even in diffused bright lighting. You should not be afraid of direct rays of the sun, because if the thorns are well developed, they will independently provide protection from excessively bright suns. The more poor the lighting, the weaker the thorns will be and the more rare and sparsely located the pubescence will be, through which the tissues of the cactus will be visible.

But not only the loss of decorativeness threatens the wrong choice of location: Mammillaria in the absence of direct sunlight stretches and its development worsens.

You will have to take care not only about lighting. For cacti with a white edge, the most important component of care is to minimize the chances of waterlogging the soil. Such cacti are surprisingly sensitive to the slightest stagnation of moisture and overflow, even a slight overmoistening can lead to serious problems with rotting of the roots and even death of plants, always displayed on the decorativeness of mammillaria and its vitality.

Watering for snow cacti should be literally minimal, while water is drained from pallets immediately after the procedure, not even leaving for one minute. Watering snow cacti must be done very carefully, preventing even the smallest drops of moisture from getting on the stems. As a result of wetting, the pubescence will stray into peculiar lumps, and an attractive white color with a radiant effect will be covered with ugly and unhealthy stains.

The rest of the care for such cacti is minimal. Mammillaria do not need to clean the stems, this plant itself regulates the density of its snow-white bedspread and its purity, does not suffer from dust and always looks neat and amazingly flawless.

When planting white cacti, it is necessary to take into account that for such plants you need to create the lower and upper layer of drainage, use exclusively soil suitable for cacti and try to plant all the plants in the containers with the minimum volume. Mammillaria are rarely transplanted, because snow cacti are not afraid of depositing calcium salts in the soil, but rather welcome the addition of eggshells to the ground to increase from stocks.