I tried to stay strong and not buy any new plants. I really tried. And I managed for over a year. Mainly because I managed to kill a few of my favourite cacti and got a bit demotivated. The rest kept them alive, but didn't pay much attention to them. They rewarded my neglect with very few flowers this year.
Fair enough, I deserved it.
But when I saw this one in a shop, I had to get it! I just had to! I knew exactly what it was, and I wanted it for a while. Once I saw it on sale - a single plant in a tiny pot and for some reason (I don't remember what it was) I decided to put it back.
But the right time has come, and now I have it :)
Mammillaria Plumosa
This one is native to Mexico and with good care it will grow multiple offsets creating a cloud of fluff. Google it! It's gorgeous.
The pot I got had 5 plants tangled together. It took me a while to remove all the shitty compost nurseries pot the plants in and seperate them. Two biggest ones I put in two seperate pots and that's the two you see here. Three smaller ones I planted together and hope they will fill up the pot nicely.
And now the coolest part about this plant. It is also called a Feather cactus and you can see here why. The spines look like tiny, baby chicken feathers. They all point down, so they do not hurt fingers. You can pat it and it will feel like... feather. Pretty amazing!
The flowers are small, from white to more yellow. I have no idea how this one will bloom - hopefully it will show me some blooms in spring.
The one on the left was the biggest one.
And now for the constant bloomer:
This is Turbinicarpus viereckii. I have had it for a few years, and every year it amazes me with the amount of flowers. They are nearly constant from spring to fall. Usually it is just one flower, but as soon as it dries up, another bud pops up.
Unlike the mammillaria above, this one is very mean! It's like the little fluffy angel and the mean, evil bitch.
The long and very sharp spines do hurt. But that is ok :) It is a gorgeous looking cactus! And it is one of my favourite (knock on the wood).
I just wish it did self pollinate so I could grow more of them. But this type just won't do it. I have tried to find another one this time, but no luck. So I ordered seeds of a few types (flaviflorus , lophophoroides, pseudopectinatus and I am still eyeing Valdezianus and Alonsoi) and will be sowing them in spring. Maybe crossing will work. They are lovely, small plants.
Just look at those beautiful, long, black spines protecting the fluffy top with a flower.
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
This is now it looked like 4 years ago :)
Such a little baby!
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.
