16 February 2010
Growing Austrocylindropuntia malyana
Posted by Stuart under: Cacti .
Or, “How to look after a cactus that doesn’t like being treated like a cactus.”
Austrocylindropuntia malyana, or Austrocylindropuntia lagopa as we should now be more correctly calling it, is one of my very favourite cacti. It tends not to be offered for sale terribly often, and when it is, it’s usually grafted onto something like Opuntia humifusa or Austrocylindropuntia subulata, as there is a common conception that it’s hard to grow on its own roots.
I’d venture to suggest that if you try and grow it like a normal cactus (water only from spring to early autumn, allow to dry out between waterings, dry in winter) it’s pretty much impossible to grow on its own roots.
I’m pleased, therefore, to say that the two flourishing specimens above are mine, and, indeed, are ungrafted. It’s not a hard plant to grow, but a few things need to be borne in mind.
It comes from very high altitudes, and experiences cold and wet at the same time. Moreover, if you see photographs of it growing in habitat, huge clumps can be seen overhanging mountain streams and rivers.
That’s the most important thing to know about this plant. Don’t, under any circumstances, allow it to dry out for very long. I keep mine – as you can probably just about see – standing in one of those plastic containers that Ferrero Rocher chocolates come in. I try and keep between half an inch and an inch of standing water in there. The plants are always wet at the root, even in winter, which is when they seem to want to grow most of all, although mine grow all year round.
I haven’t found strong light or high temperatures to be a problem, but I do have strong ventilation in my greenhouse. I’ve heard it suggested that if you can’t provide adequate moving air in your greenhouse during the summer, you’re better off putting these outdoors.
Repotting is something I haven’t tried yet. I’m told, by René Geissler, that it’s best to try and keep the whole rootball intact, and not disturb any of the relatively weak root system. The plant can be lost if the roots are disrupted too much.