If you catch it in time, you can cut off the disease parts and apply a fungicide to the rest of the coral. Fungal rot occurs when the soil or the roots are too wet, and the weather is warm.To fight it, remove parts of the coral cactus that are too weak and withering, and apply a fungicide like neem oil to it. If it doesn’t get too bad, it’s only an aesthetic issue, but too much growth, the mildew leads to stunted growth and dead Leaves. Powdery mildew is a fungus that slowly leaves a white waxy substance over the leaves and stems of your plant.More like this: Pencil Cactus Plant Care & Growing Guide
It usually happens when the plant reaches maturity.Īll year round, instead of flowers, this cactus has sharp spines that can cause irritation and pain if it stabs through skin or fur. This flower might be either purple or pink. Occasionally the coral cactus will bloom an actual regular flower.
Many people wouldn’t call the ruffled edges of the cactus plant flowers, and they would be right. Yellow Homalomena Leaves - Reasons & Treatments Does the coral cactus have flowers, and how do I get them to bloom? This plant is a cactus, which means it is drought tolerant and does not need to be overloaded with water. No, if you try to grow the coral cactus plants in water, your efforts will be in vain because it will die. If you have small children or animals, it would be best if you didn’t allow this plant to your home or garden. To be safe, you should always wear protective gloves before you handle this plant. If the sap from inside the plant gets on skin or fur, it will cause a terrible rash. Yes, every part of the coral cactus, stems, leaves, stalk, and roots, are poisonous and should not be ingested by animals or humans. It only needs to be trimmed if it is affected by the disease, and parts of it are rotting.
Trimmingīecause of the strange nature of this plant and its lack of actual real leaves, You won’t really need to trim it. Its height only reaches up to two feet, and its width is about a foot at the top of the plant and 6 inches around the base. Under proper conditions, this plant still doesn’t grow very tall. It’s not meant to be trimmed because that can slow its growth even more. The crew cactus has a slow to medium rate of growth. If you’re thinking of planting baby cactus, you cannot do it by seed. Then press on the soil and make sure the plant cannot tip over. Place it into the new container and plant its roots in a shallow area. The potting soil in the new container should be fresh and also have sand in it to improve the soil. To repot this plant, slowly pull the entire plant from out of its container. When it is time to repot this plant, use a succulent potting mix and add some organic compost for an extra boost of nutrition. Ceramic does not allow the roots to have good airflow. If it comes in a ceramic pot, quickly repot it in any other container. It only needs to be fertilized once per season, and not in the winter. The soil must drain quickly and never allow water to gather around the roots. Since it is a cactus, if it is in a pot, it will need to be planted in a cactus potting mix. When it is indoors, make sure the coral cactus plant receives about 5 hours of direct sunlight every day. It grows best in hardiness zones 10 and 11. Don’t let its place in the house rise above 80° either. If you place the plant outside, bring it in before temperatures drop lower than 60 degrees F. This plant enjoys warm weather and sunshine all year round. Water it less during the winter and increase watering it during early spring.
This would be about once or twice a week. If it is still moist, then wait and check again in two or three days.Īnother way to know if the coral Cactus needs water is if its leaves are drooping.įrom spring to summer, this plant must be watered with an inch of water whenever it is dry. To time it’s watering correctly, check if the roots near the drainage holes are dry first. Even so, it does not need to be watered often. WaterĮven though this is a cactus plant, surprisingly, this plant is not drought tolerant. It does very well under artificial light, if it’s not crowded. If you’re planning on propagating is plants, you will want to keep it under artificial lights.
Light RequirementĪ mix of full direct sunlight and partial shade will keep this plant nourished from the sun, but it needs to be protected during the hottest part of the day. Conclusion Coral Cactus Care & Growing Guide 1.