cactus flowers. MK hybrids.
Hi everyone!
Let’s take a look at some flowers!
In this blog post we will focus on the MK hybrids.
MK stands for Michelle Killen, the person who produced the seeds.
The seeds were imported from America and grown at Spine City nursery.
Trichocereys hybrid “Betty Boom” x “Zelly 8”
These hybrids are mostly based on flowering Trichocereus types.
There are some Echinopsis crosses in here as well.
Flowering Trichocereus don’t generally grow as tall and large as traditional types, more often they remain shorter and form clumps.
Trichocereus hybrid “Ganesha” x “Orange California”
Flowering Trichocereus are easy to grow, they do however, appreciate larger pots and a lot more water and fertiliser than other types of cacti.
20cm or larger pots are required for best results and even better if they can be grown in the ground.
Echinopsis hybrid “For Norma” x “US9/2010”
Echinopsis hybrid “For Norma” x “US9/2010”
Echinopsis hybrid “For Norma” x “US9/2010”
Echinopsis hybrid “For Norma” x “US9/2010”
The above 4 images show just how different each one can be.
They are all from the same cross and same seed batch.
This adds to the mystery and excitement of growing cacti from seed or buying hybrids which have not yet flowered.
You never know what you might get!
Echinopsis hybrid “Freddy's Derby” x “Windigo”
So how often should you water your flowering Trichocereus or Echinopsis?
Both have similar water requirements and during active growth will require weekly or twice weekly watering.
The size pot and substrate (soil) mix will play a part in how often they need to be watered.
During active growth I would tend to lean more towards the heavier side of watering, it is very unlikely they will rot from overwatering if the weather is warm.
That being said, they are still cacti after all and will survive with less water than that so don’t freak out if you forget to water and they look a little sad.
Echinopsis hybrid “Ben Hur” x “Wild Thing”
These took about 5 years to reach flowering size from seed.
I believe this could be reduced to around 3 or 4 years if grown faster but that’s not how we grow things around here!
Echinopsis hybrid "Freddy's Derby" x "Windigo"
When it comes to fertiliser, for plants like these I do not like to overcomplicate things.
Something high in nitrogen at the start of the season is ideal.
Think rooster booster or dynamic lifter pellets.
Lightly mix into the top inch of the soil, water in well and that will serve them well for the season.
The second fertiliser would be something designed for flowers or fruit.
In this case I prefer soluble fertiliser not pellets or slow release.
For the longest time I used Thrive fruit & flower.
Great stuff and still recommend it to this day.
Couple of applications of that during active growth.
And lastly although not a fertiliser, would be Seasol or similar seaweed based product.
Useful for building up overall strength and resilience to climatic factors.
Echinopsis hybrid "Freddy's Derby" x "Windigo"
Finally,
For the position of these plants.
They require full sun to perform their best.
Some protection from the harsh afternoon summer sun will make them look prettier but once established they can be hammered by the sun all day with little to no negative effects.
Hope you have enjoyed our blog post.
Best wishes
Cori
