The Succulent and Cactus Lady : Peanut cactus (E. chamaecereus)

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🌿 I've been gardening ever since a child, when I spent time with my father in his vegetable garden. But my fascination with Echeverias started in the 1980's, when my father gave me a pot with five Echeverias, which turned out to be E. imbricata. At first I wasn't much interested in them and planted them in some obscure corner of the garden and completely forgot about them. How great was my surprise when, a couple of months later, I noticed that they had spread and made a beautiful display - I was hooked!

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Peanut cactus (E. chamaecereus)

The common name of 'Peanut cactus' comes from the peanut-like offsets that this cactus provides generously along the stems. These offsets can be detached and planted immediately.

Echinopsis chamaecereus is a small clumping cactus, about 4 inches (10 cm) high. If the stems become longer than this, they tend to lay down on the ground or hang from the pot – grown in more shade than it prefers Peanut Cactus will sprawl and hang quite nicely over the edges of a pot. They therefore look great in hanging baskets. But don't water this cactus too much - it causes the mother plant to rot away, leaving the offsets stranded or falling off if they're hanging over the edge - rather err on the side of giving too little water.

The Peanut cactus grows well in the shade, but tends to form long, hanging ropes, which are easily controlled by just cutting them off and planting them again.

The beautiful flower of the Peanut cactus.

In full sun, the Peanut cactus tends to be more clumpy, but I have two that are in full sun that have still sent out long, hanging ropes. If your cactus is used to shade, introduce it to sunlight gradually as they easily get burnt.

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Featured Succulent

Echinopsis grows pretty much anywhere. Here in South Africa they can tolerate summer temperatures of 30°C or greater, which is hot enough to spur growth of both Echinopsis pups and their amazing flowers. They also tolerate cold temperatures well during winter months. However, I bring my potted ones inside during hard freezes or their water-filled bodies will freeze as well. Compared to most cacti, Echinopsis bloom fast and furious. They typically begin blooming in spring. Most blooms only last one or two days and they frequently open at night. But it’s common to have several buds on one plant developing at different rates; so a single plant can be in bloom for several weeks. As a general rule, the smaller the diameter of the blooms a Echinopsis species produces, the more blooms the plant produces. Species that produce monster blooms (some over 6” in diameter) tend to have fewer blooms as so much plant energy goes into producing each one. Echinopsis generally begin to produce flowers when they are two or three years old. Echinopsis is a large genus of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. One small species, E. chamaecereus, is known as the peanut cactus. The 128 species range from large and treelike types to small globose cacti.

A garden requires patient labour and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfil good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them. Gardeners are well primed to provide food for birds and animals, but the key to encouraging the widest possible range of wildlife is to think of creating a habitat for creatures to live in. The most important aspect of this is the provision of shelter from the weather and from predators, as well as a place to lay eggs, rear young or hibernate.

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Thursday, 17 July 2014

Peanut cactus (E. chamaecereus)