Description: The typical Debeque form of
Sclerocactus glaucus
is a a ball cactus with a squat, ovoid or globular shaped green or
powdery blue coloured stems. They have 8-15 ribs and the rib is sometime tuberculous 4--30 cm tall, 4-9 cm
in diameter; Spines: (0 or) 1 to 3 generally characteristic
unhooked central spines, the lower ones brown, the upper ones white 1-3
cm long,; 6 to 8 radials, 5 mm long. Some specimens lack central spines
or have central spines which are hooked. Red nectar glands are found
above each areole.
The crested form is very rare and nice..
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Cultivation:
It is a relatively easy plant to grow, both grafted or on its own
roots. During the summer it is best to keep the plants outside, where
the temperature can rise to over 30 C with no harm to the plant.
Furnish good drainage and use a an open and free draining mineral
compost that allows therefore roots to breath. They should be kept
almost completely dry during the winter months. From March onwards the
plant will begin to grow, and watering should be increased gradually
until late May, when the plant should be in full growth.
Water regularly during the summer, so long as the plant pot is allowed
to drain and not sit in a tray of water. During hot weather you may
need to water the plants more frequently, as long as the plant is
actively growing. From late September watering should be reduced, to
force the plant to go into a state of semi-dormancy. By October you
should be back in to the winter watering regime.
It needs full sun, avoiding only the harshest summer sun. If kept too
dark, plants may become overly lush and greener, and could be prone to
rot, due to over-watering.
Feeding may not be necessary at all if the compost is fresh. Then feed
in summer only if the plant hasn't been repotted recently. Do not feed
the plants from September onwards, as this can cause lush growth, which
can be fatal during the darker cold months. Grown specimens resist to
-20°C for a short time.
Propagation: By
vegetative propagation grafting or stem cuttings from adult plants.
Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and
cultivars of plants belonging to the
sclerocactus glaucus
complex
(This
Taxon
has several of synonyms
(
like many other cacti) whit controversial varieties and subspecies
and comprises different forms, but where each form
is linked to others by populations of plants with intermediate
characteristics):
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