Consulta Plantas

Care of the cactus Echinopsis oxygona or Easter Lily cactus

The genus Echinopsis, family Cactaceae, comprises 150 species of cactus native to South America. Some species are: Echinopsis oxygona, Echinopsis huascha, Echinopsis chiloensis, Echinopsis chamaecereus, Echinopsis candicans, Echinopsis bruchii, Echinopsis aurea, Echinopsis atacamensis, Echinopsis ancistrophora, Echinopsis subdenudata, Echinopsis pachanoi, Echinopsis mamillosa, Echinopsis tarijensis, Echinopsis schieliana, Echinopsis spachiana, Echinopsis schickendantzii, Echinopsis rhodotricha, Echinopsis peruviana.

Common names: Easter Lily cactus, Sea-Urchin cactus. This species is native to Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Southern Brazil.

They are cacti with a globose body (later columnar) that reach 30 cm (11.8") in height. They have 8 to 14 flat, angled ribs. They have 5 to 15 light brown radial spines and 4 central spines of the same color. The scented and large pink or white flowers reach 15 cm (5.9") in diameter. They bloom at night from late spring to late summer.

They are used in pots in patios, terraces and greenhouses, in rockeries and in gardens of catus and succulents.

The Echinopsis multiplex prefers full sun exposure in the early morning hours. They resist frost down to -10 ºC (14 ºF) if the substrate and the environment are dry.

The soil can be a commercial substrate for cacti and succulents. The roots are quite shallow; They prefer wider pots than deep ones.

Water moderately at the rate of once every 12-15 days in spring, every 7-9 days in summer, every 15-20 days in autumn and do not water in winter.

Fertilize every 2 months with mineral fertilizer for cacti in spring and summer.

Some suckers can be pruned to favor flowering.

Sometimes they can be attacked by mealybugs or fungi if there is excess watering.

They propagate easily from the suckers produced by the mother plant or from seeds sown in spring.

Images of the cactus Echinopsis oxygona or Easter Lily cactus