Ferocactus stainesii or Mexican Lime Cactus

Care of the cactus Ferocactus stainesii or Mexican Lime Cactus

The genus Ferocactus, family Cactaceae, comprises 30 species of large cacti native to Mexico and the southwestern United States. Some species are: Ferocactus stainesii, Ferocactus schwarzii, Ferocactus robustus, Ferocactus peninsulae, Ferocactus latispinus, Ferocactus histrix, Ferocactus glaucescens, Ferocactus flavovirens, Ferocactus cylindraceus, Ferocactus alamosanus, Ferocactus hamatacanthus, Ferocactus emoryi, Ferocactus gracilis, Ferocactus wislizenii.

Common names: Mexican Lime Cactus, Fire Barrel, Mexican Fire Barrel Cactus. This species is native to Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas, Mexico.

They are cacti with a light green color and globular body in their youth that lengthen until they reach 3 meters (9.84 feet) in height and 60 cm (1.96 feet) in diameter. They have 13-20 sharp and slightly wavy ribs. The areolas measure 1 cm (0.39") and are yellowish (later grayish). The spines are striated and red in young plants (later they turn gray); the radial spines are 2 cm (0.78") long and the central spines 4 cm (1.57"); the latter are yellow and have 3 cm (1.18") hairs. The flowers are orange or purple in color and bell-shaped. They bloom in summer.

They are used as isolated specimens, in cactus and succulent gardens, in rockeries and in pots for patios, terraces or greenhouses.

The Ferocactus stainesii needs full sun exposure and a hot, dry climate. The winter temperature should not be less than 6 ºC (42.8 ºF).

The soil can be a mixture of 1/2 leaf mulch and 1/2 coarse siliceous sand or a commercial substrate for cacti and succulents.

Water in summer every 7-8 days, in spring and autumn every 15 days and in winter do not water. It's important to wait for the substrate to dry completely.

Fertilize with mineral cactus fertilizer in mid-spring.

They do not need pruning.

They are plants resistant to pests and diseases but sensitive to excess humidity.

They propagate by seeds sown in spring or from the suckers that adult plants produce.