Echinopsis huascha is a columnar cactus usually branch out at the base and form low groups with growth heights of up to 1 meter. The cylindrical, fresh green, upright or creeping stems growing with the shoot tip erect have 14 to 17 ribs and reach about 5 centimeters in diameter. The areoles, from which the yellowish to brownish, needle-like thorns arise, reach a diameter of up to 1 centimeter. The 1 to 3 central spines are somewhat thicker than the peripheral spines and are between 2 and 7 centimeters long. The 9 to 11 spikes are up to 1.5 centimeters long.
The funnel-shaped to bell-shaped flowers that appear near the apex are very variable. They open during the day and become up to 10 centimeters long and up to 7 centimeters in diameter. The olive-green, 4.5 cm long flower cup is covered with 4 to 6 mm long, brownish to black hair.
How to Grow and Care
Light: This species prefers growing in full sun while outside. If you grow your plants inside (or inside for the winter) they need bright light and direct sun as much as possible.
Inside For The Winter: During the winter months, they should be sited in a cooler room in bright light. Water and fertilizer should be withheld to encourage dormancy. If you give them water and the light isn’t strong enough, plants will etiolate (stretch) and become thin. If grown inside over the winter, you should gradually introduce them to full sun gradually when you put them back outside for the summer.
Soil: As with all cactus, the Echinopsis huascha needs very well-draining soil. I use 2 parts of potting soil amended with 1 part chicken grit and 1 part pumice or perlite. Most cactus enthusiasts recommend pumice in place of perlite for MANY reasons. You can purchase a product called Dry Stall from a farm supply or feed store. It is pumice and very inexpensive compared to buying it online.
Water: Llifle says, “Water the plants well and allow them to dry before watering again. This species seems to do better with a little more water than most cacti. In fact, its cultivation requirements are really more like ‘normal’ plants than most other cacti.”
Fertilizer: During the growing season fertilize them monthly with a balanced fertilizer. I use a potting soil with timed-release fertilizer. Using pumice also adds nutrition to your plants. You can also use perlite with timed-release fertilizer but it only lasts a few months whereas pumice is permanent.
Hardiness: Hardiness zone 9b to 11b: from 25 °F (−3.9 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
Origin: Echinopsis huascha is native to Argentina.
Propagation
Echinopsis can be easily rooted from offsets, which tend to cluster around the base of the mother plant.
Cut offsets close to the stem, at the narrowest possible place. When rooting cacti from cuttings, let the fresh cutting dry out slightly on a paper towel and cut the cacti at the narrowest place possible. After a few days to a few weeks, depending on the size of the cut surface, the cut surface should have dried out and formed a callous, or slightly rough opening. Once the callous has formed, place the cutting in a rooting mixture of fast-draining cacti soil. Keep the cutting barely moist and warm. New roots will develop in a matter of weeks, either around the vascular bundles or the cut areoles near the cut. Once new roots are visible, pot the plant as a typical cactus and move it into your collection.
The funnel-shaped to bell-shaped flowers that appear near the apex are very variable. They open during the day and become up to 10 centimeters long and up to 7 centimeters in diameter. The olive-green, 4.5 cm long flower cup is covered with 4 to 6 mm long, brownish to black hair.
- Scientific Name: Echinopsis huascha (Web.) Friedrich & G.D.Rowley
- Common Names: Red Torch Cactus, Red Torch, Desert's Blooming Jewel
- Synonyms: Cereus andalgalensis, Echinopsis pecheretiana, Echinopsis rowleyi, Echinopsis vatteri, Helianthocereus andalgalensis, Helianthocereus huascha, Lobivia andalgalensis, Lobivia huascha, Salpingolobivia andalgalensis, Salpingolobivia huascha, Trichocereus andalgalensis, Trichocereus callianthus, Trichocereus huascha, Trichocereus rowleyi, Trichocereus vatteri
- Family: Cactaceae
- Subfamily: Cactoideae
- Tribe: Trichocereeae
- Genus: Echinopsis
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| source pic: pinterest.com |
How to Grow and Care
Light: This species prefers growing in full sun while outside. If you grow your plants inside (or inside for the winter) they need bright light and direct sun as much as possible.
Inside For The Winter: During the winter months, they should be sited in a cooler room in bright light. Water and fertilizer should be withheld to encourage dormancy. If you give them water and the light isn’t strong enough, plants will etiolate (stretch) and become thin. If grown inside over the winter, you should gradually introduce them to full sun gradually when you put them back outside for the summer.
Soil: As with all cactus, the Echinopsis huascha needs very well-draining soil. I use 2 parts of potting soil amended with 1 part chicken grit and 1 part pumice or perlite. Most cactus enthusiasts recommend pumice in place of perlite for MANY reasons. You can purchase a product called Dry Stall from a farm supply or feed store. It is pumice and very inexpensive compared to buying it online.
Water: Llifle says, “Water the plants well and allow them to dry before watering again. This species seems to do better with a little more water than most cacti. In fact, its cultivation requirements are really more like ‘normal’ plants than most other cacti.”
Fertilizer: During the growing season fertilize them monthly with a balanced fertilizer. I use a potting soil with timed-release fertilizer. Using pumice also adds nutrition to your plants. You can also use perlite with timed-release fertilizer but it only lasts a few months whereas pumice is permanent.
Hardiness: Hardiness zone 9b to 11b: from 25 °F (−3.9 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
Origin: Echinopsis huascha is native to Argentina.
Propagation
Echinopsis can be easily rooted from offsets, which tend to cluster around the base of the mother plant.
Cut offsets close to the stem, at the narrowest possible place. When rooting cacti from cuttings, let the fresh cutting dry out slightly on a paper towel and cut the cacti at the narrowest place possible. After a few days to a few weeks, depending on the size of the cut surface, the cut surface should have dried out and formed a callous, or slightly rough opening. Once the callous has formed, place the cutting in a rooting mixture of fast-draining cacti soil. Keep the cutting barely moist and warm. New roots will develop in a matter of weeks, either around the vascular bundles or the cut areoles near the cut. Once new roots are visible, pot the plant as a typical cactus and move it into your collection.
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| source pic: flickr.com |
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