Another pincushion cactus

Mammillaria bocasana

This is another pincushion cactus, commonly known as a "powder puff cactus". It caught my eye while out shopping.  I just had to stop by the florist and see what interesting plants were on display. This handsome and snow-white fuzzy haired cactus reminded me of how varied, unusual and amusing the plant world can be.

The pincushion cacti are easy to keep and stay rather small.  The powder puff won't grow much more than 3" wide but it will probably produce more powder puffs around or on top of it. It has brown fishhook spines so handle it with care. It blooms fairly easily indoors and its flowers are white with a tinge of red. 

If you happen to be in Mexico, you may come upon one of these growing outdoors in its natural habitat. 

If you want to send a plant or flower arrangement just about anywhere in the world you can do it from the lovely florist that has this cactus

 

Flowers and Plants Etc,

 

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Care Instructions---

• Direct sun indoors.  They will tolerate lower light for awhile but direct sun, as much as possible, is the best. A sunny window which will be cooler at night is ideal.
• Water when dry below the soil surface. The top of the soil should look very dry. There are water meters available for indoor plants and you may find one very useful when growing prickly cacti.
• These will usually be found in small pots 3"-4" (5-10 cm) in diameter and the plants will use about 1/2-3/4 cup of water when necessary.
• Fertilize occasionally for best growth and blooming. 

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*To see some short video clips from the 90's television series, The Indoor Garden, click below:

 

 Indoor Garden TV

 

 

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