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Description: Plants belonging to the genus
Azureocereus are magnificent branching, tree-like columnar cacti
that grow up to 7 m tall. They are among the most unusual cacti,
as the stems are a brilliant blue in colour and should prove an
interesting and eye-catching plant both for the specialist collector and
for those wanting a somewhat different house plant. The beautiful
crested form here depicted, is supposed by some to be an Azureocereus
sp. (but further investigation are needed): Anyway (whatever the name
is) this crest is very rare in collection and highly priced for its
shocking blue colour.
Spines: Short olden and bristly.
Areoles: White, at first woolly later naked
Cultivation: They are easy plant that grow
large and form beautiful specimens with time.
Frost Tolerant as low as -4°C (or possibly colder) but in cultivation it
is best to avoid any frost when during the winter the temperature can go
down to 2° C without any harm so long as the compost is very dry. 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 like only a short winter's rest and
should be kept almost completely dry during the winter months, If the
soil is allowed to be dry for too long root loss could follow but
equally the same result would occur if the plants are both wet and cold.
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 so long as the plant is actively
growing. From late September watering should be reduced to force the
plant to go in to a state of semi dormancy, by October you should be
back in to the winter watering regime.
Need full sun avoiding only the harshest summer sun, if kept too dark
they may become overly lush and greener and could be prone to rotting
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. |
Cultivation
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