Such a lovely little cactus and yet so terribly neglected.
By me.
Few years ago when I was just starting with those spiky friends I saw some photos of it in someone else's collection and wanted it almost straight away. Its those delicate peachy flowers that got me.
Eventually I got one and it is having a hard time with me...
Mediolobivia pygmaea mudanensis
Everything was fine with it until last year. In spring it bloomed with 3 flowers. The plant was healthy and was growing well.
And then it started to look worse and I didn't know why. At some point I thought it got too much water and it will just rot. Some black spot appeared on the side that I treated with cinnamon to dry it and either way it was a coincidence, nothing serious, or the cinnamon worked.
Then it got the spider mite attack (together with other cacti), but since I didn't see those little buggers I tried to look for other causes and didn't really treat the right way.
All the stains and scars you see are from last year. Now this year it still managed to bloom and the tip is growing, but damn it looks like it went to hell and back. Now on the photos I still see some mites. I took those photos few weeks ago and I already sprayed it with Neem oil. One more go in about a week and hopefully I will be able to keep the little f*** at bay.
Can you see them on the photo below?
One more flower bloomed later on. I think it growing a fruit too. I will try to sow it again. I did that last year, but all the seedlings died. I have no luck to this one at all!
I will also water them all with the Neem oil solution. It works as systemic insecticide and also deals with the potential mealybugs that like to hide in the soil and around the roots. I did that last year in spring and I noticed I didn't have such big problem. I am a bit late with that this year though.
Look how pretty she was last year:
And two years ago when she bloomed for the first time with much paler, single flower:
My other blooming cacti:
Click on the image to view full post.
Chamaecereus hybrid | Sulcorebutia Canigueralii | Mammillaria camptotricha | Mammillaria Glassii |
Gymnocalycium baldianum | Mediolobivia mudanensis | Lobivia Arachnacantha | Rebutia hybrid |
Mammillaria Bombycina | Mammillaria Gracilis Snowcap | Mammillaria haageana | Mammillaria backebergiana |
Chamaecereus silvestrii | Mammillaria prolifera | Rebutia Fabrisii var. Aureiflora | Lobivia Wrightiana |
Aylostera Flavistyla FR756 | Parodia concinna | Mammillaria Copper King | Gymnocalycium Bruchii |
Mammillaria backebergiana | Gymnocalycium damsii | Echinopsis subdenudata | Rhipsalis pilocarpa |
Mammillaria Prolifera | Lobivia arachnacantha v. vallegrandensis | Mediolobivia atrovirens | Mammillaria magnimamma |
Sulcorebutia langerii | Sulcorebutia frankiana | Chamaelobivia no ID | Rebutia Albiflora |
Mediolobivia atrovirens var. ritteri | Gymnocalycium damsii var. tucavocense | Notocactus Ottonis | Gymnocalycium Friedrichii |
Turbinicarpus Viereckii | Rebutia neocumingii | Notocactus Rubrigemmatus | Lobivia no ID |
Sulcorebutia albissima |
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Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.