Mammillaria bombycina, the silk cushion cactus

Your Mammillaria bombycina supports mains water. You can water it with reclaimed rainwater or tap water.

Before watering, make sure the surface of the soil is at least five centimetres dry.

Don't forget to drain any stagnant water in the saucer or planter.

Your mammillaria bombycina hates wet foliage. You must not mist the plant.

In spring, transfer your Mammillaria bombycina to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.

Obtain a pierced pot one size larger than the previous one.

Fill the bottom with a very light, draining substrate such as commercially available potting soil for cacti and succulents. Plant your Mammillaria bombycina in the center and add potting soil. Stop a few centimetres below the rim of the pot to form a watering trough.

Tamp down and wait three or four days for the soil to dry before watering.

You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

If you want to stimulate the growth of your Mammillaria bombycina, mix a liquid fertilizer for cacti and succulents with the water when watering.

Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.

Choose a place where rainwater runs off easily, the top of an embankment or a location with chalky soil.

Dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball. Prepare a draining substrate, e.g. A mixture of sand and garden soil. Plant your Mammillaria bombycina and fill in. Tamp and water. This first watering helps to promote contact between the soil and the roots.

Your seedlings need warmth. Summer is the best time to get started.

Fill a perforated pot with potting soil for cacti and succulents. You can also mix horticultural potting soil for seedlings (two-thirds) with gravel or sand (one-third). Water the soil to keep it moist, but not soggy.

Place your seeds on the substrate. If they're very small, you don't need to cover them with soil.

Seedlings take better if they 're stifled. Place your pot in a mini greenhouse or cover them with a transparent plastic bag. Your seeds also need heat to grow. You can use a heating mat to maintain a temperature of between 23 and 27°C. Place the cuttings in semi-shade.

Open your greenhouse for a few minutes a day and spray the substrate to keep it moist.

Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.

After a few years, your Mammillaria bombycina produces shoots. You can divide them to multiply the plant.

Once the plant has been dug up, separate one of the shoots, with its roots. Beware of thorns! Remember to wear gloves when handling your Mammillaria bombycina.

Pour a light, well-drained substrate into a pierced pot. You can use potting soil for cacti and succulents or a mixture of ordinary potting soil and sand.

Plant your cutting, burying the first two centimetres in the soil. Place the cup in partial shade.

Wait ten to fifteen days for the cuttings to root before watering.