| Description: |
Leaves green, flowers red-purple with a yellow center. |
| Environment: |
Suitable for the home or a greenhouse |
| Growing Ease: |
Requires a little extra care |
| Lighting Needs: |
Does best in full sunlight coming from the South/East/West |
| Soil Type: |
Never use ordinary potting compost or garden soil, there are general purpose cactus mixes available. If you want to mix your own take:
3 parts coarse sand or perlite, 2 parts garden soil, 1 part humus (leaf mold) and 1 part crushed rock..
Always use a pot with a hole.
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| Watering: |
Keep the soil barely moist and if you use rainwater, be careful as it could be acidic. Use warm water. |
| Fertilizer: |
Feed only twice a year, once in April and once in July with a water soluble fertilizer. |
| Plant Pests: |
Prone to mealy bugs and rarely scale. Always inspect any new plant for pests before introducing it to your home or greenhouse. |
| Propagation: |
Seeds/ division
in the spring through summer.
Propagate them in evenly moist soil, mist occasionally and keep in filtered sunlight until they are growing. After dividing plant re-plant in the plants regular potting mix.
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| Gardening Tips & Care: |
Requires good ventilation and reduced watering in the winter. Be careful not to over-water. Put a layer of small gravel at the bottom of the pot and also one inch on the top of the soil to prevent stem rot.
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