Flowers?

[saxocactus]

I bought a mammillaria last year and it flowered wonderfully, a complete triple ring of light purple flowers. so far this year nothing at all, not even a sign of any buds. What have I done wrong?

[Hob]

if it was kept indoors in a centrally heated house over winter it was probably too warm to have a winter rest period without which a lot of cacti will not flower.

[saxocactus]

thanks

[Phil_SK]

It's still only April, too. Can you remember when you bought it? Although there's loads of Mammillaria photos being posted on here there are still plenty of plants that are not even thinking about it yet.

[Julie]

Funnily. mine has gone to sleep after making quite a few flowers over the winter.

[iann]

Which species, Julie? Every species has its preferred time to flower, often modified by the treatment they get in our climate. For example, M. hahniana likes to flower in winter but flowers in spring if you keep it cool and dry all winter.

[Phil Hocking]

I acquired a Mammillaria backbergiana around 28 March this year and it had no sign of any buds, but now there is a triple ring of buds about halfway towards opening. Most of my plants indoors are taking a long time to wake up this year and I'll just have to be patient. Some will be going into the greenhouse soon and that should help with growth and flowering

Somerset Phil

[Julie]

Mine's a gracillis Arizona snowcap. It lives on a west facing windowsill which gets temps of 15 on winter days to 30+ today. At least I guess so... the room was 26 and the plants were behind the closed curtain.

[iann]

Arizona Snowcap flowers right through the winter indoors, and takes a break in summer. If you keep them outside, and they are pretty hardy, then they'll have a go in the autumn or the spring, or both.

[Julie]

Aaaah.. so it thinks it's summer. And yet I watered it.. surely in habitat it would get more water in the winter and just about none in summer?

Maybe it's confused..