Cactus lovers, watch out: Do you know the golden piece for the cactus collection - perfect as a non-verbal message to the prickly mother-in-law? The gold ball cactus, also known as mother-in-law's seat, always puts you in a good mood. It's high time to take a look at the profile of Echinocactus grusonii with tips for planting and care. Here you can find out everything you need to know about the mother-in-law seat, also known as the gold ball cactus. Comprehensible instructions explain the uncomplicated planting and care.
How do you properly care for a mother-in-law seat?
The mother-in-law's seat (Echinocactus grusonii) is a spherical cactus with yellow flowers and long thorns. It prefers sunny locations and needs cactus soil with good drainage. Care includes alternate watering, monthly fertilization and cool wintering.
Profile
- Scientific name: Echinocactus grusonii
- Family: Cactaceae
- Synonyms: mother-in-law seat, gold ball cactus
- Origin: Mexico
- Growth habit: spherical, unbranched
- Growth height: 20 to 130 cm
- Flowering period: July to September
- Toxicity: non-toxic
- Winter hardiness: not hardy
Flowering time
A mother-in-law's seat really puts cactus collectors on edge before the first yellow flowers appear. Even under ideal conditions in a sunny, warm location, it takes several years for the first flowering period to occur. You have to look closely so as not to miss the desired moment. Echinocactus grusonii creates a dense, hairy cushion for the delicate flowers. The following table gives the details:
| First bloom | from 5th to 10th year |
|---|---|
| Flowering time | July to September |
| Flower Position | in the felt of the cactus crown |
| Flower Shape | bell-shaped |
| Size | 4 to 6 cm long |
| Diameter | 3 to 5 cm |
Toxicity
The cactus is not a poison injection, like the nasty mother-in-law that gives it its name. However, the fearsome thorns should not be underestimated. Curved spines up to 5 cm long characterize the appearance of the mother-in-law seat. No wonder that blood flows when planting and caring for them. The following video invites you to take a look at the impressive thorn cushions:
Video: Gold ball cactus aka mother-in-law seat presents its spines
Planting mother-in-law seat
Plant the frost-sensitive mother-in-law's chair in a pot whose diameter is two to three centimeters larger than the root ball. Pots that are too large promote harmful waterlogging, fatal root rot and deformed growth. How to plant a mother-in-law seat correctly:
Mix substrate
The optimal substrate for Echinocactus grusonii simulates the soil conditions in the South American desert location. It should be well-drained with a certain storage capacity for water and nutrients. The following substrate mixture meets these criteria in an exemplary manner:
- Cactus soil: 3 parts
- Coconut soil, pre-fertilized with cactus fertilizer: 2 parts
- Fine-grained quartz sand: 1 part
- Lava granules or clay granules: 1 part
Peat is not a suitable substrate component for cactus plants. Fluctuations in the water supply that are necessary for maintenance condense the peat content. Waterlogging and root rot inevitably occur.
Planting gold ball cactus
The correct planting technique protects the cactus gardener from injuries and the mother-in-law's seat from waterlogging. How to do it right:
- Create a drainage out of clay granules or place a curved piece of clay over the water drain
- If at hand, spread a water- and air-permeable fleece over the drainage
- Fill in the substrate up to 3/4 of the pot height
- Make a small depression in the cactus soil
- Put on thorn-proof gloves
- Unpot the mother-in-law seat and plant it in the hollow
- Push the substrate with a spoon or stick over the root ball until just below the plant body
- Water the gold ball cactus with rainwater or soft tap water
After planting, the cactus travels to different locations, depending on the season. Please read the following instructions.
Location
The gold ball cactus responds to abrupt, uncontrolled sunlight with an unsightly, light yellow color. The green plant body only recovers very slowly from this sunburn. It doesn't have to come to that. Give the newly planted mother-in-law seat a 14-day acclimatization phase in a partially shaded location. Afterwards, the mother-in-law chair happily takes its regular place with these general conditions:
- As a houseplant: from the beginning of March to the end of October sunny to shady on the warm south-facing windowsill
- On the balcony: sunny, warm and protected from rain from May to September
- In winter: from November to February ideally bright and cool or sunny and at normal room temperature
A gold ball cactus should only be placed in partial shade for a short time in order to get used to the blazing sun. A permanently partially shaded location affects the golden color of the thorns, prevents the formation of flowers and causes a columnar growth habit.
Excursus
Accordion body protects against drought stress
In the dry, hot desert climate, ingenuity is required in order not to waste away as a cactus under the merciless sun. The gold ball cactus solves the problem with 30 flexible ribs. They play the accordion in slow motion. When it rains, the ribs expand and store every drop of water. Parallel to the progressive dryness, the ribbed body contracts.
Care for mother-in-law seat
If a mother-in-law seat is given the right care, the magnificent cactus can weigh up to 300 kilograms and live 300 years. The following sections briefly and compactly explain the five supporting pillars in the care program:
Pouring
Rule of thumb for correct watering of cacti is: an alternately moist substrate with pronounced dry phases. This is how it works:
- Water the mother-in-law seat with collected rainwater or stale tap water
- Water thoroughly during the growing phase until water runs out from under the pot
- Pour out the coaster after 10 minutes (ideally fill with clay granules to protect against waterlogging)
- Let the substrate dry to the touch until the next watering (finger test 2 cm deep)
The watering method recommended for cactus plants by dipping the root ball is not recommended for a mother-in-law seat due to the associated risk of injury from the sharp, hard thorns.
Fertilize
After planting or repotting, the nutrient reserves in the substrate are used up within six weeks. From now on, fertilize your gold ball cactus every 4 weeks from March to September with a liquid cactus fertilizer. Please water before and after with clear water for optimal absorption of the nutrients.
Repotting
Every two to four years you should repot a mother-in-law seat in fresh substrate. The best time is February and March. To make it easier to pot out a heavy, older specimen, stop watering a week beforehand. Well protected with thick leather gloves, remove the leached substrate from the root ball. The rest of the procedure corresponds to the planting technique described above, including a regeneration phase in partial shade. Six to eight weeks after repotting, the cactus is fertilized for the first time.
Propagation
Due to its spherical, unbranched growth habit, a mother-in-law seat cannot be used for cuttings. Propagation is simple and uncomplicated by sowing seeds in coconut soil. Beforehand, soak the seeds in lukewarm water or chamomile tea. Scatter the tiny seeds in a seed tray with a transparent lid. Press on the light germinators and water with a fine spray. The ideal germination temperature is between 16° and 28° Celsius (the warmer, the faster germination).
Wintering
Moving to winter quarters after the summer growth phase is advantageous for a spherical growth habit and early flowering. Balcony cacti take a break on the windowsill when it gets too cold outside in late summer with nighttime temperatures below 12° Celsius. How to properly winterize a mother-in-law seat:
- Preparation: from October reduce the amount of irrigation water, adjust the nutrient supply
- Set up from November to March in a bright, cool location with 8° to 10° Celsius
- Water little by little, do not let the root ball dry out
It is important to note that during a cool hibernation period that you place the gold ball cactus in well-dried soil.
Popular varieties
These beautiful mother-in-law varieties delight with unique attributes and brilliantly round off your cactus collection:
- Echinocactus grusonii 'Krauskopf': Rarity with 5 cm long, curled thorns.
- Echinocactus grusonii 'Alba': impresses with a white thorn dress.
- Echinocactus grusonii 'Brevispinum': boasts short, thick spines.
- Echinocactus grusonii 'Insermis': family-friendly variety with extra short thorns and woolly areoles.
FAQ
What does the scientific name Echinocactus grusonii mean?
With the scientific name for the gold ball cactus, the botanical society remembers Hermann August Jacques Gruson (March 13, 1821 to January 30, 1895). The Prussian inventor and entrepreneur made a name for himself as a cactus collector. At the time, he owned the largest cactus collection in Europe, which he bequeathed to his hometown of Magdeburg. The Gruson greenhouses are now part of Saxony-Anh alt's garden dreams.
My gold ball cactus is sunburned. What to do?
Typical symptom of sunburn on cacti is a light yellow color in areas that the bright sunlight reaches. There is a need for immediate action to ensure that the damaged areas do not become corked or woody. Take your gold ball cactus out of the sun and place it in partial shade for a few weeks. Spray the epidermis with an amino acid treatment from a cactus specialist store to quickly limit the damage.
Is a mother-in-law seat suitable for cold and warm wintering?
Thanks to its adaptability, you can choose to overwinter the mother-in-law seat either cold or warm. The more advantageous variant at a cool 10° Celsius often fails due to suitable winter quarters. A warm winter in the heated living room is possible in the sunny window seat. Regular turning effectively prevents misshapen growth.
How often should I water a mother-in-law seat?
During the growth phase, water a young mother-in-law in a sunny location every 7 days. If the gold ball cactus is larger than 20 centimeters, extend the watering intervals to 2 to 3 weeks. From a diameter of 40 centimeters, these cacti can survive dry and undamaged for several weeks. This information serves as a guide only. Only the obligatory finger test confirms the current watering requirement. Regardless of age and size, water the cactus little by little in winter if the soil has dried well beforehand.