Cactus Notocactus Uebelmannianus

The Notocactus Uebelmannianus or Parodia Werneri, which is its scientific synonym, originates from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is known by the vulgar name of cactus balloon, it has good tolerance to heat, but it is important that it does not touch the direct sun, it needs partial sun, but, risk that it burns to the surface and that if no solution is found it is cause of death. Holds minimum temperatures of up to four negative degrees. It is very similar to the Notocactus Uebelmannianus var. Brevispinus. In fact, it is practically the same specimen the only one that changes is the size and shape of the spines.

Now I’m going to describe to you a little bit what this specimen is like. It does not grow much, it can reach at most twelve centimeters high, this does not mean that over the years it exceeds this measure. Although not very common, it can sometimes produce little plants that can be used to create new specimens of this species. It usually has between ten and twelve rounded ribs and some whitish insoles where we can observe six to ten radial spines without any central spine that if we look at it well make the form of spider. They can flower from late spring to early summer, more specifically between April and May. If we are lucky to see this Notocactus bloom, we can expect to see yellow, magenta or red flowers.

Finally, it is a cactus that is resistant to pests and diseases, but as a negative point I will say that it is sensitive to irrigation. If we have to provide water we will do it regularly in spring and summer, especially waiting for the substrate to be dry before watering again. Reduce irrigation in autumn and do not provide water during winter. Apart from being able to reproduce through the little plants if they get to create the mother plant, we can also do it through the seeds that come out of the flowers.