Disocactus plant care tips

Light and placement for Disocactus

Disocactus may be more tropical than desert-like, but they still like a lot of light! Make sure your green friend is in direct sunlight so she gets as much energy as possible. In summer, it is even more important for your Disocactus to thrive during the growing season. But make no mistake about her appreciation of light, she hates extreme conditions and will enjoy being in a greenhouse in the winter and the heat of a dry climate. Partial shade is not a bad idea either, providing a little extra humidity in the air. In spring and summer you will see your green lady blooming beautiful white, yellow, red or purple flowers, depending on the species!

Water

Disocactus originate from rainforests and they are used to a large amount of water each year. Regular watering is the best you can do. Even more so when it is the growing season. Watering should be abundant, the soil well-watered, but make sure it is thoroughly dry between each watering. In winter and weather conditions below 10°C, you can let it dry more than in spring or summer.

Nutrition

To be sure your Disocactus is happy, growing well and if you want to see your beautiful lady flowering and giving birth to a gorgeous colorful flower, giving her PLNTS Nutrition once a month is the best thing to do! This thorny lady is a hungry one.

Propagating Disocactus

The only 2 ways to get yourself a new Disocactus from the mother plant. You need to get the seeds and make them grow by planting them. We advise you to use a good soil mix which needs to be rich but still well-draining. Otherwise, you can do it by cutting offshoots or stems with a good pair of clean and sharp pruning shears, and making sure it’s at least one inch long. Let dry the cuttings for a few weeks and they should form calluses. After that, you just need to repot them and they will take root pretty soon. Make sure the temperature is at least 22°C, then it’s just a game of patience! We know it’s hard to wait, but the result will be incredible, we promise.

Most common pests on Disocactus

Your thorny lady is such a strong greenery that most pests and diseases don't scare her! She’s not really susceptible to pests, but mealybugs can appear once in a while. White fluff on the branches, discoloration or fallen needles, then it’s sure, mealybugs are attacking your Disocactus. It’s pretty rare that spider mites decide to get on your Disocactus, but if you think that is the case, you can take a look at our PLNTSdoctor page to recognise and eliminate your plant pests! If you are interested in biologic pest control, you can take a look at our blog: ‘Which natural and biological pest control against which pest?’.

Are Disocactus poisonous for your pets or children?

Some species of Disocactus can be poisonous to pets and children, but most of them are safe. You just need to make sure your furry friends and your children avoid getting stung by the little needles on most of the species!

Disocactus plant for sale

At PLNTS.com, we don’t have any Disocactus species yet. But as we can see, these beautiful plants with colorful flowers are catching our attention and you need to be on the lookout because we might add some to our shop soon! At PLNTS.com, we make sure to fulfill all your plant dreams!