CoronaCactus Nursery Cultivation Articles

Almost all cactus flowers have a similar form, in the fact that they have their stigmas and stamens exposed and visible. This makes pollinating cactus flowers very easy.

Pollinating flowers is done for the production of seed or for the enjoyment of eating the fruit. Cactus produce fruit and once ripe, the fruit is picked, cleaned and the seeds extracted. In some cases this is an easy and quick task. In others, this can be quite a frustrating experience.

Some cacti are self-fertile. Meaning, a single plant can pollinate its own flowers and produce viable seeds all on their own, no other plants needed. However, most cacti require a mate in order to produce seed. There are also some cacti that do not even have to open a flower to produce viable seed. (i.e. Frailea) this occurrence is called cleistogamous.

For beginners, it’s probably best to stick with 2 of the same plant and not get into hybrids. There is a certain amount of responsibility we have as growers in the hobby to produce true specie seed. Above all, make sure to document all information and data regarding the pollination and the parent plants.

Some cacti will cross-pollinate with each other to produce hybrids. This can be 2 different, yet related genera (i.e.; Leuchtenbergia and Ferocactus) or 2 different species or subspecies within the same genus (i.e.; Echinopsis). Not all cacti genera will cross over and if pollination is attempted, nothing will happen. The flower will dry up and fall away like an unpollinated flower.

Paint brush

1. Preparation

You’ll need a single tool for this job. A small artist’s paint brush.

A Q-Tip will also work, but you’ll want to use a new one for each pollination.

Clean the paintbrush off well between each pollination to avoid any unknown crosses.

The tweezers will be used in Part 2.

Line drawing of a flower section

Echinocereus chisoensis v. fobeanus

Image borrowed from the book;

The Genus Echinocereus by Nigel P Taylor

2. About the Flower

Cactus flowers can sometimes take a few hours or up to 2 days before they are actually ready to provide pollen or be receptacle to receiving pollen. In either case, you must wait for the flower(s) to be ready otherwise you’re not going to get favorable results.

At first the flower opens (sometimes all the way even at first, other times only partially open) and it starts its process. The stamens are crammed in tight to each other and the stigma is still balled up. As time goes on, the stamens spread apart and the stigma will open its fingers. Pollen may take a little extra time to be produced, but usually at this time, it’s ready to go! An indication that the pollen is ready, is if you look closely down inside the flower, you’ll see a light dusting of pollen.

The photo (below right) of the Glandulicactus shows 2 flowers. The left one has just begun to open and is still getting ready. While the flower on the right has been open for a day or 2 and you can see the stamens and stigma are spread apart and active.

The photo (below middle) of the Parodia shows the open stigma (bright red fingers in the center) and the pollen on the stamens (yellow balls surrounding the stigma)

Close up of a closed stigma (green) but the stamens (yellow) appear to be ready

Echinocereus reichenbachii v. albispinus

Close up of stigma (red) and stamens (yellow) both ready for pollination

Parodia buiningii

Left is not ready, right is ready

Glandulicactus mathssonii (=Sclerocactus uncinatus)

Swishing in the stamens

Flower #1

Painting the stigma

Flower #2

Thelocactus bicolor v. schwarzii

3. Pollinating

Ok, so you have your paintbrush in hand and your 2 plants in front of you with flowers that are ready for pollination…what now?

We paint....with pollen!

Using your paint brush, dip it into the stamens and swish it around to collect the pollen from flower #1. Now simply paint the pollen onto the stigma of flower #2. You can repeat this 1 or 2 times to ensure the pollen has stuck to the stigma. Now reverse the process. Dip the brush into the stamens of flower #2 and paint the stigma of flower #1. Repeat as needed for as many flowers as there are on each plant.

It’s really just that simple!

Tip: Before swishing the paintbrush in the pollen, wet your fingers with your tongue and dab the bristles of the paintbrush. This will help the pollen stick to the bristles resulting in much more pollen being collected.

2 plants, each with flowers

Thelocactus bicolor v. schwarzii

Ready to be pollinated

Newly opened flower of

Echinocereus websterianus

Flower of Matucana hystrix

showing a dusting of yellow pollen on its petals

Window screen cover

4. After Care

Ok, so now that you’re done painting with pollen, you need to protect the flowers so that they do not get any further pollination by insects, bees, birds, etc.

This can be done by covering the entire plant with a water bottle (or whatever plastic bottle that fits, but needs to be clear) by cutting the bottom off and keeping the cap on. DO NOT leave the plant in full sun, place it a cool shaded area.

Using a nylon stocking and a rubber band, cover up just the flower.

Use a small piece of window screen or shade cloth to cover the flower/plant.

Simply bring the plants indoors in a well lit, south facing window sill, in a propagator, etc. away from any possible pollinators.

This protection is only needed for a day or 2 while the flower is doing its thing. (Some plants may only require a few hours of being covered) Once the process is complete and the fruit production begins, the plants can be put back with the rest of your collection.

A developing fruit at 1 week old.

Oreocereus fossulatus

5. Fruit

Depending on the specie, some fruit form and ripen much quicker than others. So this process can take awhile. You may even need to wait until the next year before the fruit is ripe with viable seeds.

Cactus fruit will generally change color as they ripen and generally will be a reddish color when they are ripe. Another indication to being ripe is to gently tug on the fruit. If it’s still securely attached, it’s probably not ready. However, if it easily pulls off from the plant or has actually fallen off the plant, chances are good it’s ripe and full of seeds.

Some cacti fruit will split open on there own when ripe. Sometimes they only spill a couple seeds down the side of the plant, sometimes they don’t quite split open enough to spill out and other times they go all over and your stuck picking them out with tweezers…

More on fruit and seeds continued in Part 2: Collecting Seeds

Fruit of

Echinocereus reichenbachii v. albertii showing how it can split open

Fruit of Astrophytum asterias

Fruit of Astrophytum myriostigma showing how it can split open

Photo: Tony M.

These fruit lose their heads, literally! The dried up flower part drops off and the lower *cup* part of the fruit stays embedded in the wooly apex.

Copiapoa hypogaea ‘Lizard Skin’

A complete fruit

Copiapoa desertorum

Fruit of Melocactus violaceus

Contact

Jen and Darryl

Email: CCN@coronacactus.com

Mammillaria guelzowiana cactus flower

Mammillaria guelzowiana

Opuntia basilaris

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Any reproduction, in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.