Let's grow some Melocactus!

[abhikjha]

This is where these are kept at presently..it's pretty warm with bright indirect light

[madkactus]

Hi@abhikjha. For the most part grown melos can take full sun and they like full sun. There might be some melo species that do better in shade or indirect sunlight however, the melo species that I have all like full sunlight. Now if the temperature reaches about 32 C then I will shade pretty much all of my cacti just to be on the safe side. Once your cactus has scorched you cannot undo the damage.

[madkactus]

This is where these are kept at presently..it's pretty warm with bright indirect light

Nice collection of melos you have there. Do they get any direct sunlight during the day ? Where are you located in the world ?

[abhikjha]

I am in India and here sunlight could be very harsh! Temperature goes till 37-38C. I tried keeping few plants in direct sunlight (Mammillaria, Echinopsis etc.) and they got burnt. Since then, I am not taking chances

Besides this, I read somewhere that Melos and Discocactus are shade loving plants like Gymnocalycium.

[abhikjha]

This is where these are kept at presently..it's pretty warm with bright indirect light

Nice collection of melos you have there. Do they get any direct sunlight during the day ? Where are you located in the world ?

Thanks a lot! At present, only bright indirect light.

[abhikjha]

I am in India and here sunlight could be very harsh! Temperature goes till 37-38C. I tried keeping few plants in direct sunlight (Mammillaria, Echinopsis etc.) and they got burnt. Since then, I am not taking chances

Besides this, I read somewhere that Melos and Discocactus are shade loving plants like Gymnocalycium.

This is the link:
http://tucsoncactus.org/c-s_database/

[madkactus]

I am in India and here sunlight could be very harsh! Temperature goes till 37-38C. I tried keeping few plants in direct sunlight (Mammillaria, Echinopsis etc.) and they got burnt. Since then, I am not taking chances

Besides this, I read somewhere that Melos and Discocactus are shade loving plants like Gymnocalycium.

This is the link:
http://tucsoncactus.org/c-s_database/

As I understand, most melo species love and indeed need direct sunlight. Yeah, where you live those are harsh temps. Early morning sun or late afternoon but not during the day.

[Steve Johnson]

This is the link:
http://tucsoncactus.org/c-s_database/

Dead link -- try this:

https://tcss.wildapricot.org/resources/ ... 3-Code.pdf

Although the guide applies to conditions in Tucson, I think it should still be helpful for you. I have my collection under 40% shade cloth, so this may be an option you'd like to pursue. However, I'm not sure if 40% is sufficient given the sun and heat of Mumbai, so my guess would be to go with 50%.

[abhikjha]

Thanks so much Steve and @madkactus!

I will try to give some sunlight to these guys with some shading. Any idea how much lux or FC (approximately) a 40-50% shade cloth produces?

[iloveu3000]

Thank You for sharing Your experiences and tips on growing Melocactus. But why can’t I see any pictures of James’s Melocactus ?

[iloveu3000]

Jp29
Thank You for sharing how to growing Melocactus!
Why can’t I see the pictures You posted ?
Would really love to see Your collection !

[madkactus]

Hey guys,
I had some seeds from my large melo matanzanus that died after repotting last year. The seeds have germinated. How do I proceed ? Keep soil moist. I read somewhere on this forum that the plastic cover should not have holes. Keep container covered with plastic all the time ? part time ? Obviously I keep from direct sun.

It's a good idea to sterilize soil and the pot, seeds before to start and keep cover sealed until seedlings grow up a bit. If you already started leave it like it is and modify setup for next party of seeds if these not do successfully.

Here's an update on my melocactus seedlings. Only one seedling survived. . It's now 1 year old. It's still in the baggie. I was going to remove it this spring however, It's still somewhat small and I understand that seedlings can be left in the baggie up to 2 years. So, I will see how much growing progress over the next couple of months. I gave it some fertilizer last week. Probably just easier to leave it in the baggie until spring 2023. By coincidence it's seeded in straight cactus mix. If it survives until it gets larger then I will repot in proper organic and inorganic mixture next year.

[Stormsky]

Just got this guy last week. Wish me luck.
Currently have it in a south facing window in the warmest room in the house. Haven't watered it yet(giving it a week or two) so the roots can settle in, though the soil is also not bone dry.
Melocactus matanzanus

Cactus 1.jpg (129.38 KiB) Viewed 21219 times

Cactus 2.jpg (109.48 KiB) Viewed 21219 times

Cactus 3.jpg (130.55 KiB) Viewed 21219 times

Cactus 4.jpg (84.1 KiB) Viewed 21219 times

Seller's picture of the roots, arrived looking basically the same. I hope they are enough for it to take off.
Does anyone see anything wrong with how I have it set up?

[madkactus]

I'd like to see a bigger root system on your melo. I've had so much bad luck with re-potting melos that I will likely never repot any mature melo ever again. They all die on me no matter what I do. . All the same, good luck with your melo.

[Stormsky]

I'd like to see a bigger root system on your melo. I've had so much bad luck with re-potting melos that I will likely never repot any mature melo ever again. They all die on me no matter what I do. . All the same, good luck with your melo.

That's the main thing I'm concerned about, but I've seen posts on here of some that came back from much worse, so I'm hoping I get lucky and it recovers its roots without issue. If not, I just may have to be more patient and start with a younger one.