Many of us probably paid attention to sharply standing out against the background of their fellow cacti with colored needles. Yes, it's not surprising, because it is difficult to pass a cactus, covered with colored spines - bright blue, bright green or bright pink. What kind of miracle is this, a cactus with colored needles, what it has a name and what needs care, you can learn from our article.
Color cacti
Most of the cacti have a green color of the peel and gray colored spines. But there are in nature and individuals, which nature has awarded a rather unusual color. For example, Astrophytum myriostigma is a white spotted plant that is simply confused with a piece of limestone. Myrtillocactus geometrizans, Neochilenia paucicostata, Lobivia glauca and Acanthocalycium griseum pleases the eye with a pleasant blue skin coloration. And the cacti of the group of freiles such as F. Castanea or F. Cataphracta appear in all the variety of the red-brown scale. In order for colored beauties not to lose their unusual coloring, they need proper care, in particular, a sufficient amount of sunlight. If the light is not enough, then through time the color of the cactus will fade and from the rare becomes the most ordinary.
Cacti with colored needles
Cacti with colored needles, unlike colored cacti, are not the whims of nature, but the work of human hands. In order for cactus needles to acquire a color that is not inherent in nature, it is enough to plant it in a pot filled with a mixture of ordinary soil for a cactus with a food coloring in the proportion of 1 to 3. Each time during watering, the cactus will absorb part of the dye and after 3-4 months its thorns will acquire appropriate color. Taking care of this colored cactus will not be different from caring for any other kind of home cactus.