How to Care for Cactus with Red Top (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii)

Cactus with Red Top – The cactus is a little upright green cactus with a brilliant red ball on top that you’ve almost certainly seen before. Many people mistakenly believe that this red ball represents a flower, but this is not the case. Instead, it’s an albino cactus, or one that lacks chlorophyll, more precisely Gymnocalycium mihanovicii friedrichii ‘Rubra,’ also known as Hibotan, that has been grafted onto a green cactus to create the illusion of a green cactus. Moon cactus and ruby ball cactus are common names for this plant in the commercial world.

The red-top cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii var. friedrichii ‘Hibotan’), which is one of around 80 kinds of cacti that originated in South America, is a grafted cactus. Its red top grows atop a green bottom, which provides it with the chlorophyll it needs to live and thrive.

The red top cactus, also known as ruby cactus or red cap cactus, is linked to more than 16 different types of grafted cacti with colorful tops, including the red cap cactus. It may be grown outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 through 10, or inside as a houseplant in the rest of the United States.

As soon as you bring your red top home as a houseplant, you should re-pot it with soil that is created specifically for cacti and succulents. This soil should be extremely well-draining and have a low pH level.

Cactus with Red Top Care & Growing Guides

Lighting Requirements

During hot weather, the red top performs best in direct sunshine, although it prefers dappled sunlight in the afternoon when temperatures are very high. If grown in direct sunlight all day during summer heat spells, it will get burnt. A cactus kept inside needs enough light as well. Place your cactus houseplant in a south-facing window throughout the summer, and keep it out of the direct sunlight on very hot days.

Water Needs

Make sure your cactus with red top gets enough water throughout the growth season. A good, thorough soak once a week is recommended, and more often in excessively hot conditions. You must, however, exercise caution not to over-water it; the soil surface should be slightly damp between watering, but not wet or soggy. The frequency with which you water a houseplant is determined by how dry your home is.

During the winter, when the cactus isn’t growing as much as it does during the spring, summer, and autumn, reduce the amount of water you provide to both outdoor and interior plants, giving them water every three or four weeks to keep the roots healthy.

Applications of fertilizers

In the spring, you may apply a time-release fertilizer to your lawn or garden. If you’re working inside, consider using a liquid fertilizer. Cactus with red top prefers a heavy potassium fertilizer, but any fertilizer developed particularly for cacti and succulents would work just as well.

When it comes to liquid fertilizers, multiple little feedings are preferable to a single big feeding, which should be spaced out throughout the course of the spring, summer, and autumn. If you want to employ a multiple-feeding schedule, dilute the fertilizer by half with water first.

However, even though red top thrives outdoors in its climatic zone, you may bring it inside for the winter to help assure its survival if your yard often experiences strong frosts or temperatures that go below the freezing mark.

Insects and disease

Redtop cactus is quite resistant to pests and disease, but you may encounter a few insects on the plant. Use your hose to spray any red spiders or mealy bugs off your indoor or outdoor plants, and then discard the spiders or mealy bugs. Root rot may occur in your red top if you overwater it or if the soil does not drain fast enough after it has been watered. If the cactus begins to seem sickly and yellow on the bottom portion, check to see if the soil is excessively damp, and if so, reduce the amount of water it receives.