Bestseller
Photographs are of our actual stock, taken at the nursery. Plants are living things — expect small differences in shape and leaf count from the plant shown.
Succulents & Cacti
Thorn Cactus
Echinopsis / Cereus spp.
The columnar cactus everyone pictures: strongly ribbed green columns armoured with long spines, growing steadily upward and eventually offsetting from the base into a cluster. Available with white or amber spination depending on stock.
These are the backbone plants of a desert-style planting — they give vertical structure that globe cacti and succulents cannot. Full sun, gritty soil, no water at all through winter.
- Vertical structure for desert-style plantings
- Offsets from the base into a cluster with age
- Fully hardy to Pakistani summer heat
Rs 1,300for the 12 inch pot
Inclusive of pot and mix. Delivery Rs 350, free over Rs 5,000.
1
4.7(25 reviews) In stock, dispatched in 1–2 working days
Packed by hand
Dispatched in 1–2 working days
7-day guarantee
Replaced or refunded if damaged
Grown by us
Never bought in and resold
At a glance
- Mature size
- 1–2 m over many years
- Growth rate
- Slow to moderate
- Difficulty
- Easy to keep
- Around pets
- Non-toxic — safe if chewed
Full sunRooftopGravel garden
How to look after your Thorn Cactus
Written for Pakistani conditions — long hot summers, dry winter air, and hard tap water. Follow this rather than advice written for a temperate climate.
- Light
- Full sun. Four to six hours of direct light minimum — a rooftop, balcony rail or south-facing sill. Acclimatise gradually if the plant has been indoors.
- Water
- Soak thoroughly, then let the mix dry completely before watering again. Fortnightly in summer heat, and nothing at all from mid-November to late February.
- Humidity
- Low. Good airflow matters more than humidity — stagnant, damp air invites fungal spotting.
- Soil
- Gritty mineral mix: coarse sand, perlite and a little compost. Our plants ship in this blend already.
- Feeding
- Low-nitrogen cactus feed once in April and once in July.
- Temperature
- 10–45°C. Genuinely tolerates Pakistani summer heat. Keep dry and above 5°C in winter.
If something goes wrong
Soft brown patch at soil level
Why it happens: Rot from winter watering.
What to do: Cut above the rot with a sterile blade, callus the cut for a week in shade, then re-root in dry mix.
Pale, stretched, narrow new growth
Why it happens: Etiolation from too little light.
What to do: Increase sun gradually over two weeks. The stretched section will not shrink back, but new growth returns to normal.
White cottony specks in the crevices
Why it happens: Mealybug.
What to do: Dab each cluster with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol, and repeat weekly for a month.
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