The old lady cactus is one of 200 cacti from the Mammillaria genus. Also known as the Old Lady Cactus, Birthday Cake Cactus, or Old Lady’s Pincushion. These cacti are native to Mexico and the bordering US states. They’re typically grown outdoors, but many gardeners see success growing them in indoor pots.
Mammillaria hahniana is an easy succulent to care for, and it can be propagated by following a few simple steps. Cacti can be incredibly convenient for those of us who sometimes forget to water our plants, and the Mammillaria hahniana is tolerant of these accidental slip-ups.
Drought-tolerant cacti store water in their “bodies.” So the old lady cactus is a spiky, puffy hard-boiled egg that holds water, and it even sprouts tiny little flowers for some drops of color. Keep reading to learn how to grow and care for the old lady cactus, as well as how to propagate it.
How To Grow Mammillaria hahniana Cactus
A convenient plant to care for, the basic elements of growing an old lady cactus are how often the plant gets watered, what sort of sunlight it needs, and the soil that it grows best in.
Let’s explore these growth requirements below.
Watering Schedule
Growing the Mammillaria hahniana, or the old lady cactus, can be grown and propagated easily by watering it every two weeks in the warmer seasons and approximately every three during dormancy. When watered, the plant should only get a few light sips each time– remember, cacti are incredibly drought-tolerant plants and prefer less, rather than more, water.
Sunlight Exposure
This cactus loves to sit in full, direct sunlight. Keeping in mind what the cardinal directions mean for sun exposure (north is for shade-tolerant plants, while the south, east, and west are for full to partial sunlight), the Mammillaria hahniana cactus should be placed in a south or west-facing window.
West-facing plants will receive warmer light because they get the afternoon to the dusk sun versus the cool early-morning sun. If you can choose between placing your old lady in an east or west-facing window, choose west.
Soil Type
Cacti love well-draining soil (as do most plants, truthfully). When potting your old lady cactus, you should use soil that is mixed with sand and pebbles. The thicker, grainier texture of this type of soil allows for extra drainage, which is excellent for the Mammillaria hahniana.
Now let’s talk about what you should do to propagate the Mammillaria hahniana.
4 Steps to Propagating Mammillaria hahniana Cactus
Propagating the old lady cactus is also reasonably simple. By following the below steps carefully, you’ll successfully propagate a Mammillaria hahniana cactus at home!
1. Prepare Your Workspace
It’s essential to prepare your gardening workspace prior to beginning the propagation of your Mammillaria hahniana cactus. The spikes on the succulent are very sharp, so by having all of your tools ready before handling the plant, you’re protecting yourself from potential injury.
To grow and propagate an old lady cactus, you will need the following tools:
- Shears, sharp scissors, or an Exacto-knife
- Thick gloves
- An appropriately sized planter
- Soil and sand
- Paper towel
The gloves are one of the most important tools for handling and propagating a spiky cactus such as this one. These spikes are designed to ward off predators in the wild, so they will surely hurt if they manage to poke your bare skin.
It’s also vital to sterilize whatever device you’re using to propagate the Mammillaria hahniana. Anytime you need to remove a growth from a plant, unsterilized devices can run the risk of infecting the mother plant with bacteria. So, make sure to thoroughly clean your scissors or shears.
You can also prepare the planter for the propagated cactus by filling it with well-draining, sandy soil, but this isn’t immediately necessary because you won’t be planting your new cactus for a day or two after cutting it from the mother plant.
2. Locate and Prune the Offshoots
The offshoots of a plant are bulbous growths that appear at the base of the mother plant and begin to grow off of it.
These offshoots are what you need to remove from the mother plant for propagation. Wearing thick gardening gloves and your sterilized knife or shears, prune the offshoot off of the mother plant and place it on your paper towel.
Some gardeners will suggest gently breaking the growth off if possible. This option is fine as long as you are wearing suitable gloves to protect your hands and fingers. Prune the plant for any growths that you would like to propagate.
Once you’ve finished pruning, you can give the mother plant some rooting hormone to encourage it to heal.
3. Dry the Offshoots
The next step is to allow the offshoots to dry for two days prior to potting. It is vital that you keep these offshoots out of direct sunlight for this period of time. Believe it or not, too much direct sunlight during this stage of propagation can damage the roots of the cactus and lessen your chances of successful growth.
You should also avoid giving the offshoots any water, for obvious purposes, while it’s drying out. Additionally, refrain from placing the offshoots in a room with high moisture levels. After two days, it should be ready for potting.
4. Plant the Offshoot
Finally, plant the dried offshoots in sandy, well-draining soil mixed with small pebbles. This type of soil is perfect for cacti because it allows for aeration and appropriate drainage. You should make sure to plant it in a pot that includes a drainage hole, but this type of soil is good to use regardless.
Once the offshoots are planted and snug in their new pots, provide them with water once a week for the first month to encourage them to grow strong roots. While your baby old lady should be warm, you should continue to keep it in indirect lighting until its roots have taken hold.
After the cactus has developed a robust root system, you can place it in direct sunlight again! You’ll know the roots are strong if you gently tug on the cactus (with a gloved hand, of course) and you feel some light resistance.
The resistance means that the roots have formed snugly inside the container and are helping the cactus grow strong! Now, the direct, warm sun can provide nutrition for– and not damage– the old lady’s roots.
Mammillaria hahniana Characteristics
The old lady cactus has so many adorable characteristics it’s impossible not to want it in your collection. It’s a round cactus that usually grows in small groups. It’s covered with wooly, white hair-like spines and may bloom a circle of pink flowers.
Flowering
On top of the fun shape, these cacti have a quaint ring of tiny pink flowers along the crown of the plant when fully blossomed. It also has thin spines all along its body. Some flowering cacti in this family also sprout sweet, white flowers.
Plant Family and Species
While the plant’s botanical name is the Mammillaria hahniana, its family name is Cactaceae, and this species of cacti originates from Mexico. This family has nearly 2,000 species of flowering cacti in total!
Toxicity Levels
The old lady cactus isn’t toxic if ingested, so it’s a perfect succulent for those that have dogs and cats– as long as they aren’t able to knock it over or otherwise touch it and get poked. With that being said, it’s difficult for animals to eat or mess with this plant because of its long, spindly hairs that cause sharp pain if touched.
Animals That Consume the Old Lady Cactus
In the wild, the animals with the most luck at chowing down on the Mammillaria hahniana are tortoises and iguanas by attempting to graze along the bottom of the plants. For the most part, though, this cactus can easily defend itself from consumption.
Size
The full-grown old lady cactus can reach up to ten inches in height and twenty inches in width. It likes to grow with others, so finding offshoots should be convenient and simple. For this reason, though, you may want to pot your Mammillaria in a medium-sized pot to accommodate extra growth.
Best Growing Locations
The Mammillaria hahniana can be grown both indoors and outdoors. Primarily, the cactus is found outside in extremely hot, dry areas (think the deserts of Mexico), but of course, it can be kept indoors as well. As long as you follow the above guidelines for growing and propagating, it should be straightforward enough to grow an old lady cactus inside.
Life Longevity
While it’s not certain how long an indoor old lady cactus can live, these cacti in the wild can stay alive for over one hundred years! This really speaks to how durable Mammillaria hahniana cacti are.
As long as you are not overwatering your cactus or allowing it to acquire sunburns or pests, an indoor Mammillaria hahniana cactus should last upwards of ten years.
Susceptibility to Pests and Disease
Like most indoor and outdoor plants, the Mammillaria hahniana cactus is susceptible to certain house pests such as mealybugs and scales. It can also develop root rot in the worst cases and soft spots on their bodies, which would need to be treated accordingly.
To treat mealybugs on your old lady cactus, separate it from the other house plants to avoid infestation and then spray the entire plant with a rubbing alcohol mixture. You should use a spray bottle for this, and it’s best to keep your cactus isolated until it has been treated.
To treat soft spots on the cactus, you either need to propagate your cactus or reduce watering. When the plant begins to get soft, it’s an indication that you’ve given it too much water. It can be challenging to treat root rot in cacti because of their spiky bodies, so pruning a healthy portion of the plant and following the above propagation steps is advised.
Repotting an Old Lady Cactus
Approximately every year, you should repot your old lady cactus in fresh soil. This is beneficial because, over time, soil can become compact and void of any nutrients. To repot your old lady cactus, use thick gardening gloves and a small shovel when handling the plant.
Dig down to the root ball of the cactus, remove it along with the plant, and place it in its’ new pot, which should already be filled about ¼ of the way with soil. Once the cactus is sitting inside, you can fill the rest of the pot up and give the plant some water.
Remember the golden rule about repotting plants, as well: mainly if it hasn’t matured, ensure you are repotting the cactus in a potter that is half an inch larger than its prior container. This will allow the cactus to expand its roots and grow larger.
Mammillaria hahniana FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions about the old lady cactus plant:
Old lady cacti don’t enjoy too much direct sunlight or sweltering heat. Yet, they had to adapt to the hot Mexican sun. The layer of wooly white hair covering the cactus protects it from heat and sun damage.
Old lady cacti aren’t hard to find in garden stores. They can sell for anywhere between $20-$50, depending on the seller and the specimen. Unfortunately, the old lady cactus is listed as a threatened species in the wild, and picking a wild-grown one is illegal.
Old lady cacti are fast-growing, and how large their pots are will affect their ultimate size. Typically, the spherical stem of an old lady cactus reaches 10 inches (25 cm) in height and 20 inches (50 cm) in width.
During the spring, old lady cacti may sprout a halo of pink flowers. You can encourage flowering with proper care techniques and be mindful of how much you water it. If an old lady cactus is overwatered, it may permanently lose its ability to flower.
Letting your old lady cactus rest in winter will increase the chances of blooms in spring. You can let it rest by leaving it alone and not watering or fertilizing it. Some specimens may not flower for reasons out of your control. You can encourage it to bloom but recognize that it may not.
Interestingly, outdoor plants seem to bloom more frequently than indoor ones. With this in mind, try moving your potted plant to a patio during the warm seasons to see if it encourages flowers.
The old lady cactus is non-toxic to animals and humans. Therefore, they’re safe to keep if you have pets or young children. However, adverse or allergic reactions can occur, and it’s advisable to supervise children and pets around your plants.
Old lady cactus flowers eventually become small red fruits, which are edible. Some people report that their flavor is similar to strawberries. Make sure the conditions are safe before you try eating fruit from the cactus. The plant is non-toxic but can absorb environmental toxins.
Yellowing is typically a sign of stress. An old lady cactus should have a vibrant green color.
– If your cactus is turning yellow, it may mean:
– It’s getting too much sunlight.
– You’re overwatering it.
– You’re giving it too much fertilizer.
– Its soil retains too much moisture.
– It’s infected by pests or fungi.
Follow the proper response to the specific cause to bring your cactus back to a healthy green.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the Mammillaria hahniana, or the old lady cactus, is a flowering cactus that is a perfect addition to any plant collection.
The old lady cactus enjoys direct sunlight and water once every two weeks, making it incredibly easy to care for. It can also be easily propagated through removing, drying, and repotting the mother plant’s offshoots.
You should now have a much better idea of how to propagate and care for the Mammillaria hahniana cactus! Have fun!
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