Cactus Cooley

Echinocereus salm-dyckianus
(Echinocereus scheeri ssp. gentryi)

A small, clumping, slow growing ‘Hedgehog’ cactus from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan areas of Mexico.
These pictures were taken 5 May 2005.
I acquired this plant many years ago at one of the large succulents shows in the Los Angeles area. I have never seen it for sale since.
It has been an excellent potted plant, not outgrowing it’s container and flowering every year.

HORTICULTURE

A note about my recommendations: My experiences come from growing these plants in Bakersfield, California where the winters are relatively mild and the summers are hot. It is often very dry. If you would like to compare your climate to mine, go to my Bakersfield Climate page.

CONTAINER CULTURE
(see the Container Growing page for basics of growing these plants in pots)

SOIL: Well drained, a typical cactus mix does well. Mine is grown in a mixture of coarse sand and garden loam.

WATERING: I water it all year, but never let it stay wet. It receives more water in the summer. It is in a position where it doesn’t receive any rain.

EXPOSURE: East facing. The afternoon sun is blocked by a wall though I suspect it could take a lot more sun.

COLD/HEAT: It has shown no damaged due to high heat or cold. I have grown it long enough to have put it though everything my climate has to offer (115F-20F). It is protected a little by a wall that does keep the frost away a bit.
LANDSCAPE CULTURE
(see the Landscaping page for basics of growing these plants in the ground)

I have not grown this in the ground, but here is what I’d do if I did:

I would make sure the soil was fast draining and give this plant a little shade in the afternoon. I would water it regularly (every week or two) in the summer and then much less often when (if) the rains come in the winter. I get the feeling that with Echinocereus salm-dyckianus the soil must not retain water, so make sure that it drains well.
PROPAGATION
(see the Propagation page for techniques on multiplying your plants)

CUTTINGS/OFFSETS: Cuttings root quickly

SEEDS: I have never grown this from seed. It has produced seed recently (cross pollinating with another Echinocereus may have helped) but I haven’t yet tried to germinate them.

You might be interested in going to: www.BakersfieldCactus.org