Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Mammillaria dolichocentra
Mammillaria dolichocentra is a pincushion cactus that grows as a single upright column, usually 1 to 2 feet tall. Each bump carries a few stout spines set like a cross, yellowish at first and gray with age, with white wool between the bumps. In summer a ring of deep pink flowers circles the top. It is frost tender, so it suits pots that can move under cover in winter.
Best for: patio pots that can move under cover in winter, and small cactus beds in a warm, sheltered spot.
It grows as a single column about 4 to 6 inches wide, so it fits a pot. A pot lets you move it under a roof on frost nights.
Deep pink flowers open in a ring around the top of the stem in summer. Keep it in good light so it blooms.
Most pincushions stay round, but this one stretches into a column 1 to 2 feet tall. The cross-shaped spines and white wool give it texture up close.
It is damaged near 30°F, so a Valley freeze can hurt it without cover. Soil that stays wet rots the roots.
Wait about a week after planting before the first water. Then water in summer only when the soil has dried out, and keep it dry through winter.
It can be damaged below about 30°F. On frost nights, cover it with frost cloth or a sheet that reaches the ground, not plastic, and take it off in the morning. In a pot, move it under a patio roof when frost is forecast.
It grows in full sun to light shade. Some afternoon shade in the Valley summer keeps it from scorching.
Plant it with the side that faced the sun still facing south. A newly planted cactus can sunburn in its first summer, so light shade cloth helps until fall.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
What is Mammillaria dolichocentra?
It is an older name for a form of Mammillaria polythele, an upright pincushion cactus from central Mexico. You may see it sold under either name.
How big does it get?
It usually grows slowly into a single column 1 to 2 feet tall and 4 to 6 inches wide.
When does it bloom?
In summer, with a ring of deep pink flowers around the top of the stem. Give it good light so it keeps blooming.
Is it cold hardy in Phoenix?
It is frost tender and can be damaged near 30°F. Cover it with frost cloth on frost nights, or grow it in a pot you can move under a roof.
How often should I water it?
Water in summer only when the soil has dried out, then soak it and let it drain. Keep it dry through winter.
Does it need full sun?
It grows in full sun to light shade. In a Valley summer, some afternoon shade keeps it from scorching.
How do I handle it?
Wear thick gloves, and wrap it in folded newspaper to lift it. The stout spines are sharp.
What soil does it need?
Use a gritty cactus mix in pots, or fast-draining sandy or gravelly soil in the ground. Water must never sit around the roots.
Mammillaria dolichocentra for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Mammillaria dolichocentra is an older name for a form of Mammillaria polythele, an upright pincushion cactus from central Mexico. This page covers its size, flowers, water, frost and pot care in the Valley.
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Mammillaria dolichocentra and Mammillaria polythele
Mammillaria dolichocentra is an older name for a form of Mammillaria polythele from Hidalgo, Mexico. Both names describe the same upright pincushion.
How big does Mammillaria dolichocentra get?
It grows slowly into a single column 1 to 2 feet tall and 4 to 6 inches wide.
Mammillaria dolichocentra flowers
A ring of deep pink flowers circles the top of the stem in summer.
Is Mammillaria dolichocentra frost hardy?
It is damaged near 30°F. Cover it on frost nights, or keep it in a pot you can move under cover.
Watering Mammillaria dolichocentra
Water in summer when the soil is dry, and keep it dry through winter.
Growing it in a pot
Use a gritty cactus mix and a pot with a drainage hole, and let the mix dry between waterings.
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