| Life form | Succulent, cactus |
| Family | Cactaceae |
| Origin | West of South America: Ecuador and Peru. |
| Ease of cultivation | Most species are very easy to grow plants |
| The size | 15-70 cm in height |
| Growth rate | Medium, several centimeters per season |
| Lifespan | Perennial |
| Temperature | In the summer: room, up to 80,6 ° F, in winter the minimum temperature is 40,1 ° F, the cactus can carry a minus temperature (26,6 ° F) for some time. The plant is resistant to heat in summer and to cold air from the window in winter. |
| Humidity | Low. |
| Lighting | Bright sun, direct light. The penumbra is suitable. |
| The soil | Suitable shop soil for succulents with a small addition of sand (pH 6.1-7.8). For a mixture of own preparation, take: 3 parts of coarse sand or perlite, 2 parts of turf ground, 2 parts humus (leaf earth), 2 parts peat. You can add brick chips. Good drainage is required. |
| Watering | The top layer of soil between waterings in the summer should dry up well. In the summer watering abundant about 1 time per week, at other times 2-3 times a month. Excess water from the pan should be drained. |
| Fertilizer | During growth, once a month to feed fertilizer for cacti. |
| Reproduction | Propagated by shoots, which break off slightly dried and rooted in moist sand. Is also propagated by seed (hard enough) that are presoaked (seeds can hold for 1.5 months in a refrigerator), are planted into a mixture of peat and sand and germinated, covered with foil and daily aerating and sprinkling crops. Seeds germinate long enough (up to 3 months). After the emergence of shoots, the film can be removed. |
| Bloom | Stargate flowers are pink and purple. It blooms in late spring and early summer. |
| Transfer | Transplanted rarely, every 2-3 years. When transplanting remove rotten and damaged roots. |
| Features of care | The plant needs to be ventilated. It is required to be very careful with the needles of the cactus. |
| Difficulties | It is very rarely affected by pests, usually mealybugs. With an excess of soil moisture, especially at low temperatures, rotting of the root systems is possible. The stems are stretched, the cactus grows very thin with a lack of light. |
| Air cleaning | – |
| Toxicity | – |
