Unrooted blue myrtle cactus cutting, Myrtillocactus geometrizans, 10 to 12 inch

Blue Myrtle Cactus Cutting

10-12"
$28.00
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Unrooted blue myrtle cactus cutting, Myrtillocactus geometrizans, 10 to 12 inch
  • Unrooted blue myrtle cactus cutting, Myrtillocactus geometrizans, 10 to 12 inch
  • Powder-blue tip of blue myrtle cactus cutting, Myrtillocactus geometrizans, 10 to 12 inch
  • Calloused cut end of blue myrtle cactus cutting, Myrtillocactus geometrizans, 10 to 12 inch
Blue Myrtle Cactus Cutting

Blue Myrtle Cactus Cutting

Myrtillocactus geometrizans (syn. Cereus geometrizans)

$28.00

Unrooted 10 to 12 inch tip cutting, callused and ready to root
Size10-12"

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Description

Myrtillocactus geometrizans (mur-tih-loh-KAK-tus jee-oh-meh-TRY-zanz) (syn. Cereus geometrizans), the cactus most people know as blue myrtle, also called blue candle or blue flame, is a powder-blue columnar cactus that branches with age into a candelabra. A waxy, glaucous bloom over the stems gives the plant its blue color, set off by short dark spines along 5 to 8 ribs. It is one of the faster columnar cacti and grows into a substantial branching shrub over the years, though it stays a manageable column while young in a pot.

It comes from the dry scrub and deciduous forest of central Mexico, where it forms large blue thickets and opens small greenish-white flowers that ripen into little dark-blue berries called garambullo. Those bilberry-like fruits are what give the genus its name, Myrtillocactus, or "little myrtle."

Each cutting is a tip off a mature mother plant we grow, taken thick and true to type, then held until the cut end has dried and callused so it is ready to root. Blue myrtle takes readily from cuttings, and that same vigor on its own roots is why the species is a favorite grafting stock for other cacti.

This listing is for one unrooted tip cutting, 10 to 12 inches long, that you root yourself. Like all our plants it ships bare-root, with no pot or soil. Natural plants vary, so the exact cutting will differ a little from the photos. Sold strictly as an ornamental specimen.

Special note: this cactus is non-toxic to people and pets, and its ripe fruit, the small dark-blue garambullo, is edible.

Tending to your Blue Myrtle Cactus Cutting

Hardiness Zone: zone 9b-10 (tender)

This is a tender cactus, reliably hardy outdoors year-round only in about USDA zone 9b to 10 and warmer. Kept bone dry, an established plant takes brief cold to roughly 25 F, but wet cold or a hard freeze will kill it. Protect it from frost, and everywhere colder than zone 9b to 10 grow it as a potted plant you move indoors, or into a bright, frost-free spot, for winter. These figures are held to the safer, tenderer end on purpose.
Light: bright light to full sun, shade in heat

Blue myrtle wants bright light and takes full sun in mild and coastal climates, which deepens the powder-blue color and keeps growth compact. The catch is that a plant that has been indoors or in shade will scorch if you move it straight into hot, direct sun, so acclimate it over two to four weeks. In hot inland or low-desert areas, including our Riverside County nursery, give it a little afternoon shade in midsummer. The waxy blue bloom on the stems rubs off easily with handling and does not grow back on that spot, so handle it by the base. Indoors, a bright south or west window or a grow light suits it.
Water: soak, dry fully

Water deeply, then let the soil dry out completely before watering again. In warm growing weather that is roughly every two to three weeks in a pot, and much less in cool months when growth slows. Keep it nearly dry through winter. Overwatering is the main way these cacti are lost, so when in doubt, wait. A softening, discolored base means too much water, not too little.
Soil: gritty (fast-draining)

A gritty, fast-draining mix is essential so the roots never sit wet. A standard cactus and succulent mix cut with extra pumice or perlite works well, and a pot with a drainage hole matters as much as the mix. Terracotta breathes and dries faster than plastic or glazed pots, which suits a plant that hates staying wet.
Fertilizing: spring to summer

Feed lightly and only while it is actively growing, roughly spring through early fall. A balanced cactus fertilizer diluted to about half strength every month or so during that window is plenty. Always feed onto already-moist soil, never dry roots, and stop entirely through winter when the plant is resting. It does far better underfed than overfed.
Re-potting: spring, snug

It grows steadily and eventually gets big, but it likes a snug pot, so repot every two to three years, best done in spring as growth picks up. Move up just one pot size, since an oversized pot holds water the roots cannot use and invites rot, and use fresh, fast-draining mix. Let a repotted plant settle for about a week before its first watering so any disturbed roots can callus rather than sit wet.
Propagation: cuttings or seed

Blue myrtle is easy from stem cuttings and can also be grown from seed. For a cutting, take a stem with a clean blade, let the cut end dry and callus for several days to a week, then set it in barely-moist gritty mix in bright, indirect light and water sparingly until roots take. The species is also widely used as a hardy grafting stock for other cacti.

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