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
  • Callused 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

What you receive: One unrooted blue myrtle tip cutting, 10 to 12 inches long, with the cut end dried and callused, ready to root. It is a tip, so it keeps its growing point. 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. Minor scarring is normal.

Size10-12"
Pack size

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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 widely used as 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.

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

Cactus potting mix and terracotta pots on a potting bench
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. Damage starts around 25 F, and wet cold or a hard freeze will kill it. Start protecting at 32 F, before the first frost, and earlier for pots and in wet winters. Protect a cutting or newly rooted plant from any frost. 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 gradually: several weeks in light shade, then add direct sun a little at a time over several more weeks, morning sun first. 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 2 to 3 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 dries faster than plastic or glazed pots, which helps in cool or humid conditions. In a hot, dry climate plastic is fine.
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 2 to 3 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, use a sharp, clean blade. Wipe off any sap and dirt, then wipe the blade with 70% isopropyl alcohol so it stays wet for at least 30 seconds. Let it air dry. Take a stem, let the cut end dry and callus for several days to a week, then set it an inch or two into dry, gritty mix in bright, indirect light and give it no water until it has rooted. The cutting is living on water it stored before it was cut, which is ample for growing roots, and water it cannot take up only sits against the cut end and invites rot. How much margin you have depends on your conditions: in a hot, dry climate with a very coarse mix a pot dries again within hours, while in cool or humid air, or a mix holding much organic matter, water lingers against the cut for days. When in doubt, stay dry. In warm weather a cutting usually roots in about 4 to 8 weeks. Cooler weather, or conditions that are less than ideal, can take considerably longer. A gentle tug that meets resistance means roots have taken hold; water lightly that first time, then let the mix dry completely between waterings. The species is also widely used as a vigorous grafting stock for other cacti.

Learn more in the Journal

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