The fruit is small, cylindrical, of green color and 4 cm long. It mature with enough rapidity and the seeds can be ready in only 3 weeks from the germination.
When the fruit is mature, It opens in a quite peculiar way, as forming something like a star on the stem of the plant. The fruit is totally exposed for birds and other companions at table, completely opened and with the black seeds in contras with the off-white color of the pulp. The fruit of the N. polylopha tastes smoothly sweet and remembers a very mature plum.
If the fruit is not devoured, it dries and their seeds fall to the ground. The dry rest of the fruit remain on the plant some days.
The main problem that we can be found with this plant is its slow adaptation to the cold and humidity. It is a cactus of desert where the cold time agrees with the lack of rains and, in addition, it lives in a relatively sterile atmosphere. This Neobuxbaumia suffers with the cold, the thing worsens if a high humidity exists, and gets ill with certain frequency of necrosis produced by fungi that infect the wounds induced by frosts or hailstorms. The main basic norm is to put the plant to vegetate to total sun exposure. Also some occasional pulverization with some fungicide of contact can be given, Captan type, during the winter months. If we underwent a sudden hailstorm, it is essential to act with fungicides of contact and systemic on the plant although we do not appreciate any damage. If we are successful, the necrosis, initially of a dark color and with soft affected weaves of the plant, will dry and adopt the aspect of dry crust, being able the cactus to calmly continue its existence.
The N. polylopha appreciates the abundant water during the summer and, during its growing period, you can add a fertilizer 6-6-6 from time to time. Planted on land, the cactus can adapt itself in a few years and it will offer to us splendid flowerings. |
