Blossfeldia (Crested)

Blossfeldia is a genus in the family Cactaceae native to South America, in particular its area of distribution is in North-East Argentina and Southern Bolivia, in the Andes, where it grows between 1200 and 3500 meters above sea level. Blossfeldia includes only a single specie: Blossfeldia liliputiana. This name refers to its incredibly small dimension: Blossfeldia liliputiana is the smallest cacti in the entire world! Lilliput is in fact a fictional country that appears in the first part of the 1726 novel “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift, where all the inhabitants are minute. Here are some tips for its cultivation: Blossfeldia requires a lot of light during all year round, while avoiding direct sunlight. They grow well even in dim light. It is preferable to keep it at mild temperatures and never below 5 °C, for this reason it is recommended to shelter it during the winter period. It needs a moderate watering amount, and only when the soil is completely dry. It is enough to water the plant once every two weeks in spring and summer, once every two months in autumn and suspend it completely in winter. A draining soil is an optimal solution, for example formed by a mix of peat and pumice so that water does not stagnate. They do not need frequent fertilization, it is sufficient to dilute the fertilizer with watering once a year.