Oxford Branch
British Cactus and Succulent Society
Cactus plants that require a compost containing limestone
Limestone a requirement or a poison ?
Many cacti and succulents grow exclusively in limestone areas, often within the cracks in the rocks themselves. Some, such as Aztecium and Geohintonia, take this to an extreme, apparently growing in a decomposing limestone or gypsum soil exclusively. What is not clear is whether they "require" this in order to flourish or are just better able to tolerate the conditions than other species, such that in their native habitat they survive where others perish. What does appear to be clear in greenhouse cultivation is that many cacti do not do well in acidic composts and do appear to benefit from some added limestone in the compost (limestone, NOT lime).
To this end, adding some granular limestone or limestone chips (3-5mm) to your compost and avoiding peat-based composts for some species, is generally accepted to be of benefit. Here is a listing (not claimed to be exhaustive) of species which should benefit from adding limestone to your compost.
It is also worth noting that if you do use a peat-based compost, adding limestone has been reported as causing a reaction which results in the mixture turning to a sludgy mess - not good for your plants - but I have no experience of this.
If you have any experience to add plants to this listing please let the web master know and we will update it.
Martin Doorbar
Jul-04
Ariocarpus All Astrophytum All Ancistrocactus All Aztekium All Epithelantha All Gymnocactus All Glandulicactus All Lophophora All Leuchtenbergia All Neolloydia All Strombocactus All Thelocactus All Turbinicarpus All Coryphantha clava Coryphantha delaetiana Coryphantha difficilis Coryphantha echinus Coryphantha erecta Coryphantha nickelsae Coryphantha obscura Coryphantha pallida Coryphantha palmeri Coryphantha pseudonickelsae Coryphantha pulleineana Coryphantha ramillosa Coryphantha retusa Coryphantha sulcata Coryphantha durangensis Cumarinia oborata Echinocactus horizonthalonius Echinocereus dasycanthus Echinocereus delaetii Echinocereus enneacanthus Echinocereus fenderi Echinocereus primolanatus Echinocereus stramineus Echinocereus nivosus Echinocereus roetteri Echinocereus erectocentrus Escobaria ducanii Escobaria guadalupensis Escobaria lloydii Escobaria sanbergii Escobaria sneedii Escobaria villardii Escobaria vivipara v all Escobaria radiosa Escobaria zilziana Echinomastus mariposensis Mammillaria albiarmata Mammillaria albicoma Mammillaria albilanata Mammillaria aureilanata Mammillaria albicans Mammillaria albiflora Mammillaria cadereytensis Mammillaria candida Mammillaria carmenae Mammillaria carnea Mammillaria chionocephala Mammillaria collinsii Mammillaria columbiana Mammillaria compressa Mammillaria crucigera Mammillaria dixanthocentron Mammillaria egregia Mammillaria flavicenta Mammillaria formosa Mammillaria gasseriana Mammillaria geminispina Mammillaria goodridgii Mammillaria graessneriana Mammillaria grusonii Mammillaria haageana Mammillaria herrerae Mammillaria humboldtii Mammillaria karwinskiana Mammillaria kraehenbuehlii Mammillaria knbeliana Mammillaria lasiacantha Mammillaria luethyi Mammillaria ignota Mammillaria laui v subducta Mammillaria magallanii Mammillaria microhelia Mammillaria meuhlenpfordtii Mammillaria mystax Mammillaria napina Mammillaria nejapensis Mammillaria nivosa Mammillaria orcuttii Mammillaria pachycylindrica Mammillaria parkinsonii Mammillaria pectinifera Mammillaria pilispina Mammillaria plumosa Mammillaria pseudoperbella Mammillaria rosseo - alba Mammillaria SB500 Mammillaria roseocentra Mammillaria sempervivi Mammillaria supertexta Mammillaria solisioides Mammillaria spinosissima ssp Mammillaria tepoxtlana Mammillaria tlalocii Mammillaria tonalensis Mammillaria viereckii Mammillaria viperina Mammillaria winterae Mammillaria wohlsclageri Mammillaria yucatanensis Mammillaria zeyeriana Ortegocactus macdougallii