Echinocactus Grusonii (Golden Barrel Cactus)

Who am I?
Hi, my name is Golden Barrel cactus. My official name is Echinocactus Grusonii.

Where do I come from?
I am an endangered species in the wild and grow in the Mexican areas of Querétaro and Hidalgo at an altitude of 1400 meters. I also feel very comfortable in europe! In the 90’s, during the construction of the Zimapán dam, so many of these cacti were lost that I am now an endangered species.

How big will I get?
When I grow under ideal conditions, I can grow up to one meter in diameter. However, this can take up to 30 years.

How much do I want to drink?
We cacti can go a long time without water. Since I have few stomata, my ‘leaf’ hardly evaporates water.

In addition, I can absorb many times my own weight in water. At lower temperatures in winter I can go without water for three months without any problems.

At lower temperatures in winter I can go without water for three months without any problems.

Where do I want to be and what temperatures do I like?
We cacti make few demands on light intensity and are therefore actually very easy! Both a sunny and shady position is fine for me. Especially bulbous cacti like me can tolerate a lot of light, so summers in direct sun is no problem.