Cephalocereus polylophus
4.6 out of 5 (5 experiences)
Also known as
Neobuxbaumia polylopha
Taxonomy
Cephalocereus polylophus
Cephalocereus
Cactaceae
Caryophyllales
How to care for Cephalocereus polylophus
How often to water your Cephalocereus polylophus
Cephalocereus polylophus needs 0.5 cups of water every 12 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
12
Finding light for Cephalocereus polylophus in your home
Cephalocereus polylophus love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.
Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Cephalocereus polylophus does not tolerate low-light 🚫.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Cephalocereus polylophus in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Cephalocereus polylophus
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Cephalocereus polylophus after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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How big can the Old Man Cactus get and how often do I need to water it?
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Is food coupling bad for the old man cactus? #OldManCactus
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Albert is dying 😔 So Albert has been on the decline for a while. My wife found a nice spot for him at the bottom of the stairs where he stayed a good few months. I noticed he was starting to get some strange white things on his outer skin and moved him to the window. It looks like he’s not going to make it but I thought I’d ask if anyone has managed to bring an ‘old man’ back from the brink?
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Identification help #OldManCactus hey all, do you agree this is an old man cactus? We brought him to replace the recently departed Albert, we think he is the same type. #identify
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#CactusClique Can someone help identify this cactus for me? Can’t be to hard to grow cause I haven’t killed it yet!!
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NEED URGENT HELP!!!!! Hi greggies! I need i help with one of my cacti. I've had him for ages, it was my first cactus i ever bought and the reason I'm now living in a jungle. He was fine a week ago. suddenly he's Keeled over. I have no idea why! 🥺 #OldManCactus
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I buy my new old man cactus #OldManCactus #newgrowth I feel interesting in cactus so i just buy 1 cactus in a market for my own and i feel curious did my gojo can lived indoor with air conditioner room with me for 8-6 hours when i sleeping along a night. 😵💫😵💫😵💫
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Why did my cactus shrivel? I gave my Old Man Cactus 1/2 cup of water about 5 days ago along with a few drops of succulent fertilizer. It was looking healthy as it did through the summer months, one morning I woke up and it was as if it collapsed in on itself and is now 1/3 the width it was. Did I overwater or possibly give too much fertilizer? I’ve been pretty steady on watering every few weeks and waiting until soil is totally dry. Any feedback is appreciated!!
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Help! What happened to Fernie Sanders? I woke up this morning, and my old man cactus looked like he fainted. He's very limp. The other two cacti he's potted with (silver torch and blue columnar?) are doing fine. I watered them last about a week ago and typically water them once every 2-3 weeks when their soil dries out. I've had these guys for almost 2 years, and this has never happened to him before. The only thing I can think of is that my partner had the window open yesterday evening when I got home from work. It's getting cooler here; I think the outside temp was around 50°F yesterday evening? Could this have done that to my old man?
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The old man has started leaning Can he be saved? #OldManCactus
Care Summary for Cephalocereus polylophus
Cephalocereus polylophus
Greg recommends:
0.5 cups every 12 days
< 1ft from a window
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Super plant! Has taken a few years to start growing properly, but recently it has shot up and is growing steadily from the base of the plant upwards.
It was bought from M&S (a supermarket) and has done surprisingly well since it wasn’t very expensive- it does really well on little water and shade.