I bought this cactus in 2012; this year it finally bloomed. It was well worth the wait.
Echinobivia rainbow burst is a hybrid that gets it name from being a cross between echinopsis and lobivia. Colors of blooms range from white, gold, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, and sometimes in bicolor. Mine turned out to be this lovely shade of pink.
The bloom is just so striking I just keep taking pictures of it. And it opened wider a the day went on.
The echeveria in the pot with it doesn’t show up well in the picture. And you can see the parent plant has made babies that I will harvest so I can have more of these beautiful blooms. Of course, small as they are, it will take a while before I see results. When I looked at it this evening it was still open, so it may be one of the cactus whose flower stays open for more than one day, a plus.
This shot shows more of the green in the throat and you can see the pistil.
Echinobivia is not cold-hardy and likes bright light and lots of moving air. I have had my issues with mealy bugs with it due to the moving air requirement, but consistent application of soapy water and change of location seems to have done the trick.
This is a cactus you don’t see very often. I’ll have to admit I don’t remember where I bought it. So just keep your eyes open and you may run across one. I highly recommend you scoop it up before someone else does.
I found one at Home Depot hope it’s any color but white! Love my cactus and succulents!
Hate to tell you, but the ones I have seen in the stores lately have been white! We’ll hope yours isn’t, but you’ll enjoy seeing it bloom whatever the color. Thanks for reading.
Lowe’s had one that I grabbed up. Only wish the idiot growers would quit glueing those strawflowers on cactus. The glue often damages the plant.
No kidding! The average shopper really thinks that is the real flower. It aggravates me, too. Thanks for reading.
Just found one of these with 19 babies on it!…Can’t wait to see it bloom .
Hope you don’t have to wait long for the blooms! Thanks for reading.
I read that this variety of cactus starts blooming after the third year.
Well, time will tell! I have had babies from the parent plant, but they seem to be slow-growing for me, so I don’t know yet. Thanks for the input, Rebecca.
I’m in Lowe’s right now researching this cactus. I have no idea what color the flowers will be, I want pink! It’s the only one they have so I’m thinking I better get it with the great reviews.
Give it a try and be surprised when it blooms! It will be a nice flower, even if it isn’t pink.
I have a couple of these now. Just got one yesterday. My first one is pink with a yellow tint towards the center. I don’t know what color the new one is,but it has finer spines and ribs than the first. Can’t wait till it blooms!
Thanks for reading, Clyde. Looking forward to the flowers is always fun! Enjoy.
I am so glad that people (and not necessarily professional growers) have this cactus blooming. I’ve had mine for about 2 years now but so far no flowers. I do have a bit of a issue with light maybe. I only have west facing windows and they should technically get enough sun if not for the cloudy weeks we have. I do use growing lights now so maybe this year I get lucky with it 🙂 I really enjoyed this article and the pictures, even though I realize it is old
Thanks for reading, Emilia, and good luck with your rainbow burst blooming. Perhaps it is just not quite old enough yet to make flowers, so don’t give up!
Cactuses will flower best if they’ve been given a cool (not freezing) winter rest with little water. Also, strong light really helps; most can survive direct sun after being acclimated to it.
Thanks for the info, Art.
This cactus needs a dormant period of at least two months in order to get it to bloom. It’s resting location should also be cool. During the low light days of the winter, put it in a brown paper bag and close it, then place it in a dark cool area, such as a basement, or a cool closet. Same goes for the babies. Bring them out of hiding when the days are warmer and daylight is longer. Within several months you should see buds appear.
Thanks for the info, Mutti.
Thank you so much for the article about your Echinobivia Rainbow Burst and the beautiful pictures. We’ve had ours a couple of years and it has always been kept indoors in a window facing north. We’re in north-east Texas, so summers are hot and dry. We recently watered it and removed it from the window, but kept it indoors. Can it be moved outdoors now that it’s Spring? It has more babies than we can count, and it’s planted on an angle in a 3-inch pot; many more baby plants are probably hidden underneath. Can I take it out and re-pot it? How do you remove the babies and how do you plant them?
Thanks for reading, Irene. Yes, definitely move the plant outside for the warm weather, perhaps in filtered sun at first since it has been inside and not used to harsh sun rays. Break the babies off or slice them off if you have to, let the severed end dry and scab over for a couple of days, and then you can plant them. Some people let them sit bare and unplanted until roots start to show up and then plant them, but I usually go ahead and put them in dirt. You can take the parent plant out of the pot, get those babies off, and then report it in a slightly larger pot if you like. If you are willing to protect it a little, like putting a bucket or box or blanket over it in the winter when there is a cold front, you might try one in the ground outside, perhaps in a somewhat protected area. Good luck!