Neon red, orange, yellow and pink Gymnocalycium tops grafted onto a green stem. A windowsill plant, not a full-sun cactus — the color is the giveaway.
A moon cactus is two plants: a small, brilliantly colored ball cactus on top that has no chlorophyll and cannot live on its own, grafted onto a green Hylocereus stem that does the photosynthesis for both. That is why it comes in colors no cactus produces naturally, and why it is a bright-windowsill plant rather than a desert one — the top scorches in direct Arizona sun, and the green stock is a jungle cactus that dislikes it too.
Treat it as a small, cheerful indoor plant that lives two or three years before the graft fails, and it is one of the easiest things on the bench. The rest of the succulent bench is on our Succulents page.
This is the grafted moon cactus we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season, so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the bench today.
Red, orange, yellow and pink Gymnocalycium mihanovichii tops on green Hylocereus stock, sold individually. Color varies pot to pot; pick at the bench.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written somewhere else. This is the Queen Creek version.
An east window or bright filtered light is ideal. Direct afternoon sun through glass, or a summer patio, bleaches and scars the colored top, which has no protective chlorophyll. It tolerates a medium-light desk for months but eventually stretches the green stem. Turn the pot a little each week.
Room temperature year-round. It is a tropical graft, not a hardy cactus: keep it above 50°F, out of cold drafts and away from a heater vent. It does not need or want a cold winter rest the way desert cacti do.
A cactus fertilizer at quarter strength once or twice in spring and summer is plenty. Repot only if the stem outgrows its pot, into the same gritty mix. Handle by the pot, not the top.
Water when the mix is fully dry — every two to three weeks in summer indoors, once a month or less in winter — and let it drain completely. The green stock rots at the soil line if it sits wet; that is the usual cause of death. A gritty cactus mix in a pot with a drainage hole. Never let it stand in a saucer of water.
The colored top grows faster than the green stem can support, and after two or three years the union fails or the stock withers. That is normal. Enjoy it as a medium-term plant; when the top starts to shrivel or the stem browns from the base, it has run its course. Offsets from the top can be regrafted by patient hobbyists.
Non-toxic, though the top carries small spines. Mealybugs occasionally settle at the graft union; a cotton swab of rubbing alcohol removes them. Outdoors only in bright shade during the mild months, never in sun or frost.
Stretching, mushy stems, a sunburned side — snap a photo of the plant and where it lives and we’ll sort it out at the bench. Advice is free.
Succulents live or die on drainage. We stock cactus and succulent mix, pumice and grit to open it up further, slow-release low-nitrogen fertilizer, and the shallow terracotta and glazed pots that dry out the way they like. The pottery yard has bowls, strawberry jars and hanging baskets for the trailing types.
The top is a mutant cactus with no chlorophyll, so its natural red, orange or yellow pigments show. It cannot photosynthesize, which is why it is grafted onto a green stem that feeds it.
No. The colored top burns in direct sun, and the green stock is a jungle cactus that dislikes it too. Bright indirect light indoors, or bright shade on a patio in spring and fall.
When the mix is completely dry — every two to three weeks in summer, monthly or less in winter. Overwatering rots the green stem at the soil line.
Usually two to three years before the graft fails, because the top outgrows the stock. Treat it as a medium-term plant.
Yes, non-toxic, though the top has small spines. Keep it where a curious cat won’t knock it over.
A withering top usually means the graft is failing with age; a brown, soft stem base means overwatering. In either case there is little to save; enjoy the next one.
Grafted Moon Cactus live on the succulent bench; any staff member can point you to them. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.