Why don't these cactus flowers open?

The first "flower" took months since about July to grow and at it's best opened to a broomlike shape, never fully. (I left it on to see if it accidentally got pollinated or something. )

Now this second bud has been like this since September. Nothing is going on.

Should the flowers open fully into daisylike shape or is the broomlike tuft the max?

Cacti rarely flower for me as I can't offer them a proper winter dormancy so it would be a treat to see this one in full bloom.

 

Is that as far as they get?
For starters its the wrong time of the year, I think its probably the fact that the plant cant sort out any real seasons if its growing as a house plant.

The other thing is probably light levels, not bright enough, most only open their flowers on really sunny days, apart from night bloomers that is.

 

The first one opened into a broom shape so that I could see the flower is magenta with yellow centre, a bit like this (google photo) but with mature petals. This stage lasted for weeks before it started to die down.



I'm surprised with the slowness of the process, the first bud indeed took months to grow and this second one seems to take similar pace. More buds are forming too.

I would have expected a rapid, all-out-at-once- flowering, not months of slow development.

 

I still think its not really happy and should be flowering in full sun in spring or summer.

 

They don't open fully unless they are in full sun, and the buds often take months to develop into an open flower.
I'm surprised it is forming buds at all at this time of year.

 

Thanks

I'm also surprised with the buds in the first place. I bought the plant (from Lidl) last September and gave the first drink in March when I potted it up in a communal planter and hey ho- in July the first flower bud formed.

The cactus itself looks fine, not rotting nor shriveling.

I'm quite surprised with the slowness of the flowering really.

 

I've got one of those, it's called Gymnocalycium mihanovichii, and it's got buds since the summer but I don't suppose they'll open until next year.

Gymnocalycium comes from 'Gymnos' = naked, and calyx - those things that enclose the bud. It's naked because it has no hairs on the calyx like other cacti do.

 

Thank you @Michael Hewett , learning something new is a good way to start a Sunday

 

Gymnocalycium mihanovichii | cactusinhabitat

I would think that too low light-levels are responsible ; partial shade in Paraguay or Bolivia is slightly different to partial shade in NE.England .

 

You might have something in there @PaulB3

Thanks for sharing the link! You shared the Cactusinhabitat already some years ago, I find it fascinating and keep re-visiting and re-sharing.

The said cactus has made another non-opening flower and has some buds coming up. It is now under a grow light but I'm not watering at all- we'll see how it adapts to it's life as a kitchen plant in the NE England over the coming years.