How to Get the Best Flowers From Your Lobivia

When I talk about getting a Lobivia to flower to its full potential, I'm really talking about a couple of things: the maximum number of blooms the plant is capable of producing, and the best possible colour payoff from those flowers.

For the smaller-flowering types, that often means coverage - lots and lots of flowers.
With the larger-flowering Lobivia, you can still get multiple flowers opening on the same plant, although that generally takes a few years of growing.

One of the most surprising things about Lobivia is just how much flower a relatively small plant can produce.
Even what I call the "larger" Lobivia - and let's be honest, they never get particularly large - can produce a volume of flowers that completely overwhelms the size of the plant underneath them.

That's what we're chasing.

Maximum blooms. Maximum saturation. Maximum colour representation.

And they're really not difficult plants to get there.

This isn't something I see discussed particularly well or particularly often, so what follows isn't a generic cactus grow guide.
It's simply what I do, what I've learned from growing thousands of Lobivia, and the little things I've picked up along the way that help me get the flowers you see throughout Spine City.

Winter Matters. A Lot.

This is a hill I will die on:

Lobivia need a cold, dry winter.

I'm in Victoria, where winter gets absolutely bloody freezing. We can get down around -3°C to -5°C. Not too often, thankfully, but it gets cold.

My Lobivia receive no water for around three months of the year - usually June, July and August.

I do absolutely nothing with them.

The one thing I change is light.
Because there's naturally less sun and less overall light during winter, I remove some of the additional shade cloth I use to protect the plants through the peak of summer.

Other than that, they're left alone.

Waking Them Up in Spring

Coming out of winter, I'm looking at the plants themselves for the cue to start watering again.

Tiny buds will begin forming on their own. They don't need watering to induce them.
When I start seeing those first little indications, that's my sign that things are beginning to move and it's time to start waking the roots up.

But don't go berserk.

Particularly if you're in a colder climate, you need to be reserved and cautious with those first few waterings.

This season, for example, I started right at the end of August coming into early September with a light watering.

When I say light, water should still reach the bottom of the pot - but it shouldn't be absolutely flowing out of it.

I'm basically telling the plant:

Hey! Yep, all good. It's time to wake up.

After being dry for three months, there will have been some root loss.
We're getting those roots engaged again before asking the plant to do too much.

Initially I might water every 10–14 days.

Once temperatures stabilise, the days are sunny and it's properly warm, I'll move toward weekly watering - and at that point I'm generous.

Let them drink!

Obviously, the amount of water you provide needs to make sense for the pot.
A small plant sitting in an unnecessarily large pot is going to remain wet considerably longer than a properly potted plant.

Give Them as Much Light as You Safely Can

I don't think light needs to be complicated.

My basic formula is:

Provide the maximum amount of light you can without causing damage.

That's it.

If they're receiving too much, they'll tell you. You might see scorching, red patches or generally unhappy-looking tissue.

Back it off.

But light is probably the single biggest limiting factor I see when it comes to flowering performance.

And I'm going to be very clear about this:

Do not grow Lobivia inside.

Anyone telling you Lobivia can reach their potential sitting inside a house is talking absolute bullshit.

They need to be outside.

A greenhouse is ideal because it gives you enormous control, but you don't need one. A patio, porch or another protected outdoor position can work perfectly well. You basically want plenty of light while retaining some control over watering.

Some Lobivia will happily grow completely exposed to rainfall, but it's not something I generally recommend because it makes managing the plants considerably harder.

Water Matters Once the Show Begins

Once temperatures have stabilised and the plants are properly active, I'm generally watering weekly and giving them a good drink.

There are obviously exceptions based on your climate and conditions.

Never blindly follow a schedule when the weather is telling you otherwise.

I don't water when it's extremely cold and I don't water during extreme heat.
Both are danger periods.

My golden rule has been the same for more than ten years:

If in doubt, don't water.

The lead-up to flowering is particularly important.

Lobivia are pretty determined once they've committed to flowering.
Unlike Echinopsis, which can abort flowers if you don't keep them happy, Lobivia generally hang on and see the job through.

The problem isn't necessarily that you'll lose the flowers.

The problem is that they might not perform at their full capacity.

They'll still flower. They're not suddenly going to produce some malformed monstrosity. But the colour, form, volume and overall presentation may not be everything the plant is capable of producing.

Fertiliser Doesn't Need to Be Complicated

After around two or three spring waterings, once the plants are properly waking up, I'll fertilise.

I use a commercial fertiliser these days which isn't particularly useful for me to recommend because the average grower isn't going to buy it in enormous bags.

But before switching to commercial products, I used readily available fertilisers for years with excellent results.

And honestly, I get tired of people crapping on about cactus fertiliser as though it's some incredibly complicated science.

It's not.

The old trope about cacti needing no nitrogen is also, in my opinion, bullshit.

They don't need huge amounts of nitrogen, but they do need nitrogen.

That's particularly relevant to the way I grow because my substrate starts around 70% gravel to 30% organic material and goes all the way through to completely mineral mixes. There's very little nitrogen naturally available in those substrates.

My solution is incredibly simple.

In late summer, I'll take one or two granules of something like Rooster Booster or Dynamic Lifter and put them on top of the pot. They slowly break down and provide a very low, gradual nitrogen input. They also help feed the microbial activity within the substrate.

If I'm potting a Lobivia up, I'll put the pellet lower in the pot: some substrate, the pellet, more substrate, then the plant.

That's it.

For spring flowering, I switch the emphasis.

I want something lower in nitrogen with more phosphorus and potassium - something designed for flowering and fruiting.

For probably ten years I used Thrive Flower & Fruit before moving to commercial fertiliser.

A tomato fertiliser can also work perfectly well, but there's an important distinction. Some tomato fertilisers are intended for the earlier vegetative growth stage and contain more nitrogen. Others are designed for the fruiting stage.

You want the fruiting one.

Use it at around half strength.

I'll generally apply that in early spring and can apply it again in early autumn.

Throughout the growing season I'll also use a seaweed tonic such as Seasol every couple of waterings, usually as a light solution, simply to support general health and vigour.

And one thing I don't recommend is throwing slow-release fertiliser granules through the potting mix.

I think they're garbage for this purpose.

I want to control when and how my Lobivia receive fertiliser.

What About Cactus & Succulent Fertilisers?

I don't use cactus and succulent specific fertilisers. I never have, so I'm not going to sit here and tell you whether they work well or don't. I simply don't have the experience with them to make that call.

What I will say is that products with "cactus and succulent" slapped on the label often seem to attract a premium. It's a bit like buying a bunch of flowers for $10, then mentioning they're for a wedding and suddenly they're $20.

For me, there's no reason to pay that premium when I've had excellent results for years using readily available fertilisers designed for flowering and fruiting.

I'd rather take those extra few dollars and put them somewhere I know they'll give me value.

Like pumice.



A single fertiliser pellet on the substrate provides a slow trickle of nitrogen and helps support microbial activity through the growing season.

Don't Panic When the Plant Shrinks

When your Lobivia are really flowering, you may notice something slightly alarming.

The body can shrink.

It can become softer. It can shrivel.

Don't panic.

Lobivia flower with all their might.
They can quite literally drain themselves producing those flowers.

You probably won't be able to completely counterbalance that with additional watering, either.

This is why I want my plants properly hydrated during flowering. If conditions allow, I'm absolutely maintaining that weekly watering cycle.

Flowering is extremely taxing on the plant.

And remember, the hybrids I release have specifically been selected and bred to do this. They're selected for lots of flowers, big flowers and strong flowering performance. They've been tested for it from conception through the proving grounds before release.

They're designed for this.

But it's still bloody hard work.

The Lifecycle of a Lobivia Flower - And What I Call "Peak"

This is probably one of my favourite things about growing them.

A Lobivia flower isn't static.

When the flower first opens, it will generally be darker. The colour isn't necessarily fully represented yet and the flower itself may not have completely settled into its final form.

That can persist for a day or two.

Then the colour begins to mature.

Things settle down. Softer tones begin coming through. Gradients start revealing themselves.

Eventually you reach what I call peak.

Peak is generally somewhere within the final 12–24 hours before the flower begins fading.

And this is where you really see what that flower is about.

The nuanced colours come through. The streaks become apparent. The gradients develop. All those glorious little details are usually at their strongest.

If you're looking at flower photographs throughout Spine City - whether in an article or a plant listing - nine times out of ten, you're looking at that flower at peak.

But don't just wait for peak.

The entire lifecycle is fabulous to watch.

Even after peak, as the flower enters its final hours and begins fading, you can get these glorious washed-out colours.

It's hypnotic watching the whole story unfold.

When your Lobivia flowers, go and look at it when it first opens.

Then look again an hour later.

Two hours later.

Five hours later.

The next day.

Keep checking back in and actually watch what happens to it.
You'll be surprised how much that flower changes.

First Flowers Aren't the Finished Product

There's another distinction that's worth understanding: first flowering versus an established, mature plant.

The true first flowering of most Spine City Lobivia is something you'll never see.

That happens here while the plant is going through proving.

And honestly?

It can be pretty underwhelming.

Over the years I've learned to identify traits and character in those first flowers that make me think, Okay, there's something here. We need to watch this one.

Others open and I think, Nope. You're not going anywhere.
Out the door it goes.

Unless we specifically sell something as unflowered - which isn't common, although occasionally people enjoy rolling the dice - the plants we release have already been through this process.

One of my favourite examples is our cultivar Firefly.

When Firefly opened for the first time, I actually photographed it, which is unusual because I generally don't bother photographing first flowers.

There was just something about it.

I remember thinking, There's something in this plant. This flower is special. I can tell.

It took several years after that for the flower to stabilise and for the plant to properly prove itself.

Eventually it reached the point where I thought, Yep. We're onto a winner here.

As plants mature, their colours, gradients and other characteristics stabilise and generally begin presenting much more consistently.

So don't judge the lifetime potential of a Lobivia from one early flower.

Your New Lobivia Needs Time

There's another version of establishment that happens when you buy a plant and take it home.

It's changed environments.

It may have travelled across the country. The climate is different. The light is different. Your growing conditions are different.

Give it time.

Sometimes they'll hit the ground running immediately.

But don't expect the plant to show you everything it's capable of straight away.

As a general rule, I allow a full seasonal cycle.

If you buy a Lobivia during summer, for example, I'd be looking toward the following summer before expecting it to be completely settled and showing you its full potential.

Don't rush it.

Lobivia Don't Need Huge Pots

Lobivia, by and large, aren't large-growing plants.

The biggest pot I generally use is around 125 mm.
There's a few, more so species than the hybrids we're discussing here that will need larger pots eventually.

Most of mine ultimately live quite happily in a 125mm pot after many years of growing. 

During development and proving, they're generally somewhere between a 68mm pot and an 80mm pot. Sometimes I'll move one into a 100 mm pot if I'm keeping it around for another season to make sure the flower is stable and presenting the way I want it to.

When you're selecting a pot, my advice is straightforward:

Pick one that's just big enough for the plant to fit comfortably.

Lobivia flowering generally isn't hindered by being slightly underpotted.

I've got some of what I jokingly call the "larger-growing" Lobivia sitting in 68 mm pots. They've been there for years and they still pump out enormous, beautiful flowers.

Provided you can keep the water and food up to them, they don't necessarily care.

The First Flush Is the Warm-Up

This is something I really want people to understand, particularly when they start growing some of the more heavily selected hybrids.

The first flush of the season isn't usually a Lobivia's best. Not by any stretch.

It's the warm-up.

They're finding their feet.

Hey! Here's a couple of flowers. Look at me. I'm pretty.

Then things start building.

Most Lobivia will give somewhere around two to five flowering flushes during a season.

And then there's Firefly.

Firefly is on another fucking planet.

Last season I stopped counting after ten flushes. It just kept going from spring right through toward autumn. I'd walk in and there would be new buds, then more flowers, then more buds.

It was ridiculous.

For most plants, though, I'm looking somewhere around flush three for the real performance.

That's often when I look at the plant and think:

Okay. There you are. That's what you're about.

So if the first flowering of the season seems a little restrained, don't be alarmed.

And I need to qualify "restrained" here because my perspective is probably slightly warped. I look at Lobivia flowers for around nine months of the year and grow thousands of the things.

I can look at a first flush and go, Yeah, okay.

Someone else will look at exactly the same flower and say, OH MY GOD.

Don't let my slightly jaded perspective interfere with your enjoyment of them.

That's simply because I've seen enough of these plants to know there's usually more to come.

So enjoy the first flush for what it is, and then watch what the plant does next.

If Yours Isn't Flowering Well, Start With the Basics

If a Lobivia is healthy but isn't flowering anywhere near its potential, the first place my mind goes is light.

Then I'd look at feeding and watering.

None of this needs to become complicated.

Give it enormous amounts of light without burning it.

Give it enough water when it's actively growing.

Give it some nitrogen.

Give it a soluble flowering or fruiting fertiliser during the appropriate parts of the season.

Give it a cold, dry winter.

And pay attention to what the plant tells you.

No Gatekeeping

I haven't written this in the usual generic internet cactus-grow-guide style where everybody seems to repeat the same information over and over again.

These are the little things I've picked up over the years through hands-on experience.

I'm not sitting here cutting and pasting information from half a dozen grow guides because something sounds good and regurgitating it back to you.

This is what I actually do.

I grow Lobivia.

A lot of them.

And this is going to sound totally egotistical, but I'm very good at getting them to flower to their full potential.

I think my résumé supports that.

I'm sharing all of this for a very simple reason: I love Lobivia.

There's probably not much question about that.

And if you buy one from me, I want you to get the absolute best you possibly can from it.

There's no gatekeeping here. I'm not holding back some little secret because I figured it out and don't want anybody else knowing.

Everything I've talked about here is what I do and what I know works for me.

Some of it might go against advice you've heard elsewhere.

That's okay.

Try things.

Try a little more water. Try a little less.

Try a little more food. Try a little less.

Pay attention to the plant and figure out what performs best under your conditions.

Ultimately, Lobivia aren't difficult plants to get flowering to their full potential.

You just need to give them a few things to help them on their way.

And when you get it right?

You'll very quickly understand why I grow so bloody many of them.