Jussi tends dozens of cacti with grill tongs: “Each hedgehog cactus is a rugged, lumpy character”

Six years ago, Jussi Halonen saw an intriguing collection in a Helsinki orangery, or winter greenhouse. The spiky ball-shaped cacti, known as hedgehog cacti, were growing in clay pots and made a strong impression. After seeing them, Jussi started acquiring both small and large prickly spheres from other growers and hobbyists.

Jussi’s hedgehogs spend summers outdoors and winters in a fairly cool living area, all squeezed in together.

The number of Jussi’s cacti grows every year because old bachelors produce many small, round offshoots. They stay outside from May through late August. In September, Jussi puts them under cover for a month before bringing them indoors. Cool temperatures combined with wet soil can be fatal for their roots.

There are dozens of cacti in his collection, and the oldest are estimated to be around twenty years old.

Jussi, what’s so fascinating about old hedgehog cacti?

Hedgehog cacti are rough, lumpy characters. Age adds texture, scars, and corky patches that make them look more striking.

Some people question why I keep so many cacti that look alike, but I tell them each one is different. I’ve gathered hedgehog cacti from many sources, so they come with different lineages and unique, twisty shapes. Some grow tall and columnar, others spread out wide. One lineage is said to have come from Vyborg in an evacuee transport. It barely makes any pups, while another type churns out loads of them.

Do you try to make them bloom?

Flowers are a nice perk, but I don’t grow hedgehog cacti just for that. The bloom is short-lived—once it opens, it lasts only a day or two.

Hedgehog cacti typically bloom from May until August. It’s exciting to watch the bud stay tiny for ages, then suddenly lengthen and swell.

The flowers are large and pink, except for one that blooms white. The fragrance is perfume-like, especially at night.

I keep the hedgehog cacti on the terrace steps in summer, where they only get direct sun at midday and again in the evening. For better growth and flowering, they’d do well with more sun.

Their needle-sharp spines measure about one to three centimeters. Grill tongs are unbeatable for handling smaller plants, providing a firm grip.

The fragrant, long-stemmed flowers are about four inches wide, with peak bloom in late summer.

The hedgehog cactus belongs to the group Echinopsis, originally from South America, and is sometimes also called Easter lily cactus or sea urchin cactus.

How do you avoid the spines?

The hardest part is carrying them outside in spring and back in during fall. Large cacti can be surprisingly heavy, but so far, I’ve managed even the biggest ones without special gear.

Last summer, I got a cactus spine deep in my hand, and it got infected before finally coming out. That’s the worst I’ve experienced.

I postpone repotting as long as possible, only switching to a new pot when a cactus stops growing or starts toppling over. I choose a considerably bigger pot so I don’t have to repot again the next spring.

In summer, they grow remarkably fast, with new growth appearing as a bright green, juicy section on the plant.

Fuzzy buds take a long time to become flowers, making it difficult to predict their blooming day.

Have you had any setbacks in taking care of them?

Sometimes, hedgehog cacti get mealybugs or mites in winter, so I treat them as needed. I don’t sweat a small bug problem because the plants tolerate it well. When I move them outside in the spring, the bugs usually vanish.

Even though the cacti stay under bright LED lights with minimal watering in winter, they still get a narrower growth ring on the stem. If a cactus ends up with a skinny section followed by a chunkier top, I just cut it off without making a fuss.

You can root the top part to grow a new plant. I don’t keep the bottom because it looks unsightly for a while, until new pups hide the cut.

Are hedgehog cacti hard to look after?

Hedgehog cacti are resilient and low-maintenance, like many older houseplants. You can practically leave them in a corner all winter and then take them outside when spring arrives.

Last fall, I wedged them so tightly in a space that I couldn’t water them until January. I keep them in a bedroom with the door shut because of my cats, stacking them on shelves and under tables.

After winter, the hedgehog cacti are pale and blotchy, and they burn easily in strong sunlight. But they soon bounce back. Once they get a good supply of fertilizer and water in warm weather, they plump up and shoot skyward in no time. A small offshoot can grow to about half a meter tall in four years.

Watching them grow and raising pups from tiny nubs to big plants is the best part of this hobby. I don’t need them all to become huge—I like the variety of different sizes. I love the tall, columnar ones, but the little round babies are adorable too.