How to Grow and Care for Monkey Tail Plant (Cleistocactus Colademononis)

The monkey tail plant is a striking cactus known for its long, thin stems adorned with soft, white, hairlike spines. It’s a perfect houseplant for beginners starting with an upright form that matures into a trailing habit. Display it in a robust hanging basket or tall planter, as the stems can grow over 5 feet long. In warm regions, you might spot red blooms when grown outdoors. With ample sunlight and minimal watering, this plant thrives with little maintenance.

Monkey Tail Plant Care

The main care requirements for the monkey tail cactus include:

• Position in bright, indirect light.
• Plant in a well-draining cactus mix.
• Water when soil is fully dry in the growing season.
• Fertilize sparingly with a weak high-potassium, low-nitrogen formula.
• Avoid high-humidity environments.

Light

Place your monkey tail cactus in bright, indirect light. While it enjoys morning sun, too much afternoon sun can scorch it. Too much shade may cause it to lose its white spines.

Soil

Use a loose, well-draining cactus mix for your monkey tail cactus, as standard potting soil can cause root rot. Buy cactus soil or make your own mix with three parts potting soil, three parts sand or gravel, and two parts perlite or pumice.

Water

Root rot from overwatering is the greatest threat to the monkey tail cactus, making it unsuitable for regions with high rainfall. During the growing season, let the soil fully dry before watering again. In winter dormancy, keep the soil dry, watering sparingly so the cactus uses stored water. Outdoors, stop watering during winter to avoid frost damage.

Temperature and Humidity

You can grow your monkey tail cactus outdoors in warm regions year-round.

The plant is frost-hardy to around 35°F, provided it is only exposed to this cold for short periods, and the ground is dry.

Some cool temperatures in winter help to stimulate flowering. As you would expect of a desert native, this plant doesn’t do well in high humidity.

Fertilizer

Feed your monkey tail cactus with a slow-release, high-potassium, low-nitrogen fertilizer at the start of the growing season. One feeding usually suffices for the year, but some apply fertilizer every one to two months during growth.

Pruning

Low-maintenance monkey tail cacti don’t need regular pruning. It’s just a case of removing broken, dying, or dead stems.

Propagating Monkey Tail Plants 

The fast-growing, multi-stemmed monkey tail cactus is easy to propagate by stem cuttings during the spring or summer growing season.

Follow these steps to make lots of baby cacti:

1. Cut off a 6-inch section of healthy stem using a sterile, sharp knife.
2. Let the cut end callus over in a cool, dry spot. This can take 48 to 72 hours.
3. Plant the cutting with the callused end inserted fully into the fresh cactus soil.
4. Position in a warm spot that receives bright, indirect light.
5. Keep the soil slightly moist while waiting for the cutting to take root. This should take around three weeks.
6. Once roots are established, and there is firm resistance when you tug on the cutting, you can revert to normal care, letting the soil fully dry between waterings.

How to Grow Monkey Tail Plants From Seed

It is possible to grow monkey tail cacti from seed, although the success rate is low as the seedlings tend to be fragile, and they can be tricky to source if your plant doesn’t bloom.

If you want to give it a whirl, keep the following guidance in mind:

1. After the blooms turn to fruit-containing seeds, carefully gather them up.
2. Thoroughly dry the seeds out and store them in the fridge to stratify until they crack open for spring sowing.
3. Surface sow the seeds by pressing them into the seed starter mix in a shallow tray.
4. Keep them in a warm spot (around 70°F) that receives bright but indirect light. Ensure the soil remains evenly moist but not soggy by misting.
5. Seeds typically germinate within 14 to 28 days.

Potting and Repotting Monkey Tail Plants 

While monkey tail cacti are fast-growing plants, they have a shallow root system that likes to be slightly rootbound, so they don’t need repotting as often as you might expect.

You usually only have to do this every two years. When the cactus becomes top-heavy, consider repotting in the spring.

Pick a pot that’s around two inches wider in diameter than the original one and spread the roots evenly around the pot width.

Wait at least a week before watering to allow the roots to settle in.

How to Get Monkey Tail Plants to Bloom

You’re more likely to be treated to a display of beautiful blooms when grown outdoors in regions with year-round warm climates. However, you could be lucky on rare occasions and see blooms indoors.

Bloom Months

The monkey tail cactus is a free-flowering species. That means it lacks a defined bloom season and will spontaneously flower when conditions are right.

It typically occurs in the warm months of spring and summer.

How Long Does the Monkey Tail Plant Bloom?

The blooms are short-lived, putting on a show for just a few days. However, when conditions are right, repeat blooming is common throughout the growing season.

What Does Monkey Tail Plant’s Flowers Look and Smell Like?

The red or pink flowers of the monkey tail cactus grow to be around 2 inches in diameter. They appear along the stems of the cactus on top of orange-red bracts.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Deadheading spent blooms encourages more to appear on your free-flowering monkey tail cactus. Exposure to colder temperatures in the winter increases the chance of the plant blooming.

Common Pests

Be vigilant for signs of pests that thrive in hot, dry environments, such as spider mites, scale, and mealybugs.

If you just see a few, you might be able to wash them away with a steady stream of water.

For heavier infestations, using an insecticidal soap can be effective.

Common Problems With Monkey Tail Plants

Watch for changes in your Monkey tail plant’s appearance or coloration, as these can be early indicators of problems.

If you act swiftly to identify the issue, you can save your plant before things go too far.

Yellow Stems

If the green stems of your monkey tail cactus start turning yellow this can be sunburn from too much direct sun, freeze damage from prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, or as a result of pest infestations.

Improper watering practices can also lead to yellow stems, especially overwatering, and once root rot sets in, it’s difficult to save an overwatered cactus.

Floppy Stems

Weak, floppy stems can indicate your monkey tail cactus isn’t receiving enough light.

If the stems are also mushy, this could be because you are overwatering or the potting mix doesn’t have sufficient drainage, and root rot is setting it.