Blooming cactus - Aylostera heliosa

Slowly we are heading towards the end of the blooming season. I still have some photos waiting to be edited, but most cacti are done with flowers.
There is still few that open their second set of buds. And of course there are those that bloom almost all the time.

This here is another one that bloomed for the first time this year.

Aylostera heliosa var. condorensis

This small cactus is native to the mountain are in Bolivia and can be also found under Rebutia heliosa var. condorensis name.

It likes sunny spots and can handle quite a lot of sun. My one is standing slightly shaded by the fence, but it gets sun for most of the day. It is also very cold resistant and if kpt comepletely dry it can handle even -10 degrees C for short periods of time. The cold winter is needed in order to see some flowers in spring. But it look like few degrees during the nights and warmer winter days are enough to induce blooming. I will never get -10 here :p

I received it as a small cutting 3 years ago. It rooted well, but it seems to be growing very slow. I might have to switch it to a slightly larger pot. I always prefer to keep cacti in smallest possible pots - it is easier for me to prevent overwatering and the soil dries up faster.

This one has a tap root which stores water and nutrients which means it can handle draughts better than other cacti, but also it more prone to root rot. Smaller pots are just safer ;)

One of the cutest little cactus bodies :)
The spines are harmless and the plant looks like a little doughnut.
I got two flowers this year and I tried to pollinate the, but I don't think it worked. I don't see any berry. Hopefully it will start growing some offshoots soon. Would like to get a cutting and have two separate plants just in case.

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Bonus:
All blooming cacti at that time. Today's Aylostera is the smallest one in the front.

My other blooming cacti:

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_{Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.}