In a clay pot by @gv_succulents Living in one of the driest places on Earth, this species is entirely dependent on the daily Camanchaca fog for survival. Its primary metabolic activity and growth occur during the cool, high-humidity months of late winter and spring, when the coastal fog drops maximum moisture onto its heavy black spines. It shuts down completely and enters a deep dormancy during the intense heat of summer. In cultivation, it is exceptionally sensitive to overwatering and root asphyxiation; it demands a purely inorganic, mineral-heavy substrate (such as 80% pumice combined with decomposed granite) and should be watered very lightly, focusing only on the cool shoulder seasons when night temperatures drop.