Cactus Pup - sand dollar cactus

[sagedc]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I recently bought this sand dollar cactus and I noticed what looks like a pup growing next to it. Is this the case? If so, how do I cultivate and nurture its growth?

Thanks!

[jfabiao]

It's more likely a seedling than a pup, A. asterias usually doesn't pup. So far it's been doing fine and I'd let it until it's big enough to manipulate and pot it on its own. Maybe next time you repot the big one?

[Grimm]

As far as I know A.asterias never offsets/pups and so this will be a seedling. I would leave it where it is, as it seems happy, until the next time the main plant is re-potted at which point you have the choice of giving it its own pot or repotting it with the main plant again (but maybe a little further apart).

I expect that as long as you keep the main plant happy the seedling will also be happy. Having a big plant in the pot will also reduce the risk of overwatering, although the seedling will be more prone to underwatering than the big plant.

Edit: jfabiao got there first, whilst I was typing

[greenknight]

That species, Astrophytum asterias, usually remains solitary, doesn't produce pups - that looks like a seedling to me. Not unusual to get volunteer seedlings like that. No need to do anything special, just care for the plant as usual. Separate then when they need to be repotted anyway.

Now that I try to post this, I find two people have already said the same thing. Glad we're all in agreement!

[sagedc]

Thank you all so much for responding to my inquiry. I'm sorry for the delay - I just saw the replies now. The information all of you provided is really helpful! Do I assume that the seedling is of the same variety as the cactus? Just curious - how long do seedlings take to grow? It seems so small right now, its hard to imagine it could grow to look like the cactus! Thanks again!

[greenknight]

Since it looks like the same species, it's probably from a seed produced by your plant. How similar it is depends on what pollinated it - they don't self-pollinate. Chances are it's the same, since nurseries usually grow a lot of plants of the same variety together, but there is a small chance it crossed with something different. See - http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/ASTROP ... terias.htm

They're slow growers, so it will take several years to produce a sizeable plant. I would turn the pot so the seedling is shaded by the mother plant, or maybe shade it with a label - seedlings like softer light than mature cacti, and the purple color indicates it's getting more light than is ideal.