How long can cacti be bare root?

[zagoric]

Hello.

I bought some new plants about a week ago and haven't had a chance to pot them yet. How long can they be bare root before it can cause problems?

Thanks.

[cactushobbyman]

I had a mammillaria albicoma that had rot at the root line and went inside the stem. Half of the roots were fine and the other half was part of the rot. I cleaned the damage and let it set for weeks, at least 3 week. Most people would have cut the plant in half and re-root as a cutting. I did not. After letting it set, I put rooting hormone on the inside and stuff the cavity with a shipping peanut, Styrofoam. Re-potted it and it has been 2 year now and doing fine. One day I'll repot and look at the surgery I did and see what had happened. I think the good roots left over was enough to keep the plant alive and the rest will just be callus damage with possible new root growth. So to answer your question, I have had cactus survive weeks without repotting. Although when you repot I would make sure the soil is dry or just wet enough to keep the dust down and wait a week and then start watering, very little at first then gradually work towards your normal watering. For me our growing season is ending and I would be careful on the watering.

[DaveW]

Simple answer is months, although some of the present roots may die they will re-root when eventually planted. Often they will even flower.

Even cuttings can lie around quite a time depending how turgid they were originally and how quick they are loosing moisture. Below is a picture of two 3 ft high Trichocereus bridgesii cuttings that had been taken the previous year and they were propped up with their cut ends resting on the concrete path until I got around to them. They immediately flowered when cut and so were left standing there until the following year when in the picture below they are getting more dehydrated but flowered again 12 months after being cut, still standing on the concrete path and unrooted.

bridgesii.jpg (97.35 KiB) Viewed 6842 times

When they were bedded in my deep centre bed they grew rapidly but were very reluctant to flower, so whether the "near death experiance" was encouraging them to pass on their genes by flowering and hopefully setting seed I am not certain, but it could be so. Showing over fertilisation or rich potting soil can often produce plenty of growth at the expense of flowers.

[zagoric]

Wow. That's amazing they flowered a year later. I wonder if it was a last gasp chance to pass along genes.

[iann]

Years. Maybe only months for a little one. Best not to leave them in full sun though