How many offsets from a single point?

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PedalWench
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How many offsets from a single point?

Post by PedalWench »

I have a Gymnocalycium mihanovichii f. rubra "HIBOTAN" that had quite a few very large offsets when I bought it. I've removed them and have them starting on their own. My question is: will the 'mother' plant produce more offsets from the same place where old offsets were removed?
DaveW
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Re: How many offsets from a single point?

Post by DaveW »

I presume you grafted them since they are chlorophyll deficient and unlikely to grow on their own roots. They are grafted at a very young stage before they die onto another cactus that can produce chlorophyll for both.

Usually the mother plant will produce offsets at different areoles to where you removed the previous ones, but probably around the same region. If you want to propagate them though you will have to learn how to graft cacti,

See:-

http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/GYMNOC ... ibotan.htm

http://www.kadasgarden.com/grafting2.html
esp_imaging
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Re: How many offsets from a single point?

Post by esp_imaging »

I think the normal answer for cacti is "no". Most cacti don't produce multiple flowers or buds from the same aereole. There are exceptions - some cacti such as Lepismium cruciforme, Myrtillocactus, Pachycereus gatesii, P. marginatus, P. schottii and Rhipsalis russellii can bear several flowers or fruits simultaneously from the same aereole. (Using this paper for the above list: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803597/)
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PedalWench
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Re: How many offsets from a single point?

Post by PedalWench »

Thank you - it's a dark purple, and the offsets are dark purple, so they're doing okay so far on their own, but I did graft a few of them. Now I wish I had kept a few on the mother - she looked so much more interesting covered with pups. Thanks for the info!
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Nic
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Re: How many offsets from a single point?

Post by Nic »

The dark purple gymno's actuall do have chlorophyl, hence the reason the offsets are doing fine.
There is no cactus you can't eat, but you just might regret it if you eat the wrong one.
DaveW
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Re: How many offsets from a single point?

Post by DaveW »

Yes it's always a case of the amount of chlorophyll the plant can produce that determines whether it will survive on it's own roots. Some of those chlorophyll deficient or variegated plants are grafted as a method of quick propagation, even if they will survive on their own roots. Hopefully your plants will soon produce more offsets.

Some cacti can produce more than one flower per areole as ESP says, so no doubt could produce more offsets too, but this is the exception rather than the rule in the Cactaceae. Some Weingartia's are also an example. A quote for Weingartia trollii:-

"On this and a few other ex Weingartia species, one areole can produce up to 4 flowers."

The Brazilian botanist Marlon Machado in the link below says:-

"With a few exceptions, each areole of all cacti produce a single flower, and that is it - after this flower is produced, the areole become inactive. Exceptions to this rule are Myrtillocactus in North America, which can produce several flowers per areole and Neoraimondia in South America, whose areoles not only produce several flowers per areole but they also flower year after year, the areole growing each year and becoming longer, like a miniature cephalium"

http://forum.bcss.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=74233

The invalid genus Chilenia of Backeberg was erected for plants like Weingartia that could produce two or more flowers per areole and potentially if they can produce two flowers they can also produce more than one offset. However more than one flower or offset per areole in the Cactaceae is the exception rather than the norm.
PedalWench
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Re: How many offsets from a single point?

Post by PedalWench »

Wow!!! Thank you for such a detailed and informative response! Exactly what I was wondering and it explains the growth patterns I've seen in some of my other cacti too. Thank you. I can only hope that one day, I'll have such extensive knowledge of these beauties too.
DaveW
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Re: How many offsets from a single point?

Post by DaveW »

Of course an areole becoming inactive for flowering does not mean it is inactive for offsetting, or many cacti would not produce flowers at the crown but offsets on older non flowering areoles lower down the plant. In some cacti like Mammillaria's the areole has become divided with that on the tip of the tubercle producing spines and that in the axils producing flowers and offsets. However I did have a Mammillaria wildii that produced some offsets from the spine bearing areole on the tubercle tip as well as normally from the axils, so adventitious offsets and flowers are always possible.

http://mammillarias.net/faq.php

viewtopic.php?t=9544

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803597/
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