Cacti IDENTIFICATION please + many other questions

[fishingrod]

Sorry for the poor quality image, when I was given this plant I foolishly threw away it's tag which had the name and info.

First question: does anyone know the name of this plant?

Second question: what is the green growing on top? (Possibly flowers?? They've been simply growing bigger with time and I'm confused)

Third question: how often should I water him?

Fourth question: I know sorry, so many questions anyways- is there any way I can reproduce this plant/get another one the same? This one has gone through a lot of hardship and I love it dearly but I would like a second chance.

Thank you in advanced

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[DaveW]

Hard to tell what it is, but you have answered your last question how to propagate it. The plant has obviously gone blind (the growing point destroyed). Your "possible flowers" are offsets and if you let them grow large enough you can then cut them off and root them down to get a perfect plant. They will grow far faster still attached to the old stem, therefore don't be in too much of a hurry to cut them off, wait until you have reasonably large offsets to do so.

I will leave it to somebody else to identify.

[teo]

Looks like Mammillaria polythele v. inermis

[iann]

The Mammillaria is a possibility, but I wouldn't bank on it. It is very reluctant to offset even with a dead top, and prolific pupping like this would be unusual. Ut is also very wooly and I'd expect to see some sign of it.

Treatment is standard: water when it is thirsty. Make sure the soil is dry and then maybe a little longer if the plant still seems to be fat and happy. That pot isd too large for the plant, and possibly the soil is too rich. Normally you would drench the whole pot and then leave it to dry, but that could be dangerous with such a larger pot because it will stay wet for too long - depending on temperature and humidity.

[teo]

This is how my M. polythele (not inermis) looks after I cut off the top (growing too tall) (might also be some old mite attacks on the trunk)

M. polythele (v. obconella?)

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[fishingrod]

Thank you so much everyone for the replies!
The top of the plant was eaten by a possum then I just cut it even because it had bite chunks which bothered me and reminded me of the possum.

does the plant being 'blind' just mean it will not flower?

The soil says it's 'cacti and succulent potty mix' should it be something else? I also put pebbles in the bottom of the pot which I think help drainage. Also should I move it into a smaller pot? It has been growing heaps lately even in this pot now that there's more sun which is always good to see .

I definitely won't go picking the offsets until they're bigger (wow I'm glad to hear that they're puppies there's like 20+ growing?!?!?!?!).
Does 'root them down' mean to just take them off and plant them?

I'm still not sure on the name of the plant but I guess I don't really need to know because when I find the name it won't do me much good :p I can just learn more about the plant as I look after it and watch it grow more.

[BarryRice]

"Going blind" is cactus-grower lingo for the apex of the plant being destroyed. When this happens to a plant, it will either simply stop growing or make lateral buds.

[hegar]

Did your plant ever flower before the opossum bit its top off? If your cactus does produce flowers only on the crown (top), then you most likely will not ever see the original plant flower. The pups will eventually be big enough to bloom. You could even go ahead and leave a few of them on the "mother plant" and they will bloom, once they have reached the required size.
The other pups you can separate from the mother plant, once they have reached a size, where they are beginning to crowd each other. For better success, wait as long as possible, because a larger offset will survive better than a very small one. Take a sharp, clean knife and carefully cut the pup from the parent plant, or - if it is possible - you could also try to break or twist it off. Because there will most likely be a wound, place the pup on its side for a week or two, in order to let the wound form a callus. After that you can safely plant the new cactus into its own pot.

Harald

[HairyHarry]

It is definitely a mammilaria sp., so for further care instructions you can use that name. (It really does look like inermis to me...)

I don't think this plant is going to flower, flowers would normally appear were the offsets are growing now. But as been said above, the pups will. But that will take time.

As for soil, you will find a lot of talk about that on these forums. Generally; mixes labelled as succulent soil are not really suitable. Too heavy, too much peat, with danger of rot. You can use it, but you'd best mix it with some grit/sand/pumice. Read some other topics about soil for the details

Those pebbles will lessen the volume, and hence the amount of water the soil will hold. But unfortunately, they are usually no good when all at the bottom of the pot. Different consistencies within one pot generally create different layers of moisture, which is not ideal.

[fishingrod]

thank you so much everyone for all the info