Co-potting

[zpeckler]

Anyone have any thoughts on planting more than one plant in the same pot? I have a few of my cacti planted together for aesthetic purposes—staged with rocks and stuff—but I have a nagging thought in the back of my head that somewhere I heard that was a bad idea with cacti because it crowds the roots or something like that. But then again, plants grow right next to each other all the time out in habitat. If it's not an issue for the plants, I'd like to do more planting like this when I re-pot some of my collection later this winter because I really like the "in habitat" look.

[Steve Johnson]

...but I have a nagging thought in the back of my head that somewhere I heard that was a bad idea with cacti because it crowds the roots or something like that.

Well, yes and no...

After I joined the forum in November 2011 and got active in early 2012, a senior member (long gone from the forum) posited this theory -- when 2 or more cacti grow in the same pot, they're competing for water and nutrients. The winner(s) will thrive while the loser(s) will suffer by failing to grow over time and quite possibly dying. My experience with this is limited to growing seedlings in the same pot as the parent plant, and I found that the theory simply isn't true when we're talking about the same species sharing the pot. The only problem there would be overcrowding -- some species won't mind it, while others will have only limited tolerance (or no tolerance) for crowding. Unfortunately I can't point toward any specific examples on either side of the "mind/don't mind" equation, so this is up to the grower's observational experience.

...then again, plants grow right next to each other all the time out in habitat. If it's not an issue for the plants, I'd like to do more planting like this when I re-pot some of my collection later this winter because I really like the "in habitat" look.

Maybe okay if you have the same species sharing a pot. But when we're trying to grow different species in the same pot, we have a bigger problem because cactus roots behave quite differently in the open ground than they do when they're constrained by pots. This is a Flickr gallery of photos I took at the Huntington's desert greenhouse in 2012:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/134602763 ... 9863777449

Only 1 species per pot as you'll see in the photos, and there's a good reason for that. By the way -- if you ever make it down to Pasadena, a visit to the Huntington's desert collection (outdoors and in the greenhouse) will blow your mind.

[Tom in Tucson]

Communal planting is often done by various nurseries, and garden centers as a method to increase sales (aesthetic appeal), but when performed by amateurs the results are often disastrous. If done by growers with the adequate knowledge to use plants with similar cultural requirements, the results can not only be attractive, but can actually enhance the growth rate of nearly all of the companions. On the British Cactus and Succulent Society forum, I've seen many posts that not only tout communal planting, but show the improved results.

When it comes to overcrowding, I'm reminded of the advice by Steven Hammer in his "Conograph": Overcrowding seems to work well with new developing seedlings.

[FredBW]

My opinion is if you aren't overwhelmed with things to do. And have time to repot. Most will do just fine. Most cactus when you just put one in a pot the plan is to not repot for 3 or 4 years or more. But when you have more than one in a pot odds are you will be tinkering with them and making adjustments before that. And you have to think ahead,because spring is the best time to tinker. I have several of the same species doubled and tripled up in the same pot. And the fact is there are a couple that need attention. But I'm not going to mess with them this late in the growing season.
I think it's a great idea as long as you have time,and interest to actually watch what's going on.

[zpeckler]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

The few cacti that I do have co-potted are all have all the same species in the pot, and no more than two. They're all up for re-potting this year anyway, so I'll separate them into their own pots at that point. It sounds like successfully managing multiple plants per pot in the long term is way above my cultivation skills!

[ohugal]

Couldn’t you try a pot in pot system? That’s how I would do it. Just make sure you don’t plant your cacti too deep into their first pot. To make the first pots rim invisible you often have to apply a top dressing into the second pot.
You can also research which plants grow together in habitat. Some turbinicarpi grow together with species of mammilaria and agave.

[jerrytheplater]

I just repotted some seedling cacti. I put 10 Frailea castanea in a shallow dish spaced for mature plants. I put 3 Ferocactus wislizeni seedlings in an Azalea pot. I put 6 Mammillaria grahamii seedlings in an Azalea pot. And I put 2-3 seedling Euphorbia tulearensis in a small pot too. Photos need to be taken. They were just potted last week.

[Tom in Tucson]

I just repotted some seedling cacti. I put 10 Frailea castanea in a shallow dish spaced for mature plants. I put 3 Ferocactus wislizeni seedlings in an Azalea pot. I put 6 Mammillaria grahamii seedlings in an Azalea pot. And I put 2-3 seedling Euphorbia tulearensis in a small pot too. Photos need to be taken. They were just potted last week.

Please excuse this blatant OT post, but it reminded me of a post you made last year concerning Frailea atrobella. This species is one of my favorites from this genus, and even though I've bought several seeds from the explorer who located them (Volker Schädlich), only one remains. Despite the fact it has been 'lumped' into F. mammifera, they are far more beautiful, and are found a long ways apart. So my question is: How are yours doing?

[jerrytheplater]

I just repotted some seedling cacti. I put 10 Frailea castanea in a shallow dish spaced for mature plants. I put 3 Ferocactus wislizeni seedlings in an Azalea pot. I put 6 Mammillaria grahamii seedlings in an Azalea pot. And I put 2-3 seedling Euphorbia tulearensis in a small pot too. Photos need to be taken. They were just potted last week.

Please excuse this blatant OT post, but it reminded me of a post you made last year concerning Frailea atrobella. This species is one of my favorites from this genus, and even though I've bought several seeds from the explorer who located them (Volker Schädlich), only one remains. Despite the fact it has been 'lumped' into F. mammifera, they are far more beautiful, and are found a long ways apart. So my question is: How are yours doing?

Sad to say the seeds got damaged in transit and only a few germinated. One survived but died this spring. So, none left, very sad to say. The potting mix I used was wrong for the plants. Way too much organic material in the form of Coir. It held way too much water.

[Tom in Tucson]

I just repotted some seedling cacti. I put 10 Frailea castanea in a shallow dish spaced for mature plants. I put 3 Ferocactus wislizeni seedlings in an Azalea pot. I put 6 Mammillaria grahamii seedlings in an Azalea pot. And I put 2-3 seedling Euphorbia tulearensis in a small pot too. Photos need to be taken. They were just potted last week.

Please excuse this blatant OT post, but it reminded me of a post you made last year concerning Frailea atrobella. This species is one of my favorites from this genus, and even though I've bought several seeds from the explorer who located them (Volker Schädlich), only one remains. Despite the fact it has been 'lumped' into F. mammifera, they are far more beautiful, and are found a long ways apart. So my question is: How are yours doing?

Sad to say the seeds got damaged in transit and only a few germinated. One survived but died this spring. So, none left, very sad to say. The potting mix I used was wrong for the plants. Way too much organic material in the form of Coir. It held way too much water.

That's a shame. One thing I've learned in studying this genus is that the northernmost species (from Bolivia and Paraguay) are not always cleistogamous, but I'm not sure about Frailea atrobella. If it is, and I'm lucky enough to produce some seed, I'd be glad to mail you some in a bubble pack envelope. Regardless, I will be ordering more seed soon to get some seed produced of my own.

[7george]

It is OK for plants of the same species or with similar cultivation requirements. I have many held like this. Until the right time comes to get transferred into separate pots. But then often the problem of overpotting can pop up.
Also avoid mixing succulents with cacti esp. winter with summer growers, cold tolerant with tropicals and so.

[Tom in Tucson]

It is OK for plants of the same species or with similar cultivation requirements. I have many held like this. Until the right time comes to get transferred into separate pots. But then often the problem of overpotting can pop up.
Also avoid mixing succulents with cacti esp. winter with summer growers, cold tolerant with tropicals and so.

[nachtkrabb]

Years ago, I created such creative miniature landscapes, too, and I loved them. I always took care that each plant had enough space. In that time I visited a guy a couple of times -- he had cati & ferns crammed in the same pot, but they thrieved. I think that the ferns came unplanted & uninvited. Maybe they took the too much water away from the catus so that both were happy?

Later I gave up landscaping & gave each plant its own pot as I slowly realized that they preferred that under my conditions. Exception: Succulents like Stapeliads or Crassulas which usually occur in the plural-form. But I still gave the cacti a relatively small pot as I grew up with the credo "small pots for cacti!".

Well, since a while (year before last?) all is changing again. I have started my "big pots for cacti"-experiment & look how they love it. So I am not only not co-potting, but wasting space for soil.

You see, fashions come & fashions go. I change my modi with my knowledge, trying to follow the successful experiments. That of course depends on the plants that I have (these years they stay on average 8.5years with me, some are here about 25 years) as well as the local climate. Yes, it changes, too, I can watch it. Some plants need & get other summer places outside than 4 or 5years ago.
"Everything flows..."

So why don't you try out what is good for your plants? If they don't like it, change.
N.