Hello I feel it is time to repot my monkey tail. It is getting pretty crowded and having gently popped the pot off it was clear that it is very rootbound. What I am wondering is the best way to go about it. There seems to be two main outcrops of arms. Should I separate those two clumps and make two wholly new potted specimens or should I thin select arms from all around, root trim and refresh the soil? This would leave me with one main refreshed, repotted original and many individual arms which could in turn be potted any which way. Would one of these methods be better for the health of the plant than the other?
ps yes I know it is a bit etiolated, I live in Vermont where we have low sunlight in the winter to begin with, and this winter was the cloudiest in 70 years! In all of January we only had 2 days that had more sun than clouds. It doesn't seem too bad and we are getting more light now so I am not too worried about it.
Your monkey tail (Cleistocactus colademononis or winteri. I think your's is winteri) is a cactus, not a succulent. That being the case, you'll get more page views and responses if your thread is in the Cultivation forum. I'm one of the moderators, so I can move it over there if you'd like.
Unfortunately I can't advise you on repotting, but there's one thing I'll recommend -- a full-spectrum LED grow light. Plenty to choose from on Amazon:
If the monkey tail is your only cactus, a desktop grow light should be perfect. Also, are you fertilizing? If you are, I'd like to see the fertilizer's guaranteed analysis for evaluation.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
I have grown many of these (over 50) from seed to flowering size. You will not do better than the following potting mix these. 2 parts compost (dried and sieved to remove the particles less than 1-2mm) or 2 parts seedling grade orchid bark or similar, 2 parts gravel or course sand, 1 part fine scoria or pumice or even coarse perlite, 1 part good garden loam (also sifted) 1 part bio char (fine grade) or crushed charcoal. A little gypsum and a slow release fertilizer (osmocote) with a high K content or a good liquid fertilizer regularly. Perhaps like something formulated for bromeliads or tomatoes. They are fast growers and heavy feeders. Hang it under a tree which gives very light shade all summer. The main problem is what to do when they are too big!
Last edited by MikeInOz on Sun Feb 25, 2024 5:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
MikeInOz wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 6:12 am
The main problem is what to do when they are too big!
True story! I've gotta repot my medium-sized one this year and it's gonna be a pain.
I just repotted mine today. I've been eyeing it for months always putting it off. It was in an 8 inch hanging pot and I put it into 12 in hanging basket. It was probably the most difficult thing I ever repotted. No broken stems! I used one of those cheap plastic turntables on a long length of pipe. I knocked it out of it pot after laying it down on the lawn. Tip.... make sure you dry it out for a long time so the stems are a bit more flexible when you finally decide to do it.
