Echinopsis Oxygona about to flower?

[CactiNewbie]

Hello everyone from Arizona! I'm new here just as I'm new to cacti in general...I have a question regarding an Echinopsis Oxygona I bought unlabelled because I felt I had to start somewhere and it looked robust, about 4" high and 3" in diameter in a 7" pot. After much reading and browsing the web, I've identified it (finally!) as E.Oxygona. It has done very well, indoors over the winter and with no water at all. Outdoors since early March, with gradual adaptation to light and water. It also produced almost non-stop since in my care about two dozen little "balls" (pups) all around its central girth. It has been fun to see them appear!

Now though, outdoors with only morning sun (and it's HOT already in Arizona) there are some fuzzy growths that do not appear to be more pups. I wonder if these could be buds? I should add that I've been watering it about once a week with diluted fertilizer.

Oh, and thanks to all for the information I've already gathered regarding its care. This coming winter I plan to let it sit under the patio roof, against the house, instead of bringing it indoors since it seems to be tougher than I thought. Lastly, it these fuzzy growths turn out to be flower buds, what happens after they fade and collapse. Do I let them to drop off naturally, or is it ok to pick them out at the base of the flower stem? Thank you so much.

[Andy_CT]

Yes fuzzy growth are flower buds. If the flower gets pollinated then the flower tube base will swell into a fruit otherwise it will just wilt and fall off in a week or two. These flower at night in case you weren't aware.

[CactiNewbie]

Thank you! The smallish E.oxygona I bought is my first cactus ever so it'll be exciting to see the blooms.