New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

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Steve-0
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New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by Steve-0 »

Back story....I found this in the local classifieds....cheap!....and of course bought it.

Couldn't resist this big of a specimen in a nice ceramic pot, alive but sad for $20.

Brought it home and tweezed enough hair out of it to pass a DNA test as human. Long brunette strands all in it.

It looked thirsty , gave it a hearty drink. In a day or so it it nearly doubled in size.....whaaat? You were thirsty, mate!

So now a few months later it's sprouting growth on top. See pics.

My other Ech grusonii has been in my care nearly a decade and still looks the same. Little visible growth due to the same pot for years...and I'm good with that.

They're both soccer ball sized.

So do I do anything with the new growth? Or just watch and enjoy.

Any comments are welcome....but not I'm not falling for..."It's a mutant and dangerous to society ...ship to me with all speed."

What say ye, cactus aficionados ?
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keith
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by keith »

Growing point damaged now its sprouting offsets. I would detach the offsets when they get bigger and plant them up as separate plants or do nothing. In a more tropical climate you could plant it in the ground. I almost view them as weeds. Almost I still think they look great when they get big. I'm saving mine in case I move back to AZ.

The planter was the score they are expensive.
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anttisepp
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by anttisepp »

Oh, it's curse... :(
I had the same problem twice, you can leave only one and enjoy "matroshka",
or leave all and see The Giant Grape,
picking away one and rooting it you'll have new one but younger and smaller copy.
Mine was smaller when it's happaned so I left it in peace hoping the upper part will overgrow and cover lower one.
But at last I bought one more new normally shaped.
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nachtkrabb
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by nachtkrabb »

I had that problem twice and they both died. :-(
Try to save some of the offsprings as cutlings.
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Steve-0
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by Steve-0 »

Six months later...

Looks like up to 9 pups all crammed together on top. Still growing ....now indoors for the winter.
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by majcka »

I thjink these will be hard to part. I have a similar thing with an Astrophytum. They are so one over another they can't be separated. I believe yours are tight aswell. If any of the offsprings is further, you can try to separate it.
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Steve-0
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by Steve-0 »

majcka wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 6:40 pm I thjink these will be hard to part. I have a similar thing with an Astrophytum. They are so one over another they can't be separated. I believe yours are tight aswell. If any of the offsprings is further, you can try to separate it.
Thank you and I tend to agree. They are all very cozy tight together . My hope is they get through the winter and continue to grow into next year.

When I notice any roots appearing , then I will consider separating them. Next spring I'm thinking about a larger pots for both of my Ech. grusonii.
Last edited by Steve-0 on Sun Nov 08, 2020 9:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by Steve Johnson »

Steve-0 wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 7:02 pmWhen I notice any roots appearing , then I will consider separating them.
Agreed -- self-rooting offsets (or in your case, heads growing on a cactus that went "blind" when its growth point died) do make the separation a lot easier.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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Steve-0
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by Steve-0 »

Thanks for the confirmation , Steve. This is still new stuff to me. But some regular botany care principles apply across the board. So that's in my favor with regards to applying what I've learned over decades of yardwork, gardening, etc,...to cactus care.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by Steve Johnson »

You're welcome, Steve. There are definitely some limitations to my experience, one of them being that I don't know how likely it is if heads growing on a blind cactus start producing adventitious roots. My collection is small (a tad less than 70 plants), only 2 or 3 of them are blind, and their heads aren't showing even the faintest hint of new roots. Are some species more likely than others, or is it simply up to the individual plant? That, my friend, is a mystery.
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MikeInOz
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by MikeInOz »

I did this on purpose a few times to propagate the white spined form and other species/genera (it was rare back then) I used a drill to destroy the bud in the apex core. It threw up 3 or 4 pups and after removal they rooted extremely easily - following the standard proceedures.
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Steve-0
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

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MikeInOz wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:32 am I did this on purpose a few times to propagate the white spined form and other species/genera (it was rare back then) I used a drill to destroy the bud in the apex core. It threw up 3 or 4 pups and after removal they rooted extremely easily - following the standard proceedures.
That's a new one on me.

Like skinning certain types of critters....there's more than one way to do it, right?

Back on my farm in North Carolina we raised Katahdins for food. Found out an air compressor was a real handy tool for skinning them.
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by majcka »

Steve-0 wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 7:02 pm

When I notice any roots appearing , then I will consider separating them. Next spring I'm thinking about a larger pots for both of my Ech. grusonii.
I don't expect to grow roots. [-X
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by Steve-0 »

One year and three months later...there are a total of 12 pups. Although one is smallish and underneath two others. The two largest are nearly equal in size at ~4.75" diameter including the spines. As expected no roots have appeared. The parent cactus seems slightly undernourished..perhaps from dormancy. In a couple of months I'll give it a drink if I see signs of it waking up. The pups have been vibrant green all year and growing like pups do. I'm on the fence about removing them ...time will tell. They spend 7-8 months outdoors in desert sun and winter indoors in a South facing sunny window.
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7george
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Re: New growth on top of Ech. grus. What is it?

Post by 7george »

I'd remove 1 or 2 for rooting and leave overs to grow further. Looks like the main stem is transferring juices into upper offsets.
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