Bought 2 new cacti over the weekend. I went to repot them yesterday and found they had NO ROOTS!! Have I been duped?!?!
No roots - will they grow?!?!?
No roots - will they grow?!?!?
By Choice, Not Chance.
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Yup. I'm not sure you have been duped, depends on the price you paid. They should be easy to root and have plenty of water reserves to last for a couple of months.iann wrote:No point watering them until they have roots. Won't do them any good, might kill them. Stick them in a small pot of very loose open (dry) soil in a warm corner and forget about them for a month or two. Or just put them in a dish until you see little root nubs.
Brad
I wouldn't go so far as to say you were duped. All cactus for sale are at some point in their development, including seedlings, mature plants, offsets or cutting, etc.
When you are buying them they are generally in a pot with soil of some sort so it's hard to determine exactly what you have. I've bought many, many plants in my few years collecting and sometimes you get a vibrant, healthy plant that has been well rooted and is growing vigorously, other times you get a fresh offset that was quickly stuck into a pot and offered for sale. And everything in between.
I wouldn't necessarily call it being duped unless they are insect infested or sick in some way. Those two look like perfectly functional cactus. They just need a little care to get them established.
I guess I take a pretty broad view of what a suitable plant is. In fact, I've spent crazy money on plants just like yours (no roots, but healthy). Mainly because that's all you can get of some of the rarer species.
It would be nice if vendors gave you a clear picture of the actual condition of the plants for sale. Many do, but it's always up to the buyer to take a good look and evaluate the plants.
As long as you didn't pay a lot of money for these plants, you should be OK. Follow the advice on rooting them and you should be fine.
Good luck!
When you are buying them they are generally in a pot with soil of some sort so it's hard to determine exactly what you have. I've bought many, many plants in my few years collecting and sometimes you get a vibrant, healthy plant that has been well rooted and is growing vigorously, other times you get a fresh offset that was quickly stuck into a pot and offered for sale. And everything in between.
I wouldn't necessarily call it being duped unless they are insect infested or sick in some way. Those two look like perfectly functional cactus. They just need a little care to get them established.
I guess I take a pretty broad view of what a suitable plant is. In fact, I've spent crazy money on plants just like yours (no roots, but healthy). Mainly because that's all you can get of some of the rarer species.
It would be nice if vendors gave you a clear picture of the actual condition of the plants for sale. Many do, but it's always up to the buyer to take a good look and evaluate the plants.
As long as you didn't pay a lot of money for these plants, you should be OK. Follow the advice on rooting them and you should be fine.
Good luck!
Disclaimer: I'm in sunny Arizona, so any advice I give may not apply in your circumstances.
Tim
Tim