Hello
I was doing some research about cacti. I currently have 7 cacti and 2 succulents. I got given a rather old and splendid plant by a good friend of mine and it has taken to my bathroom a bit too well.
The 'mother' plant part of it has snapped. It has one quite large cylindrical mother plant and lots of little babies.
I know it probably needs repotting but I am worried whether this rather large part of the plant can be saved and if not what would be the best way to remove it.
Using your guide it looks like it may be quite an old Coryphantha octacantha,
Thanks for your help, I am very attached to this plant. His name is Donnie.
Jo
Please help!
Jo,
I think we can help. If there is any way you could post a picture of it, that would really be useful.
But for now, what made it snap? Does it seem soft and mushy where it broke? If so, it is probably from over-watering.
You should be able to re-root the broken pieces reletively easily. Don't worry, there is no hurry to do this. You can wait months before doing so.
Coryphantha octacantha is not a common plant. If you can get a picture, we could try and confirm that ID for you.
Daiv
I think we can help. If there is any way you could post a picture of it, that would really be useful.
But for now, what made it snap? Does it seem soft and mushy where it broke? If so, it is probably from over-watering.
You should be able to re-root the broken pieces reletively easily. Don't worry, there is no hurry to do this. You can wait months before doing so.
Coryphantha octacantha is not a common plant. If you can get a picture, we could try and confirm that ID for you.
Daiv
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
Thanks for the reply Daiv 
It does seem pretty mushy yes. I don't really understand how it could be overwatered though as I only water every two months 
. Do I just let it dry up or cut it off as it is lying on top of some of the baby plants?
Unfortunately i don't have a digital camera or anything to get a picture online...
Jo
It does seem pretty mushy yes. I don't really understand how it could be overwatered though as I only water every two months . Do I just let it dry up or cut it off as it is lying on top of some of the baby plants?Unfortunately i don't have a digital camera or anything to get a picture online...
Jo
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templegatejohn
- Posts: 1198
- Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 2:57 pm
- Location: Leeds, England
Hi Jo, a bathroom is not the ideal place to keep cacti. It is much too humid for them. They prefer a drier atmosphere.
At the risk of constantly repeating myself cacti and succulents for that matter should be given a good drink of water and then not watered again until the soil is dry. With this method you cannot go far wrong. I think the high humidity in your bathroom has contributed to your problems, which as Daiv said can be rectified by taking cuttings of the plant.
John
At the risk of constantly repeating myself cacti and succulents for that matter should be given a good drink of water and then not watered again until the soil is dry. With this method you cannot go far wrong. I think the high humidity in your bathroom has contributed to your problems, which as Daiv said can be rectified by taking cuttings of the plant.
John
Last edited by templegatejohn on Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
One thing you should determine from here forward is drainage. Equally important to not watering too frequently is making sure your plant is in a soil and pot that allow for good drainage. Some fancy pots for example don't have a hole at the bottom.
The problem is even though you wait two months to water it, the plant can be sitting in water for a couple weeks. This is enough to cause it to rot.
In fact you would be better off to water more frequently (say once a week) with a soil that let the watter run right through and out the bottom of the pot as opposed to every two months and then be sitting in water. Of course there are more precise ways to water, but I wanted to stress the importance of good drainage.
Daiv
The problem is even though you wait two months to water it, the plant can be sitting in water for a couple weeks. This is enough to cause it to rot.
In fact you would be better off to water more frequently (say once a week) with a soil that let the watter run right through and out the bottom of the pot as opposed to every two months and then be sitting in water. Of course there are more precise ways to water, but I wanted to stress the importance of good drainage.
Daiv
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
Hi Jo!Daiv said it all.Try to learn through books or internet things about cacti in general and specifically the genera you have.This will help you as it did for me.For example i knew that cacti don't like overwatering,but i completely understood this only when i lost the first one by fungus and read,afterwards-alas-that a cactus loses so little water because in it's natural enviroment, take in a year the rain water a tropical plant takes in a day!!!This made cactus behave like a "sponge".It will take all the vapor it can from the atmosphere by insict,because in nature sometimes that is all it has.In the bathroom your cactus was-in a way- watered every day.I wouldn't put my Aloe inside either...Some jungle cacti maybe,i don't know,that's for the more experienced to say...As for the drainage is concerned,small pieces of rock (or broken clay pot) at the bottom of the pot just above the drainage hole will help a lot.
I wish you and your cacti well Jo!!!
I wish you and your cacti well Jo!!!
Thank you Christos
Well here is an update. I moved him from the bathroom, Checked that the pot was draining and it was. So then I thought I'd just leave the mother plant on and see if it would dry out. I then woke up to find that the mother plant had pushed the babies out of the pot and so I now have a bowl of 15 baby cacti cuttings. I haven't got a clue what to do with them as I have either bought my plants or grown them from seed... so once gagain i need your help please.
1. Should i put them somewhere dark and warm to dry out?
2. is it ok to just use my usual cacti soil?
3. do i need to put them in some rerooting solution?
Thanks Jo and her newfound family of cacti
Well here is an update. I moved him from the bathroom, Checked that the pot was draining and it was. So then I thought I'd just leave the mother plant on and see if it would dry out. I then woke up to find that the mother plant had pushed the babies out of the pot and so I now have a bowl of 15 baby cacti cuttings. I haven't got a clue what to do with them as I have either bought my plants or grown them from seed... so once gagain i need your help please.
1. Should i put them somewhere dark and warm to dry out?
2. is it ok to just use my usual cacti soil?
3. do i need to put them in some rerooting solution?
Thanks Jo and her newfound family of cacti
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templegatejohn
- Posts: 1198
- Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 2:57 pm
- Location: Leeds, England
Hi Jo, You do not say whether the young cacti have any roots? But anyway here is the normal procedure for offsets or cuttings. Leave the young plants on dry sand or similar material for a couple of weeks to allow any cuts or lesions to 'scab' over. Somewhere warm is good (but not dark). There are then two schools of thought leave them on the surface until small roots begin to appear, when this happens plant them into moist soil (your normal potting compost should be OK as long as it is gritty and 'open').
The other school of thought is that as soon as the young plants have 'scabbed' over they can be inserted into almost dry compost. You then need to keep removing them about once every two weeks to see if roots are starting to form. When this occurs start to give them a little more water.
Both methods have their merits and you pays your money and takes your choice, as they say.
Most cacti experts state that there is very little or no benefit from using rooting powders, solutions etc. with cacti. On the other hand they do no harm either.
Hope this helps.
John
The other school of thought is that as soon as the young plants have 'scabbed' over they can be inserted into almost dry compost. You then need to keep removing them about once every two weeks to see if roots are starting to form. When this occurs start to give them a little more water.
Both methods have their merits and you pays your money and takes your choice, as they say.
Most cacti experts state that there is very little or no benefit from using rooting powders, solutions etc. with cacti. On the other hand they do no harm either.
Hope this helps.
John