Chiral Posted October 26, 2008 Was just out in the garden this afternoon pondering on things and it struck that me that when I used to bonsai trees..one of the little secrets of Bonsai- ing was when re potting a tree, to spread the roots out as wide as possible in the pot. With Bonsai pots being so shallow and small it is a great way to get that mirror look...A tree is usually as wide as its root system. After spending hrs and hrs looking at Peyote in the wild from pics on the net...it struck me that they are of course not bound by any pot structure and tend to be slightly bigger and wider. Now in the wild they live in very harsh and arid conditions, the soil is very dry and coarse and probably contains very few nutrients. I suspect in the wild they simply send their roots straight down seeking water to keep alive..is this the reason they are quite small cactus..? I'd like to know if say a Loph was given optimum soil and light conditions out doors or in a pot...a very wide one..if one spreads out its roots so they are totally out flat horizontal, will this encourage our buttonous little friends to spread wider, therefore giving a fatter and rounder plant. I have some seeds germinating currently and will try this method when they are big enough. Has anyone here had any luck with method ..? H. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garbage Posted October 26, 2008 They will send down a taproot to the bottom of a deep pot. The problem there is the mechanics of water retention within a pot and rots induced. The problem also exists with wide pots,areas without roots remain sodden and induce root rot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kadakuda Posted October 26, 2008 mmm....smaller pot is better for avoiding rot. maybe large pots are ok for other cacti like pedros, but not so well for these. also, cultivated plants grow much much quicker. every repot its good to trim n dry the roots....those big tap roots dont do much at all for taking in water and nutes....trimming them brings out more capillary roots and grow much faster. being repotted would likely promote new root growth as well, even if not pruned. wild plants can be bigger, but they are also like 4 times the age Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Birdman Posted November 3, 2008 Hey guys! Sorry tp get a little off topic ,but i have a cuple of young buttons that have formed 2 tap roots to the one plant. They also like to tend to grow more vertically as opposed to the trad horizontal growth patt. "Will the be double headers" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted November 3, 2008 got a pic...Might make more sense if you show us a pic. H. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kadakuda Posted November 3, 2008 taps can fork, pretty common. here are some roots of some williamsii Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garbage Posted November 3, 2008 The trouble with muliple taps is that they provide root mealy with a niche. No stopping the roots though. Latest aquisitions were sold as Echinata these are presumably diffusa and have a root neck wider than the button. Williamsii do seem to grow a wide root if they have two or more taproots. Those with a single button and single root have a narrow neck. Elementary. I think diffusa is probably more inclined to root succulence than williamsii. Take a look at repotting time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Birdman Posted November 4, 2008 (edited) Kadakuda!!! exactly what i was sayin'(2nd pic). Also Garbage some wise advice taken on board. Cheers heaps guys..the community does work Edited November 4, 2008 by Birdman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kadakuda Posted November 4, 2008 im not sure abtou root mealy, sounds scary. But the more fine roots teh better as far as growth rate goes garbage i agree, diffusa are in general much more succulent than williamsii. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garbage Posted November 4, 2008 Shallow pot = wide root,deep pot=long root. I also find Diffusa rots overnight leaving nothing but mush,watch for the wool tufts changing appearance. In fact wool tufts looking different somehow means strange crinkly creases are due to appear on the epidermis and that means death has already occured. Possibly bacterial. Discolorations are better to look for,can be difficult to discern at first but tell a tale of orange rot. Act quickly as it will not get better. Fricii seem less prone,they can survive and auto excise rots,mine lost half a pup and a rib and a half but seems to have it contained and isolated. They invariably rot from the roots up. Never lost an adult Williamsii,even battered ones cast of ill looking areas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kadakuda Posted November 5, 2008 i found diffusa pretty much as tough as any other, little more sensitive to skin problems cause they are thinner and as said more succulent....but they bounce back fine here is a diffusa that is all better now, despite loosing 3/4 of its mass Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
