General Q&As on Cacti Problems

[Ace]

High guys and gals,

Just wondering if you could provide some general comments to the following cacti problems. Any additions would be gratefully taken on board!

• Etiolation/bowling pin appearance - Caused by low levels of light/possibly a nute deficiency. Also common as regular growth in top cut cuttings.
  
• General yellowing of all growth - Nute deficiency or over/under watering
  
• Thin rib structure - under watering
  
• Black spots/blotches on newer growth - some sort of disease or damaged caused to the plant
  
• Softening of tissue - overwatering and possibly rot
  
• Very little to no growth - could be a lack of root space, low levels of light, nute deficiency or not in growing season
  

Can anyone help add to the list? The aim of this thread is to make an easy to read list for newbs and to avoid trolling through threads.

Cheers

Ace

[Pala]

Re. that last point ("Very little to no growth"):

I've got a Trich which I've had for ~6months and which hasn't noticably grown.

As I wait longer and longer this is becoming more and more apparent.

I put it in the sun (well, its in the sun for part of the day, and for the rest in partial-sun).

I fert it rarely. Maybe once a month or two.

I'm quite sure that the pot it's in is big enough.

It's not discoloured or suffering from any other obvious problems.

Any ideas?

[Ace]

Re. that last point ("Very little to no growth"):

I've got a Trich which I've had for ~6months and which hasn't noticably grown.

As I wait longer and longer this is becoming more and more apparent.

I put it in the sun (well, its in the sun for part of the day, and for the rest in partial-sun).

I fert it rarely. Maybe once a month or two.

I'm quite sure that the pot it's in is big enough.

It's not discoloured or suffering from any other obvious problems.

Any ideas?

Hmmm, not too sure about this one - if its a cutting without roots, it could be still in its rooting phase. I have a couple blue myrtles that I took as cuttings maybe early last year or even late 2005 and they have only just put out new growth now. Trichs are fairly quick to root, perticularly in warm weather. I dont fertilise mine at all atm (all mine were cuttings from mid/late 2006), and they have just started taking root (obvious due to flower buds finally maturing - these were on the cutting at the time they were taken from their mothers). I here a few others dont really bother with fert, though it does seem to give them a bit more grunt Pot size usually only matters if it is already rooted and becoming root bound. As long as its a fairly decent size - maybe about 20-30cm diametre by about 30-40cm deep, you shouldnt really have too many probs, though the bigger the better.

If its not discolouring or anything, I'd say its probably just a slow grower. If there is still no growth by the end of summer, I'd reassess the situation. Maybe change the potting mix and possibly swap to a slightly larger pot. But be sure to keep up the water (I water my collection about once a week or twice every 3 weeks), but be careful not to water to the point of rot - especially if its a cutting.

Let us know how it goes and if she restarts the growth cycle. Best of luck

-Ace

[indigo264nm]

I'd like to add a question... it happened to a pedro that I put into the ground a while back. Something ate the half of the fucking top off it. So naturally I cut it and just figured the pups would be sweet - but it happened again (not as heavily) in the past week to the two pups coming off it. Is this the cactus telling me I should grow it in pots or what??? What type of creature could masacre a pedro and withstand the bitterness??? Do slugs and snails get to these things or would it be something like a possum or rat???

[Ace]

I have had a couple little nibbles taken out of top growth in a few of mine too. Nothing that warranted a head-chop, just what appeared to be insect/slug/snail damage. Not too sure what it was - didnt use anything on it, but it seems to have stopped for me. I wouldnt think keeping it in a pot would help any (though I could very well be wrong ), just keep an eye out and see if you can pinpoint the culprit and manage as necessary. Sounds like insects - maybe make a little slug pub (I think I got the idea from someone on these forums) which is just a saucer of beer left with the rim at ground height - slugs/snails apparently love beer and will drown themselves in a drunken stupor intead of munching on your psychedelic cacti

[SaBReT00tH]

What type of creature could masacre a pedro and withstand the bitterness??????

A hungry FOAF perhaps Nah, seriously, would a rat/mouse be able to get past the spikes on the cacti?

Also, does anyone know why cacti spikes get discoloured, bent, and eventually really weak? I've been finding this A LOT and I'm just assumign its from the sun on hot days? but if so, does this happen to traditionally grown trichs in Peru/Bolivia also??

[Ace]

I'd say vermin would be quite likely - they seem to eat a bunch of other stuff, though i cant see them as being the likely suspect perticularly with the intense bitterness... I'd go with a hungry foaf as your number 2 suspect after insects... how much damage was caused?

I'd say that exessive weathering would be the cause of the spine effects. I'm sure this would be normal world wide.

[Pala]

Let us know how it goes and if she restarts the growth cycle. Best of luck

-Ace

Thanks Ace That was awesomely thorough answer!

Btw, it's not a cutting.

I was on one website that suggested a pH of 4.5-6.5 for Trich seedlings. Is there any such pH requirement for grown plants which may be cause for the lack of growth?

Otherwise I'll see what's what in another month or so.

[phreakah]

Does anyone know roughly how to feed cacti?

They are mainly echinopsis...

Cheers

[Halcyon Daze]

Ace, try potting up into bigger pots with some red (clay) soil in the mix maybe 20 - 30%. It seems to give them a dose of the good sh*t.

Indigo. You would be surprised what BIG snails or slugs can do to pedros. Now imagine a pack of them for 4 nights in a row. I've had to go out every night this week to remove snails that are targetting just one pc out of all the others.

[dionysus]

^ this is a 5 year old thread. phreakah, buy some fertilizer (low nitrogen) and follow directions on the packet...

[Chef's Foreskin]

LOL @ Dionysus, well since the thread is alive..ish.. I have a question

It may be a dumb question but can Pereskiopsis be grown from the leaves? As in try and root the leaves?

RF

Edited April 19, 2012 by Rumple Foreskin

[GoOnThen]

I haven't grown them from leaves but I have had leaves root. What I find is they will grow from very small pieces ether planted as a normal cutting or lying down (log) but they are slow. The fastest way is a cutting 150 to 200 mm long with at least 50mm in the mix. Pick you biggest and fastest growing plants put them in a good size pot and use them as your mother plants. I have 2 big mother plants that live outside and a number of small ones that I can fit in my propagation box.

I still do plant all of my small bits as well as you can never have enough pere's

Cheers

Got

Edited April 19, 2012 by GoOnThen

[Chef's Foreskin]

Thanks mate

[Stillman]

I don't think leaves will grow stems as such but i have struck cm lengths its a evil weed..keep it in a pot and don't feed it after midnight .

[Chef's Foreskin]

So what would happen to the leaf? Just grow big?

[Stillman]

From experience Yes, I guess if you left it for ages it might grow a stem I don't really know? You could do an experiment if you need confirmation.

[Chef's Foreskin]

That's the plan man, I will start a thread in a week or two or when ever some roots or atleast something happens