ID Cactus Plant
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Cactus newbie needs ID 1 of 3 plants
Comments (0)Hi.. I have no idea the names of these plants and how to care for them. Any help would be greatly appreciated ! Holly Image link:...See MoreCactus ID
Comments (8)You know it for a fact. Very definitive answer. Small cacti bought from places where they are unnamed are often impossible to ID. There are several reasons for this. One being the fact that even the definition of a species is a man made construct. Lots of our named species show a wide variety of characteristics. For instance, some species of Mammillarias are said to be 'intermediate between species A and species B'. The reason for this is because the species in question might exhibit all the characteristics across its range. In the western part of the range, the flowers might be pink and the spines short, with one central and a dozen radials. On the eastern part of the range, the flowers might be predominantly white with no central spine and only 6 radial spines. Humans will come along and give each variant a different species name, but the plants are still able to cross-pollinate each other and produce viable seed. A seed house gets this seed, grows the plant, sells it to a big box store where you buy it. The plant is still tiny, but you want an ID, so you go onto a website where the whole world can opine about the name of this unknown, could-be-a-hybrid plant. The provenance of the seed is in doubt, the plants was sold without a name, the store sells it as "Succulent", but you can state facts about the name? In the world of cactusdom, that is preposterous. That said, I agree with plantomaniac, it looks like a tiny E. grusonii. Of course, Cactusboss, you have the advantage of being able to hold the plant, to examine it in detail. To better help with an ID for cactus plants, the spine details are important. The number of spines a plant has can vary within the species. The color can vary. But the shape of the spine (round or flat), the presence of the hook, the presence of transverse ridges, etc. all give clues for the probable ID or the plant. To help us, you need to answer questions. For instance, does this one have transverse ridges? There are some small Ferocactus that look like your plant, especially from pictures on the internet. But almost all Feros have the ridges, even when as small as your plant. On the other hand, a smooth spine would indicate Echinocactus grusonii, no matter what facts you think you have. I don't normally rant like this about an ID, but this morning I feel playful while I wait for the grass to dry. If you got your feelings hurt, it was not meant that way at all. I'm guessing you are a young person who has a plant addiction. I was there too. When RoRo was still in diapers, I was starting tomato seeds with my mother in a zone 3 climate. Optimism is a hallmark of plant addicts, I hope yours lasts as long as mine has. I still think your plant is a grusonii....See MoreNeed help ID'ing cactus: Dragon Fruit or orchid? or Orchid Cactus????
Comments (3)It's an epiphyllum, probably an epiphyllum hybrid (which typically contain other, similar genera, including Disocactus, Pseudorhipsalis and Selenicereus). These are commonly referred to as 'orchid cactus', but they are neither a true cactus nor an orchid :-) They are a semi-tropical succulent related to cactus that produces large, very showy flowers. They do produce an edible fruit (NOT a dragon fruit) but these are scarce on indoor plants. They are epiphytes, meaning they take advantage of other, larger plants - like trees - as a support system, like most tropical orchids do, and do not require soil in their native habitat. For home gardeners, they grow perfectly well in a good quality, fast draining potting mix. Unless you live in a semi-tropical climate or certainly a frost free zone (Z 10 or higher), these are not hardy outdoor. And they are pendant in habit, with those long branching structures cascading over the side of a container to often a significant length. One normally grows them in some sort of hanging basket structure or on a tall plant stand to show off the plant and its long branches to best effect. btw, the flowers form at the tips of these flattened leaves/branches so any pruning should be done cautiously. There are scads of websites on epis and if you do a bit of searching, they will provide all the growing info you need (rather than my repeating it all here!!). I find they are very easy to grow and will reward you with some gorgeous - if short-lived - flowers. I've got one setting flower buds now after being moved back indoors from its summer holiday location. Here's just one example of an epiphyllum website but do not stop with just one!! And be sure to check out any that show photo galleries of the blossoms - they are incredible!!...See Morecactus ID, help identify this cactus species
Comments (4)You could just bury like a half inch with spines or I’ve heard of people, who have been doin this longer than I have, shave off an inch of the spines at the bottom. So it’s easier to place in the ground. Cut/slice off all the red. You’ll have to let it callus over for another week, but it’ll be sturdier in the mix. Roots will come out if you shave the lower part off or not. It’s just about if your worried if it’s gonna wobble out of it’s pot or not. The little ring pieces I would just set on top of soil/mix. No water or harsh sun till roots form. A spot protected from summer rains, but good strong filtered light. I’d say a month maybe a little longer you should have roots. Just leave it be. When roots come you can water and acclimate to stronger sun. I have a couple Mammillaria that are ground crawlers. You’re not the only one that has kept trying to prop up a crawler;). You can kinda tell which ones are gonna crawl even before they do. They have a look to them. Now that I see yours up close don’t think it’s a backebergiana, but still definitely a Mammillaria;). Some people plant them upside down to keep them from crawling on the ground. Pics from the Google....See Morelady_bug09
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