Does THIS look like eggs to anyone else?

[WayneByerly]

I THOUGHT that I had posted this the other day, but coming back to look for responses, I couldn't find it. Maybe I just put it in the wrong place. At any rate, I'll try again.

I was watering my cacti just the other day at the sink in the kitchen like I usually do. When I was ready for the next cactus, this one had not finished draining, so I stuck my finger over the hole in the bottom so I could transport it to its drip tray without leaving a soggy trail through the middle of the living room floor.

It felt ... slimy ... on the bottom.

So I held it up over my head to see what I could see. This was the disgusting visage that presented itself to me.

OMG!!! I put my FINGER on this!

DSCF2914.jpg (54.35 KiB) Viewed 2016 times

It looks like ... something ... has laid eggs here. So I immediately decanted the cactus from the pot finding another infestation like this just below the to top of the medium, discarded the medium completely, and then scrubbed, bleached and scrubbed the pot.

I then rinsed the roots as gently as I could, taking care to break nothing, trying to rinse out anything that MIGHT be living in there.

And then after letting the roots dry for a couple of hours, I repotted the cacti in new medium and set it back in the window.

Does ANYONE have ANY idea what this is? I'm SO freaked by this that I'm about to run to my doctor to see if I've got cancer or AIDS or something .

[bluetexasbonnie]

Looks like eggs to me too. If this had been in something beside a cactus pot, my first guess would be snails/slugs. I suppose that is possible.

[WayneByerly]

Looks like eggs to me too. If this had been in something beside a cactus pot, my first guess would be snails/slugs. I suppose that is possible.

My cacti DO get to go out on the front porch to play now and then ... but I ALWAYS make sure that they are back in before 10:00pm (remember the commercial??? "It's 10pm ... do you know where your children are?"). Maybe a snail ... or SOMETHING ... got to them while they were out cavorting. If that is the case, I'll have to teach them who NOT to play with.

[bluetexasbonnie]

LOL. Can't have the little dears playing with just anyone. What would the neighbors think?

[Saxicola]

I get that too. It is a fungus. Pretty sure it is harmless as it is feeding off organic matter in your potting mix, not the plant itself.

[adetheproducer]

Would have been cool to see what it grew into, is it a fungus or spider eggs?? Deffinately looks rancid whatever it was.

[FranklinCat]

Could be spider or insect eggs. If you find some more and you're curious, put them in a jar with cloth on top to allow air in and place in a dark corner of your porch and see what hatches. They could be something that grows up to be desirable neighbors.

[adetheproducer]

I know what it is....its aliens, its always aliens.

[majcka]

I know what it is....its aliens, its always aliens.

Right. That is future Hobits or Gollums or maybe Yoda. Who knows what was you get rid off.

[Saxicola]

I wasn't making a guess. It is NOT spider eggs, insect eggs, or any other animal eggs. As I said, it is a common harmless fungus I see regularly under my pots.

[majcka]

I wasn't making a guess. It is NOT spider eggs, insect eggs, or any other animal eggs. As I said, it is a common harmless fungus I see regularly under my pots.

Saxicola. I hope you take this as a joke. I allways joke about such things happening in my GH. As in others obviously.

[FranklinCat]

Saxicola's certainty inspired further study. You seem to have had a close encounter with the lowly and often maligned, but immensely beneficial, organism known as the slime mold. You can read about it here and here.

[WayneByerly]

I wasn't making a guess. It is NOT spider eggs, insect eggs, or any other animal eggs. As I said, it is a common harmless fungus I see regularly under my pots.

Boy, I sure hope your're correct. You sound REAL sure, so I'll accept your assessment at this point. And GLAD to do so. I was having nightnares about waking up in a forest of Triffids (anybody that remembers what Triffids are, PLEASE respond. Hint "The Day of the Triffids") or something of their ilk.

[WayneByerly]

Would have been cool to see what it grew into, is it a fungus or spider eggs?? Deffinately looks rancid whatever it was.

yeah, but what if had hatched out into something that had two mouths and acid for blood. I could haven woken up dead being eaten.

[Saxicola]

I wasn't making a guess. It is NOT spider eggs, insect eggs, or any other animal eggs. As I said, it is a common harmless fungus I see regularly under my pots.

Saxicola. I hope you take this as a joke. I allways joke about such things happening in my GH. As in others obviously.

Don't worry Maj, I knew you were joking of course! I was just surprised at the other posts that looked serious about insisting on the egg idea after I said what it really was. I could only assume they thought I was taking a guess about what it was.