This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
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Mr Monopoly
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This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by Mr Monopoly »

Back in March, a member of the cactus society I'm in gave me this wonderfully large Oreocereus. It's full name (written on a label in the pot) reads "Oreocereus hendricksenianus v. densilanatus". Its been doing pretty well and I even repotted it into a bigger pot. Once July started, it began to lean over a bit and I worried it was dead. I've been checking it daily and it is not rotted or dead, although its skin is slightly yellow near the top. It is about 3 ft tall so I imagine it's just top heavy, but I want to be sure that it's nothing serious. (Additionally, the previous owner told me to remove and repot the pups sprouting up around the bottom so they don't "leech" energy away from the older parent plant.)
Any advice on how to straighten it is appreciated. I do know that Oreocereus species have a tendency to lean.
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photo 1.JPG
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I tried propping it up with rocks at the base, but it seems to be so top heavy that the y don't seem to help much.
I tried propping it up with rocks at the base, but it seems to be so top heavy that the y don't seem to help much.
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A closer shot of the "pups" growing in front of the parent plant. The previous owner advised me to remove these so they don't "leech" energy from the parent plant.
A closer shot of the "pups" growing in front of the parent plant. The previous owner advised me to remove these so they don't "leech" energy from the parent plant.
photo 3.JPG (52.08 KiB) Viewed 1588 times
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cactushobbyman
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Re: This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by cactushobbyman »

It maybe starting to rot. Or it may be leaning towards the sun. I would carefully push it up right to see if it is soft at the base. If it seems stiff, let it be. Keep the pups, it looks good. :D
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Mr Monopoly
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Location: North Olmsted, Ohio (Zone 6B)

Re: This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by Mr Monopoly »

cactushobbyman wrote:It maybe starting to rot. Or it may be leaning towards the sun. I would carefully push it up right to see if it is soft at the base. If it seems stiff, let it be. Keep the pups, it looks good. :D
Yeah I killed an Oreocereus trollii earlier this season so my luck with these Andean cacti isn't the best, although my Espostoas are perfectly fine, oddly enough. I'll try your suggestion.
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Mr Monopoly
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Re: This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by Mr Monopoly »

Just went out and poked at the bottom, shone a flashlight on it so I could see the skin under the hairs. It looks consistently light green and healthy and the bottom is stiff and not showing any signs of rot.
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greenknight
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Re: This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by greenknight »

Cactiguide list it as Oreocereus leucotrichus - in the photo gallery are a number of pictures of them in habitat, appears they often grow leaning. I don't think you have anything to worry about except the pot tipping over.
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Mr Monopoly
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Re: This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by Mr Monopoly »

greenknight wrote:Cactiguide list it as Oreocereus leucotrichus - in the photo gallery are a number of pictures of them in habitat, appears they often grow leaning. I don't think you have anything to worry about except the pot tipping over.
Ok thanks! Thats a huge relief! :)
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greenknight
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Re: This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by greenknight »

I used to have one, until I made the mistake of leaving it out one night when the temperature suddenly plunged to 15* F, during what had been a very mild Autumn. I left the dead plant laying around until all the soft part had rotted away, nothing left but the skeleton of the cactus. There's quite a lot of woody structure in those stems, they're very strong.
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Mr Monopoly
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Re: This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by Mr Monopoly »

greenknight wrote:I used to have one, until I made the mistake of leaving it out one night when the temperature suddenly plunged to 15* F, during what had been a very mild Autumn. I left the dead plant laying around until all the soft part had rotted away, nothing left but the skeleton of the cactus. There's quite a lot of woody structure in those stems, they're very strong.
Geeze that sounds awful...but at least we know whats inside I guess :|
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greenknight
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Re: This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by greenknight »

I thought it was pretty awful, it was about 3 feet tall. I'd had it for many years, grew it from a little seedling in a 2.5 inch pot. Lost a Cereus peruvianus of about the same size. Nothing in the forecast to indicate to was going to get that cold. Killed my fig tree that was planted in the ground, too - usually they come back from the roots, but not this time. Weird weather.
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Mr Monopoly
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Re: This old man has (almost) fallen and can't get up!

Post by Mr Monopoly »

greenknight wrote:I thought it was pretty awful, it was about 3 feet tall. I'd had it for many years, grew it from a little seedling in a 2.5 inch pot. Lost a Cereus peruvianus of about the same size. Nothing in the forecast to indicate to was going to get that cold. Killed my fig tree that was planted in the ground, too - usually they come back from the roots, but not this time. Weird weather.
We may be in for another awful winter again, they say :sad8:
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