Growing too big on top!?!?

[adam]

Hi

I've owned this cactus (some sort of Ferocactus maybe??) for about 7 years. It started out as just a small single globe but then grew another one on top. The top is growing very well but the bottom has stayed more or less the same size (may have been sunburnt at some point before the top portion grew). This is resulting in a pretty mean lean. The top has now grown to a point where it can't really be supported by the bottom. The whole thing is probably about a foot tall.

Is there anything I can do to correct this? Any advice is appreciated.

[Aiko]

Looks like an Echinocactus grusonii. The bottom part is severely etiolated (grown in height instead in with, due to too low light levels). The plant will not recover from early etiolation damage. But any new growth could grow better, but looks different if compared to the etiolated parts of the plant. This Echinocactus shows this well, making it lopsided eventually.

What you could consider is to cut off the rounded part of the plant, and reroot this. Eventually it will grow (if provided enough direct sunlight in high intensities) to a nice big round plant. It should be more wide than it is high.

[cactushobbyman]

I would re-pot at the same dirt level, then add just rocks up to the top of the plastic fork. A big pot, the rocks will help hid the elongated part and keep it upright. Over time when I water I would add some sand and let it wash down and over time this will raise the soil level and develop root growth with out rotting the elongated stem. Give it all the sunlight you can. When it doubles in size with the correct growth, look at the area that you covered with rocks, the elongated part, to see if any new root growth has started. If there is new root growth, cut back the elongated part, let dry and re-pot. I have done this with other cactus but not a grusonii.

[adam]

Thanks so much for the advice.
Ok so what I am hearing is that I should try cutting off the big top part and reroot it? Is there a good guide or instructions anywhere on this website or others that I should follow? Where should I make the cut? and also what should I do with the bottom part?

I'm totally new at any kind of cactus care and wanted to make sure I'm doing it right.

[cactushobbyman]

There should be a link on this site to root cuttings. You can search it on YouTube. If you are new, I would first try the re-potting method that I posted. Rooting a E. grusonii from a cutting is not easy and can take a year to get good root development.

[adam]

Yeah chopping the top off seems like a bit of a daunting task at this point.

I'm a little confused as to how the re-potting method would work. So I re-pot in a bigger pot with soil up to the current level, then rocks the rest of the way up the elongated part, adding sand over time. My question is with the second part, where are the new roots coming from? And what do you mean by "cut back the elongated part"?

[cactushobbyman]

Not the best at editing but I'll explain. First, the orange line is where to fill pot with rock after you re-pot. Soil line will be the same as it is now. Next, "New Roots, May Root will be the area that might send out roots in the future. After the plant doubles in size, one to two years, remove from pot and check to see if roots has formed. The best results will be; the roots forming just below the orange line. If roots form, cut the "New Root, May Root" area leaving a nice root ball. If you don't want to take this approach, cut off now at the orange line, let dry for a few weeks, and root it as a cutting. I believe most will cut the plant now and root it as a cutting. Results will be quicker than the other way I explained.

j.jpg (141.43 KiB) Viewed 2801 times

[adam]

Thanks for the diagram, I understand now. I'm going to try this method as soon as the weather gets a little warmer here.