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My golden barrel cactus doesn't seem to be producing spines with the new growth. I looked up photos online and couldn't find a picture of a golden barrel that looked the same. Should I be concerned? Any response would be greatly appreciated.

Thx,

The white wrinkles are an early indication that it's on the verge of getting sun burn. No spines may be a nutrition deficiency.

Now you know what spines are for Odd why it isn't growing any. Has it been sitting in the dark?

Maybe it's not a Barrel cactus?

It has been under the patio on my back porch through the winter and now out in the sun for a couple of weeks. It is a golden barrel, I purchased for a cacti nursery here in Houston. I have had the plant for a yr now and water weekly with 20/20/20 fertilizer and lowered ph. Did not water through the winter and cut down on the light it received. Usually water once a week or biweekly and use a soil mixture that is perlite/coco choir/and some bone mill, heavy on the perlite. Based on the info I have stated I would appreciate any additional info on things I should change or do different moving forward. My cacti collection is growing and I hope to keep them healthy. Thx!

Whatever happened the growth in the last season was not good enough like before. I am not sure what is the reason but I would change all of the soil mix after buying a new plant from a nursery and not use coco fiber at all. Replanting would be a good possibility to check health of the roots too. Fertilizer 20/20/20 would be too rich by nitrogen for most cacti, phosphate (P) and potassium (K) should prevail. And I wonder did that cactus received enough sun during the past season?

Ok. I'll try that. As for sun, there are better places in my backyard for direct sunlight. Is there some good literature out there for a guy who knows nothing but is interested in raising cacti and learning the dos and don'ts of growing healthy cacti?

Be careful with the sun. Here, where I live the sun's rays are very strong and I have killed perfectly healthy cacti within a day or two by subjecting them to bright sunlight right after having purchased them from a nursery where they had been raised with shade-cloth on the glass roof.
The top of the plant is the most delicate and having no spines will be even more problematic, because spines do protect the plant's
epidermis from solar radiation to a certain degree.

Harald

P.S.: I too have no idea, how a cactus can produce a normal amount of spines and then quit doing so for a season or more.