Very slow growing cacti that don't do much

[Hero878]

Hi all
I was just questioning some of the cacti I have in my collection. For example Lophorcereus Schotti Minor aka Totem Pole. I really like how sculptural these are but having owned one for about a year I am starting to think what's the point. It's hardly grown at all and doesn't flower so basically just stays the same from day one of buying it.

I was considering getting a bigger one this week (60cm) and really wanted it but I already have two that are about 9inches long and wasn't sure if there is any point in buying another one just because it's taller, as it won't do anything in U.K. weather and is going to look the same for years and years to come.

Some other examples include Ariocarpus Retutsus, very slow growing but atleast they flower.

So what do you think about cacti that don't do much, do you still appreciate them as much as faster growing ones? Can you think of any others similar to the two I mentioned that just don't do much in your local weather conditions?

[Steve-0]

If you ever see the movie How to Train Your Dragon...there is a point where the young Viking Hiccup is conversing with Stoick his father and he wants his son to be more of Viking and "less of this" ...to which Hiccup responds " you just gestured to all of me."

Here's the clip if you haven't seen it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sFKKM7Eb4E

Which brings me to your comments and cactus growing s-o-o-o-o.......s-l-o-w-l-y. I get it for sure. But they do grow slowly...unless you give them too little light and they etoliate like crazy. Or you find some speedy growers to offset the slower ones.

Several of my cacti are slow growers, too. In fact, more than several are. The few Opuntias are the exception.

But if you want real slow....start them from seeds. Ugh! I told myself, Steve, you're too old to start cactus from seeds....you'll die before they mature. Or not...some of them are proving me wrong by dying left and right. I chose some tough species to cultivate. Scleros.

But it's all part of the hobby. Before I got going with it I had a couple three cactus just sitting on the porch all summer and indoors in winter.

Now I have over 50.

So getting another Totem Pole is really your call...but I can see from my own experience of having multiples of the same slow growing species in different sizes is a positive aspect. They're all unique and appreciated. They look good in groupings. You could pot them all in a Jumbo container or trough shaped pot if you can manage moving it.

Good luck...I looked at my Pedios yesterday and see they've plumped up like crazy and have buds showing up. All in just a couple weeks.

In this hobby ya gotta think " calendar...not...stopwatch" I guess.

[7george]

Well, I'll say the same as above but with other words. Some of my small cacti like Mammillaria, Ariocarpus grow very slow and start to bloom after 5 - 10 years from having it and I am OK with this. Even I'm happy that they will not outgrow my windowsills and then I'd have to give those to somebody or take them inside the room where to die out slowly. Even in the books these have to be grown up and blooming in 2 - 3 years. So you have to be aware of that of the very beginning of purchasing and keeping of small or big cacti. And the small ones are usually slow growers.

Also having some large columnars like Lophorcereus schotti can be a real trap in northern countries because these do not flower until grown ~ 2 - 3 m high at proper conditions. And even if you have a GH, they can reach the sealing of that very soon and you have to trim them...

Maybe growing some epiphyte forest cacti would better work for you? They like warmth and moist atmosphere and bloom and proliferate faster. Also many other succulent plants grow much faster and possibly almost the whole year at home or in a greenhouse.
In contrary desert cacti have long periods of dormancy and shorter period of growth but only if given proper care and conditions during that time.

[DaveW]

Having grown cacti in the UK for 60 years I can tell you that some of the first plants collectors here often get rid of are columnars because they grow too quickly for their greenhouses since heated greenhouse space is at a premium and they sometimes take up even more space on a windowsill.

However as you say some other columnars, particularly monstrose ones like "Totem Pole" are slow growing and merely grown for their unusual looks by people who like them. Having a greenhouse about 8ft to the ridge I have been given quite a few columnars in my time that outgrew more modest height greenhouses. Though the first cacti they usually get rid of are flat padded Opuntia's which use up too much greenhouse space since we cannot usually grow them outside.

Generally British collections comprise the more globular plants that will flower in our conditions and often the small ones that will flower in a few years from seed, plus also stand cooler conditions like Rebutia's, Sulcorebutia's, Gymnocalycium's, Mammillaria's, Turbinicarpus, Lophophora's etc.

R.-heliosa-solisioides.jpg (84.85 KiB) Viewed 3427 times

Gumnocalycium stellatum.jpg (81.06 KiB) Viewed 3427 times

We all grow what we like, but not all cacti like where we grow them!

[Hero878]

Thanks for the insightful replies. Much appreciated and very interesting to hear your views on it.
I definitely don't have any patience for seed growing so thats is something I will think about next time I get frustrated with any slow growing ones.

I do have a fair few fast growing species in my collection though such as:
Marginatocereus marginatus, Opuntia (Violacae, ficus indica, robusta), Cleistocactus colademonis, Myrtillocactus geometrizans, Parodia Leninghausii, Chamacereus silvestrii, Chamaelobivia an a few others.

I think when I first started this hobby I was focused purely on columnar cacti as that is what people usually think of when you talk about cacti. However recently I have been drawn to globular ones like Mammilarias and Notocactus, glad to hear they are more suitable for British growing conditions.

And I've gone ahead and ordered the large Lophocereus Schottii Minor. The store kindly sent me a photo of the one I'm getting from their store room. Seems like a perfect specimen growing up evenly and straight. Hopefully I can keep it growing this way, the soil/subtrate its in looks good too so I shouldn't need to repot this for years to come.

[Steve-0]

I like that one...a very proud, stand alone, sculptural look, specimen. For my eclectic tastes - a new ceramic pot and probably top dressing rocks to hide the soil mix. Then good to go in a nice sunny spot indoors and out.

You got some really good responses - other than mine. Hard to beat a 60 year cactus cultivator!

[Hero878]

Yes got some amazing answers above and that flowering rebutia looks its definitely a price winning specimen from the looks of it Also on practicality, when I get a greenhouse sometime in the future I will bare that mind regarding the tall columnar ones that will outgrow the house.

Thank you glad you like this cactus too! Good idea regarding a ceramic pot to place the plastic pot into and some dressing rocks. Especially with it being a centre piece in my collection.

[keith]

So what do you think about cacti that don't do much, do you still appreciate them as much as faster growing ones?"

Slow growers are easier to manage in crowded spaces. Often they have nice flowers like Dave's pictures show

[Steve-0]

"Thank you glad you like this cactus too! Good idea regarding a ceramic pot to place the plastic pot into and some dressing rocks. Especially with it being a centre piece in my collection."

Now yer thinking!!! Please post a pic when you get it set up "Just right"

[Hero878]

"Slow growers are easier to manage in crowded spaces. Often they have nice flowers like Dave's pictures show"
Yes I was really surprised of the nice flowers that these small globular cacti produced. I'm looking forward to seeing my Parodia Leninghausii covered in yellow flowers at the top this summer (hopefully).

"Thank you glad you like this cactus too! Good idea regarding a ceramic pot to place the plastic pot into and some dressing rocks. Especially with it being a centre piece in my collection."

Now yer thinking!!! Please post a pic when you get it set up "Just right"

Yes I will post a photo here once I get it all setup

[cacthis]

Have you tried gibberellic acid solution? This works for me to wake up cactus/succulent that just won't do anything. Spray a small amout daily on tip/growth point. Usually the plant will respond in couple of days by showing new growth. Just remember to stop using immediately once you see the slightest sign of new growth.

[esp_imaging]

Cacti that don't do much often need a change - some combination of repotting / more light / warmth / water / nutrients. Plants bought from mainstream commercial suppliers are often grown in peat based soil mixes which can be very tricky for UK amateur growers to get good results with. The peat forms a dense block which is very hard to re-wet, so the roots actually get very little water
Repotting into a more open mix with grit, perlite etc, after removing most of the old mix from roots, will often produce big improvement. The roots will be able to grow into the mix more and water and nutrients will be able to penetrate.
If repotting doesn't do the trick, some other factor may be the key to growth.

Personally, I don't like the look of the potting mix your new plant is in!

[Steve-0]

I think his wording of "cacti that don't do much" is referring more towards the apparent static state or normal growth rate of the Slower Growing Species of cacti....and not certain specimens in his collection that need a boost in their growth....although the answers given are helpful.

More of a "instant gratification, come on cactus grow!" thing.

The mention of Ariocarpus should be the clue to what I'm thinking he means.

Some cactus just look like they "don't do much"....growth wise...because they don't. Or it seems more imperceptible....like paint drying or water boiling...when expecting quicker results.

[DaveW]

Some grow quicker than people think. I damaged a Lophophora near the top but within a couple of years the mark had disappeared down the base as the epidermis concertinaed there, even though the body did not to seem to gain any real size. Therefore some cacti grow at a reasonable pace, but due to the growth compressing at the base don't gain body size very quickly. Others however seem to gain size with all the growth they make. For instance most Cerei. That is why the shops sell those artificial clumps of Cerei with two or three in a pot since the slower growing earlier flowering choicer cacti are not as good a commercial proposition for nurserymen to sell to stores for the non specialist public.

Remember a mature plant is one that flowers, it is not a question of size since it is able to pass on its genes to the next generation in the form of seed and that is all nature requires to maintain the species.

[Hero878]

Have you tried gibberellic acid solution? This works for me to wake up cactus/succulent that just won't do anything. Spray a small amout daily on tip/growth point. Usually the plant will respond in couple of days by showing new growth. Just remember to stop using immediately once you see the slightest sign of new growth.

Interesting I have never heard of this. Might use it on my Tephrocactus Geometricus as its not done anything either.

Cacti that don't do much often need a change - some combination of repotting / more light / warmth / water / nutrients. Plants bought from mainstream commercial suppliers are often grown in peat based soil mixes which can be very tricky for UK amateur growers to get good results with. The peat forms a dense block which is very hard to re-wet, so the roots actually get very little water
Repotting into a more open mix with grit, perlite etc, after removing most of the old mix from roots, will often produce big improvement. The roots will be able to grow into the mix more and water and nutrients will be able to penetrate.
If repotting doesn't do the trick, some other factor may be the key to growth.

Personally, I don't like the look of the potting mix your new plant is in!

Yeah I learnt this the hard way when one of my plants started to dry and go crispy because noT all the soil was getting evenly soaked. I noW always repot my plants and remove as much of the existing soil as possible.
I haven't received the plant yet but I have other plants from same grower and the mix seems very free draining as they are a specialist cactus and succulent grower based in Italy which this store in London imports from. I don't think I would be able to create a mix that is better. I usually just use John Innes No2 and pearlite or ready made cactus soil with some added pearlite.

I think his wording of "cacti that do much" is referring more towards the apparent static state or normal growth rate of the Slower Growing Species of cacti....and not certain specimens in his collection that need a boost in their growth....although the answers given are helpful.

More of a "instant gratification, come on cactus grow!" thing.

The mention of Ariocarpus should be the clue to what I'm thinking he means.

Some cactus just look like they "don't do much"....growth wise...because they don't. Or it seems more imperceptible....like paint drying or water boiling...when expecting quicker results.

Yes this is what I meant. But the growing tips are much appreciated too as it'll help me to make the most of the slow growing ones I have to ensure they grow as much as they can.