What might this be?

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
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.ilUli.
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What might this be?

Post by .ilUli. »

This morning I noticed (which means I have no idea how long it's been there :? ) these 2 saplike looking drops. Do you have any idea what it might be and what I need to do about it, if anything
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Just a beginner trying to learn and keep my cacti alive and happy. Zone 10a
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Steve Johnson
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Re: What might this be?

Post by Steve Johnson »

Could be pest mites. Check this out and scroll down to "Part 2 -- pest mites":

https://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42129

After you read through what I wrote, at least you'll have an idea regarding what to look for in case you have either red spider mites or flat mites. If you do, Part 4 of my presentation includes short-term and long-term solutions against both types of mite. I've been using the long-term solution successfully for years -- good news it that the miticides I recommend in the presentation are available in small quantities through The Flytrap Store:

https://www.flytrapcare.com/store/other ... ous-plants

By the way -- if you have a mite problem and I was a betting man, I'd bet on flat mites. Hope this helps!
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
.ilUli.
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Re: What might this be?

Post by .ilUli. »

Thank you for your response and the links, even though it’s not what I hoped to hear. Would these drop like things be nests? I assume I should isolate this cactus while I wait for the insecticide I need to buy.
Just a beginner trying to learn and keep my cacti alive and happy. Zone 10a
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MrXeric
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Re: What might this be?

Post by MrXeric »

Some Mammillaria have milky sap that oozes out after mechanical damage and dries up looking like the drops on your plant.
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Tom in Tucson
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Re: What might this be?

Post by Tom in Tucson »

MrXeric wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 1:55 am Some Mammillaria have milky sap that oozes out after mechanical damage and dries up looking like the drops on your plant.
These dried up sap droplets are often seen in Mammillaria that have milky sap. They can be caused by herbivores or piercing from spines of adjacent plants. They usually disappear as the cactus grows larger, and the old growth reaches the soil level.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: What might this be?

Post by Steve Johnson »

MrXeric wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 1:55 am Some Mammillaria have milky sap that oozes out after mechanical damage and dries up looking like the drops on your plant.
Tom in Tucson wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 2:29 amThese dried up sap droplets are often seen in Mammillaria that have milky sap. They can be caused by herbivores or piercing from spines of adjacent plants. They usually disappear as the cactus grows larger, and the old growth reaches the soil level.
MrXeric and Tom in Tucson may be onto something -- first, identify the species, then find out if it's a species that contains milky sap. If it is, the sap is natural latex and therefore toxic -- this may be enough to keep sucking pests like mealies and mites from bothering your Mamm. (I have a few latex-bearing Mamms in my collection, and I don't think I've ever seen them being attacked by mealies or anything else.)

Sorry to be picky-fussy about it, but...

Mites are arthropods, not insects, so pest mites need to be dealt with by using miticides -- insecticides we would use against mealies and armored scale are completely ineffective against pest mites.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
.ilUli.
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Re: What might this be?

Post by .ilUli. »

MrXeric wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 1:55 am Some Mammillaria have milky sap that oozes out after mechanical damage and dries up looking like the drops on your plant.
That's a relief, and tbh I think that's what it is. I used toothpicks to remove them last night. They are definitely like sap, one was slightly malleable, the other two more like larger grains of sand. I had recently repotted the cactus, maybe it was injured then. I definitely need to invest in a good magnifying glass though.
Just a beginner trying to learn and keep my cacti alive and happy. Zone 10a
.ilUli.
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Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2022 2:35 pm
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Re: What might this be?

Post by .ilUli. »

Tom in Tucson wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 2:29 am
MrXeric wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 1:55 am Some Mammillaria have milky sap that oozes out after mechanical damage and dries up looking like the drops on your plant.
These dried up sap droplets are often seen in Mammillaria that have milky sap. They can be caused by herbivores or piercing from spines of adjacent plants. They usually disappear as the cactus grows larger, and the old growth reaches the soil level.
Thank you so much, I believe you are right.
Just a beginner trying to learn and keep my cacti alive and happy. Zone 10a
.ilUli.
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Re: What might this be?

Post by .ilUli. »

Steve Johnson wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 2:40 am
MrXeric wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 1:55 am Some Mammillaria have milky sap that oozes out after mechanical damage and dries up looking like the drops on your plant.
Tom in Tucson wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 2:29 amThese dried up sap droplets are often seen in Mammillaria that have milky sap. They can be caused by herbivores or piercing from spines of adjacent plants. They usually disappear as the cactus grows larger, and the old growth reaches the soil level.
MrXeric and Tom in Tucson may be onto something -- first, identify the species, then find out if it's a species that contains milky sap. If it is, the sap is natural latex and therefore toxic -- this may be enough to keep sucking pests like mealies and mites from bothering your Mamm. (I have a few latex-bearing Mamms in my collection, and I don't think I've ever seen them being attacked by mealies or anything else.)

Sorry to be picky-fussy about it, but...

Mites are arthropods, not insects, so pest mites need to be dealt with by using miticides -- insecticides we would use against mealies and armored scale are completely ineffective against pest mites.
Uh-oh, this cactus came to me labelled as a Mammillaria albilanata, and a quick google search says it does not contain the milky sap. I will have to search more when I have time.

...and yes, you are of course correct, I meant miticides (although I should also have insecticides on standby)
Just a beginner trying to learn and keep my cacti alive and happy. Zone 10a
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jerrytheplater
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Re: What might this be?

Post by jerrytheplater »

.ilUli. wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 5:32 pm I definitely need to invest in a good magnifying glass though.
If you really want a good magnifying glass, get a 10x Hastings triplett lens. They give a good clear sharp image out to the edges of the lens. It is the typical lens used by botanists out in the field.

Hand held and can attach it to a lanyard for wearing around your neck out in the field. https://www.ascscientific.com/geology-f ... nd-lenses/

Eye Loupe style, you hold it with the skin around your eye. No hands needed. Easy once you learn how. https://www.grainger.com/product/BAUSCH ... tems_3H431
Jerry Smith
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Steve Johnson
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Re: What might this be?

Post by Steve Johnson »

.ilUli. wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 5:32 pmI definitely need to invest in a good magnifying glass though.
Yes, and for a couple of reasons. The first one is obvious, and here's the second -- you'll be amazed by all of the incredible details you would never be able to see with the bare-nekked eye. I have all kinds of nerdy fun giving my cacti an up-close inspection just enjoying the magnified details.
jerrytheplater wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 7:22 pmIf you really want a good magnifying glass, get a 10x Hastings triplett lens. They give a good clear sharp image out to the edges of the lens. It is the typical lens used by botanists out in the field.

Hand held and can attach it to a lanyard for wearing around your neck out in the field. https://www.ascscientific.com/geology-f ... nd-lenses/

Eye Loupe style, you hold it with the skin around your eye. No hands needed. Easy once you learn how. https://www.grainger.com/product/BAUSCH ... tems_3H431
Good suggestions, Jerry! I've been making do with a B&L 10x eyepiece I invert and use as a loupe, although not the best way to go about it. I should go for one of those suggestions.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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MrXeric
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Re: What might this be?

Post by MrXeric »

.ilUli. wrote: Wed Aug 31, 2022 5:41 pm

Uh-oh, this cactus came to me labelled as a Mammillaria albilanata, and a quick google search says it does not contain the milky sap. I will have to search more when I have time.

...and yes, you are of course correct, I meant miticides (although I should also have insecticides on standby)
Is your plant from Altman Plants? I bought one labeled as M. albilanata from them last year (or maybe the year before) with 3 growth points and I have the suspicion they are mislabeled. They look more like M. geminispina subsp. leucocentra, the form that still goes by the older name M. albata, but I haven't had this confirmed.
.ilUli.
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Re: What might this be?

Post by .ilUli. »

MrXeric wrote: Fri Sep 09, 2022 5:39 am
Is your plant from Altman Plants? I bought one labeled as M. albilanata from them last year (or maybe the year before) with 3 growth points and I have the suspicion they are mislabeled. They look more like M. geminispina subsp. leucocentra, the form that still goes by the older name M. albata, but I haven't had this confirmed.
Yes it is, I just looked at the first pic I took of it and it said cactuscollection.com on the pot. Altman’s does seem to do some creative labeling. I will make a note of your possible ID in my log.
Just a beginner trying to learn and keep my cacti alive and happy. Zone 10a
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