What to do, what to do...

Discuss repotting, soil, lighting, fertilizing, watering, etc. in this category.
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Steve Johnson
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What to do, what to do...

Post by Steve Johnson »

This is a Discocactus buenekeri I got from Miles' To Go in December 2013 -- first photo on 12/22/13:

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The view from above on 9/24/16:

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I didn't realize that the plant would be so prolific about offsetting, and I decided to give it a "haircut" the following March. A whole bunch of pups on 3/4/17, which I gave to Desert Creations in Northridge CA:

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After the "haircut":

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A couple of observations:
  • Unless you live in the tropics, all species of Discocactus need occasional light watering in winter to keep their roots alive. That's my standard fall/winter routine -- light watering every 3 weeks. With that said, the buenekeri's winter shriveling is normal, which made it rather easy to pull off pups right before the plant was ready for deep watering as the growing season started toward the end of March.
  • Pups growing around the parent stem's cephalium -- that's peculiar, and I spotted the first few way back in 2014. Either it's normal for the species, or I was doing better than I expected.
Now we'll fast-forward to 2022, and this may blow your mind a little bit -- 10/23/22, a week or two after the growing season ended:

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I created a beautiful monster! Here's the problem -- the buenekeri's pot is full, and since my strictly limited growing space is pretty full too, I don't have the room for a bigger pot. That being the case, I wonder if the plant needs another "haircut". I can see pros and cons to doing it, so the pros are:
  • Thinning out enough pups to keep the buenekeri in its current pot without the potential for trouble.
  • Letting nutrient energy go toward the parent stem and the older pups instead of putting it into growing more new pups.
  • I know a few local growers who would like to get the pups left on my "barbershop floor".
Here's the con, and it's a big one:
  • All of the pups are firmly attached (I just checked, and even now this is the case). That means having to do some "cactus surgery" -- at best, it'll disfigure the parent stem and the "chief" pup that's growing a nice cephalium and flowering, and at worst I could lose the entire plant.
Chopping pups out of the parent stem's cephalium is asking for trouble, so I won't even think about doing it. Thinning out pups around the margin of the pot does make some sense, and "cactus surgery" there may not be as drastic as I imagine. Thinning out pups between the parent stem and "chief" pup seems like a questionable idea, although once again maybe not as drastic as I imagine. If I do have to use "cactus surgery", I'll give the exposed tissues a liberal dusting of sulfur powder -- and be very careful about watering around the base of the plant so that the sulfur powder doesn't get wet.

So what do y'all think -- should I leave the buenekeri as-is, or do the surgery? If the general consensus is that the plant needs it, I sure would appreciate some advice on how I should approach this before I commit. Nice thing is that I wouldn't have to follow through on the commitment until winter here in SoCal is almost over.
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jerrytheplater
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by jerrytheplater »

I would take it out of its pot and do what removal of pups you can easily and then repot. You said you can't go bigger.
Jerry Smith
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Steve Johnson
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by Steve Johnson »

jerrytheplater wrote: Sun Jan 29, 2023 1:41 am I would take it out of its pot and do what removal of pups you can easily and then repot. You said you can't go bigger.
Yeah, that's the only downside to living in a 2nd-floor apartment with such limited growing space on the balcony. The buenekeri could use a repot anyway, and pups around the edge of the pot may not need "cactus surgery" after all. Only one way to find out, so I'll give it a shot. By the way -- I have a feeling that the pot is full of roots, so if that's the case, they'll get a haircut in the true sense of the word.

Thanks, Jerry!
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by jerrytheplater »

Haircut? You say Haircut? Check this out: https://youtu.be/3FhnW4vFaFA
Jerry Smith
Bloomingdale, NJ
45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
2012 USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to OF (-20C to -18C) min.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by Steve Johnson »

jerrytheplater wrote: Sun Jan 29, 2023 3:17 am Haircut? You say Haircut? Check this out: https://youtu.be/3FhnW4vFaFA
I just watched the video -- wow, very instructive! Given the fact that many of my cacti haven't been repotted in more than 5 years, the buenekeri may not be the only plant with roots that need a haircut. Think I'll be in for a busy spring. Appreciate it, Jerry!
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by Minnesota »

Hi, Steve--

Completely agree with the initial premises of maintaining the integrity of the parent and major pup. I think that you might find that some sacrifice of the removed tissue is inevitable, however it also appears that you will have ample cuttings to root and send on (or vice versa). The size and flowering are testaments to your care and knowledge. Would it be possible to delay this to the same time frame as before--just prior to the growing season watering? It might make the separations a bit clearer and easier I would think. That, and a sharp blade with huge amounts of patience. :)

Happy trimming!

Bret
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by greenknight »

Looks to be no option to surgery. Root pruning might slow the production of offsets.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by Steve Johnson »

Minnesota wrote: Sun Jan 29, 2023 4:31 am Hi, Steve--

Completely agree with the initial premises of maintaining the integrity of the parent and major pup. I think that you might find that some sacrifice of the removed tissue is inevitable, however it also appears that you will have ample cuttings to root and send on (or vice versa). The size and flowering are testaments to your care and knowledge. Would it be possible to delay this to the same time frame as before--just prior to the growing season watering? It might make the separations a bit clearer and easier I would think. That, and a sharp blade with huge amounts of patience. :)

Happy trimming!

Bret
Hi Bret,

I agree with your agreement, and thanks for your kind comment! :D As long as I'm judicious about how I pull out the smaller pups, the patience will be worth it. Guess I shouldn't worry so much about this. The tricky part will be timing, so I'll keep a keen eye on the weather in March. Coming after 3 years of drought, SoCal has blessed us with a lot of rain thus far. In wet years, February is the coldest and wettest month, so if that's what happens as the rain pattern continues, I may be looking at late March/early April for the end of winter and time to do the haircutting.

Unfortunately I don't have the growing space to keep any of the pups. While I can't make any promises, it's possible that I might be able to ship them out to a few of our US members. If so, I'll make an announcement on the forum, then see if I have any takers.
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7george
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by 7george »

So what do y'all think -- should I leave the buenekeri as-is, or do the surgery? If the general consensus is that the plant needs it, I sure would appreciate some advice on how I should approach this before I commit. Nice thing is that I wouldn't have to follow through on the commitment until winter here in SoCal is almost over.
Leave it as it is for now. You still can water and handle the plant normally. Pups hanging out of the pot can be trimmed in the summer safely.

My plant that is of different variety but same species also quickly filled the pot but transferring it into wider one would make it not to fit the windowsill so depriving it of the best sunny spot I have for it.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by Steve Johnson »

7george wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 11:53 pmLeave it as it is for now. You still can water and handle the plant normally. Pups hanging out of the pot can be trimmed in the summer safely.
Glad you brought that up...

SoCal has been going through an unusually cold winter, not even a hint of springtime conditions in the forecast until mid-April. My D. buenekeri and Melo matanzanus are still indoors (light watering every 3 weeks as required for both species). Once the overnight lows here start heading north of 45F, I can move them back out to the plant bench. Quite frankly, I wasn't thrilled about the idea that I would have to unpot the buenekeri at just the right time. Given your experience with the species, your advice is a load off my mind. Thanks!

By the way, that cephalium is fantastic!
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by 7george »

Thanks, Steve! BTW, when that cephalium was smaller (some ~ 9 yrs ago) the flowers looked larger ... :)

Have you rooted successfully some of these offsets? What did you do with those plants? I also wonder about Discocactus lifespan in culture, it should be at least 15 - 20 years. And longer than those reported for wild plants.
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: What to do, what to do...

Post by Steve Johnson »

7george wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 6:28 pm Thanks, Steve! BTW, when that cephalium was smaller (some ~ 9 yrs ago) the flowers looked larger ... :)
WOW! :o
7george wrote: Sat Mar 18, 2023 6:28 pmHave you rooted successfully some of these offsets? What did you do with those plants? I also wonder about Discocactus lifespan in culture, it should be at least 15 - 20 years. And longer than those reported for wild plants.
Wish I could I keep at least a few of the offsets, but unfortunately not possible. The problem is that my apartment is over a stand-alone garage, so my growing space is confined to 12 square feet on the balcony. Since a lot of that space has already been taken up, the only choices are giving the offsets to a local grower (or maybe ship to one of our US members) or just throw them away. I don't like tossing perfectly good plant material, although I may have to given the time constraints I'm dealing with. But if something bad happens to the roots or the parent stem, I'll have a bunch of "insurance plants" I can choose from. Nice thing is that more than a few of the offsets come with their own roots...

Discocactus buenekeri gets a "haircut" 3/2017
Discocactus buenekeri gets a "haircut" 3/2017
Discocactus_buenekeri03042017_pups.JPG (130.29 KiB) Viewed 1674 times
and they'll be easy enough to grow.
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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