# An indoor Cactus question (or 2)



## Dave7 (24 Jul 2020)

I have just bought a Cactus plant, on a whim. I know nothing about them.
This one is called a Pilosocereus.
It in a very small pot (maybe 4" wide.
The Cactus itself is maybe 3" tall and there are 4 of them.
I just googled it to read that they grow 30 feet tall . I assume they grow according to pot size (I hope).
So...... should I repot this one ?
Any other advice gratefully accepted.



BTW......£2.69 from Aldi.


----------



## CanucksTraveller (24 Jul 2020)

You're still in growing season so yes it's safe to repot that, BUT:
Use cactus and succulent potting "compost", but mix in lots of either perlite (or better still) chicken grit or small stones. Knock as much as the old soil off the roots as you can. Put some broken pieces of crock in the bottom too, it needs to drain almost immediately when you do water it.

Don't pick a huge pot, just go a little bit bigger than that one. For some reason they can struggle a bit in really big pots so keep it fairly in proportion like the plants below. You can ditch the plastic inner and put it straight into terracotta which suits them pretty well. 






And yes your cactus can indeed grow to be 30 feet tall, but it's a slow process... up to 70 years! 😄
If you repot successfully, and if you can treat it to some good sunlight and a water / feed occasionally before autumn you should see growth of maybe a cm or so. Once the days get shorter it will go dormant again until next spring.


----------



## Dave7 (24 Jul 2020)

CanucksTraveller said:


> You're still in growing season so yes it's safe to repot that, BUT:
> Use cactus and succulent potting "compost", but mix in lots of either perlite (or better still) chicken grit or small stones. Knock as much as the old soil off the roots as you can. Put some broken pieces of crock in the bottom too, it needs to drain almost immediately when you do water it.
> 
> Don't pick a huge pot, just go a little bit bigger than that one. For some reason they can struggle a bit in really big pots so keep it fairly in proportion like the plants below. You can ditch the plastic inner and put it straight into terracotta which suits them pretty well.
> ...


Thanks.
I didn't know they had a season.
I will get my leather gloves out and repot.

Slight problem.
I don't have cactus type compost. Bo idea where to fet itbut I don't want a big bag for one small plant


----------



## MartinQ (24 Jul 2020)

CanucksTraveller said:


> You're still in growing season so yes it's safe to repot that, BUT:
> Use cactus and succulent potting "compost", but mix in lots of either perlite (or better still) chicken grit or small stones. Knock as much as the old soil off the roots as you can. Put some broken pieces of crock in the bottom too, it needs to drain almost immediately when you do water it.
> 
> Don't pick a huge pot, just go a little bit bigger than that one. For some reason they can struggle a bit in really big pots so keep it fairly in proportion like the plants below. You can ditch the plastic inner and put it straight into terracotta which suits them pretty well.
> ...


What's the one with lobed leaves at the top of the picture (if you don't mind)?


----------



## CanucksTraveller (24 Jul 2020)

MartinQ said:


> What's the one with lobed leaves at the top of the picture (if you don't mind)?


The tallest one? That's a kalenchoe brachyloba, there are a couple of smaller ones to the left if that's the one you're referring to?
That thing is something of a crazy frankenplant, we got it about 3 years ago, in its first year it grew to about 2 and a half feet, ever since then we've divided it up, propagated cuttings, it must have about 15 different incarnations of itself from the original plant. 






Some cuttings:


----------



## Johnsco (24 Jul 2020)

Yes - Do repot it.
I use a mixture of John Innes No. 3 compost and 50% added grit - perhaps a little perlite or vermiculite.
Good drainage is essential
Water freely in summer - Once a week.
Much less-so in winter.
Best in a terra-cotta pot with a drainage hole.
Never let a cactus stand in water. 
MOST-IMPORTANT .... MAXIMUM LIGHT !!!
Outside in summer, but bring them in around the end of September.
Don't be too-precious about it.
Cactus plants are pretty tolerant.
Some of mine I've had 40 years.
Good luck.


----------



## MartinQ (24 Jul 2020)

CanucksTraveller said:


> The tallest one? That's a kalenchoe brachyloba, there are a couple of smaller ones to the left if that's the one you're referring to?
> That thing is something of a crazy frankenplant, we got it about 3 years ago, in its first year it grew to about 2 and a half feet, ever since then we've divided it up, propagated cuttings, it must have about 15 different incarnations of itself from the original plant.
> 
> View attachment 537683
> ...


Thanks. A friend has something similar she's trying to identify. Could be one of those.


----------



## Dave7 (24 Jul 2020)

Johnsco said:


> Yes - Do repot it.
> I use a mixture of John Innes No. 3 compost and 50% added grit - perhaps a little perlite or vermiculite.
> Good drainage is essential
> Water freely in summer - Once a week.
> ...


Many thanks.
MrsD is always amazed at the advice I get off a cycle forum.
I only have the one small cactus and no plans for more (that might change )
So.......where to buy small bags of cactus compost


----------



## CanucksTraveller (24 Jul 2020)

Amazon and many garden centres sell small bags of cactus and succulent potting media, but as Johnsco says you can make your own. Avoid anything too nutrient rich, and mix in a lot of grit, sand or vermiculite.


----------



## MartinQ (24 Jul 2020)

CanucksTraveller said:


> The tallest one? That's a kalenchoe brachyloba, there are a couple of smaller ones to the left if that's the one you're referring to?
> That thing is something of a crazy frankenplant, we got it about 3 years ago, in its first year it grew to about 2 and a half feet, ever since then we've divided it up, propagated cuttings, it must have about 15 different incarnations of itself from the original plant.
> 
> Some cuttings:









What do you think about the attached? I've had a bit search round and can't find an exact match but seems similar? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Dave 123 (24 Jul 2020)

As a lad I used to have a collection of cacti. Mamillaria, Echinocactus etc.

It went well for a while until they started to resent me and call me names.




Bunch of pricks.


----------



## CanucksTraveller (24 Jul 2020)

MartinQ said:


> View attachment 537728
> 
> 
> 
> What do you think about the attached? I've had a bit search round and can't find an exact match but seems similar? Thanks in advance.



Yes that's kalanchoe brachyloba. That one is a particularly big, wild old thing and might benefit from a good pruning, unless he likes that wild look! 😄 Doesn't matter either way, they're hardy things.

You can cut kalanchoe right back quite happily (so long as you use a sterile, sharp blade like a craft knife), any cuttings you take will develop their own roots so you could get many healthy, symmetrical plants from some small cuttings. You can even grow a new plant from just a leaf, lay it on growing medium and it will develop little red roots, train them into the soil and a new plant will grow.


----------



## wheresthetorch (24 Jul 2020)

Psilocereus can get pretty big - this is a Psilocereus azureus:


----------



## MartinQ (25 Jul 2020)

CanucksTraveller said:


> Yes that's kalanchoe brachyloba. That one is a particularly big, wild old thing and might benefit from a good pruning, unless he likes that wild look! 😄 Doesn't matter either way, they're hardy things.
> 
> You can cut kalanchoe right back quite happily (so long as you use a sterile, sharp blade like a craft knife), any cuttings you take will develop their own roots so you could get many healthy, symmetrical plants from some small cuttings. You can even grow a new plant from just a leaf, lay it on growing medium and it will develop little red roots, train them into the soil and a new plant will grow.


Thanks, I thought it was similar when I saw your cuttings. There are a few differences (some 5 leaf flowers rather than 4), but I guess that's just some sub species. Thanks again, one mystery solved.


----------



## CanucksTraveller (25 Jul 2020)

MartinQ said:


> Thanks, I thought it was similar when I saw your cuttings. There are a few differences (some 5 leaf flowers rather than 4), but I guess that's just some sub species. Thanks again, one mystery solved.


No worries, and I've no doubt it's the same plant, when you leave them to get really big they do some weird things, stems kink at 90 degrees, leaves don't always grow as pairs, roots start growing halfway up, I left one to grow up to 3 feet and it did all that. 
I just train mine now to be symmetrical and tidy looking as I'm a bit of a fanny like that. Once a plant gets very tall or divides too much I prefer to cut it right back and make new plants for friends.


----------

