This cactus has gotten so tall I cannot move it anymore. It is in the skylight, and in order to move it I would have to lean it down. I'm afraid that would break it. Can this cactus be cut in half or something and still survive? Can the half cut off be planted and would it grow? Any advice would certainly help me.........this cactus is over 7 ft tall - probably pushing 8-9 ft.
yes, you can cut it in half and then root the top piece and the original base will continue to grow. after you cut it, allow the cut part to callous over for a couple weeks, might take a month, and then pot it up and allow it to sit in dry soil for a month or so (you can bury a few inches in the soil and use bamboo poles to support it until it roots). after it's been in the soil for a month, give a little water and continue doing little bits of water every couple weeks. after about 6 weeks, give a gentle nudge to see if it stays firm - if so, then roots have begun and you can increase the amount of water given and decrease the frequency of it. if it wants to tip over, then roots haven't started yet and you'll need to stick with small amounts of water for another couple weeks and maybe a month - check it periodically to see if it stays put with a gentle nudge. i would also put some kind of fungicide on the cut ends (both top and bottom) - you want to avoid any infections getting into the inside of the plant. lots of people use ground cinnamon. i'm sure there's something sold in stores specifically for this purpose as well.
Thank you sooooo much! This has been the strangest cactus - so thin and yet so tall with nothing really supporting it. I hate to cut it, but it's going to hit the ceiling very soon. It's been growing quite fast. Again, thank you so much for how to care for it.
that's the normal growth pattern for the columnar cacti - some will get as tall as 30 feet! and most types DO grow pretty quickly, too!! if you want, you can cut it twice and then you'll have three cacti of varying heights - they'd look fabulous grouped together.
Blummin 'eck thats impressive! I don't have anything to add to Joclyn's thorough (as usual) response but could not pass this thread by without saying something. How old is it, do you know?
I purchased the cactus aproximately 15 years ago when it was only 4-5" tall. The picture I posted shows it at it's tallest - 8' 10". I just cut it in thirds this weekend. So far the ends seem to be callousing beautifully. But it absolutley broke my heart to have to cut it. I wish I had 15-20' ceilings.
it IS a shame to have to cut such a beautiful specimen. we must do what we must when circumstances prohibit allowing it to grow to it's fullest. just one of the many compromises both we and the plants we grow make to accomodate non-native growing conditions. on the plus side, you now have three beautiful cacti!!! i would love to see a pic of them, once they're potted up. they'll be striking grouped together!
Joclyn, I sure do appreciate your help regarding my cactus. Your directions worked beautifully. We purchased a fungicide at Bockmann's and the cacti ends began callousing the day after we cut it. We'll be purchased some kind of pot this weekend to pot them together once they are able to be potted. Do you have any suggestions as to what kind of pot works best? The one I had it in was clay/ceramic. But I think I need a bigger one to accomodate three cacti. Do they need to be deep or shallow?
Wow! Well done for looking after it so well is all I can say! I'm not sure about what pot to use, other than it should be ceramic. You have to bear in mind that it can't have too much soil to start with as the cactus-lets won't have many roots and will be prone to rot in a big pot.
i would definitely stick with unglazed clay since the cactus likes dry conditions - glazed ceramic would also work. just wouldn't allow the soil medium to dry out as quickly. MAKE SURE THE CONTAINER HAS AMPLE DRAINAGE!!! you can put them in three containers or maybe two in one and then the other by itself - might make it easier to deal with if you need to move them if they're in separate containers. once you pot the newly cut pieces, allow them to sit in the dry soil for a week or two and then just give a bit of water every couple weeks. check in about a month by gently nudging to see if roots have started. if not, then continue with small amounts of water every couple weeks until roots have started and then get them on the same watering schedule as the original piece. please post pics once you've got them set up. i'd really like to see how they look!!
Thank you for the info. I certainly appreciate it. I just bought a pot today to put all 3 in. It's ceramic (unglazed inside), about 6 1/2" high and about 14" wide. Next week will hit the 2 week mark. It looks like callouses are forming beautifully yet. It says to put the fungicide on every 14 days - not sure that I will need to. Should I anyway? Or should I just plant them? The original one (or piece) I will need to transplant. I'm sure that one will be fine. I will take pictures and post them once they are potted. I have faith they will be just fine. :)
I don't think the fungicide will do any harm so you may as well do another application. It will also continue to protect the cuttings once they are placed in the soil. :) Looking forward to photos!
I repotted my cut cactus today. I also repotted my prickly pear into the pot my cut cactus was in. Pics coming...........
great work!!! the three look really nice all together! and i LOVE the prickley pear in the other container!! it looks fabulous in it!
Now we just wait and see if they'll make it. Thanks soooooo much for your help! I know I wouldn't have done anything without help. Your instructions were wonderful.
