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Cacti & Succulents

What to do with tiny cactus babies

10 years ago

I bought a succulent at the store today and it had these teeny tiny little cactus babies in it.. That's my thumb in the second pic for size comparison.. I'm assuming that a cactus flower went to seed and some of them fell into this container and sprouted.. I would have left them in with the plant they were with but while I was getting in the car the wind blew the plant over and these came loose..

What I need to know is what do I do with them? Don't know about the smaller ones, but I'm pretty sure the bigger one has started a root.. Do I put them in some sandy soil and keep them moist or do I wait until I'm sure they've grown some roots? Any advice is greatly appreciated..

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Comments (4)

lgteacher
10 years ago
I found the same thing while pulling weeds from an area that had been recently mulched. I stuck the little thing in some cactus mix, but I'm only watering when it's dry. I've only had it about 10 days, so it's too soon to tell. I'd avoid overwatering, the most common cause of plant death.
CorpsmanCooper
10 years ago
lgteacher - that looks like some type of cactus in the middle of a jade! Or some really rare new breed of succulent! LOL

~Erin~
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Yes, that's exactly what I was expecting, they are know around here as peat pellets (that's why I asked where you live-& the name on container was a clue too). It was probably too wet, and that's why bugs like it. It could be difficult to keep peat watered 'just right'. If wet, it very easily becomes too saturated & could cause root rot, especially for succulents. Very easily it turns into a peat soup :) If it dries out, it could be as hard as rock. That's why it is not recommended for growing plants. But it is OK for seed starting, or even rooting the leaves as you did above. Don't byrry them, they are growing roots into it. As they grow bigger (the babies), it would be better to pot them up into well draining potting mix. Perlite and/or grit could be mixed with some soil. If you could find cactus & succulent soil, add at least 50% of perlite and mix well. That would be much better to use for your plants. And the stones you have are nice top-dressing, just as you have it. Could you find some fine gravel? It would be good to mix some with perlite if available. (Perlite should be available in any garden center, or some other stores that carry gardening supplies and plants). To check if plant needs watering, you can use wooden skewer. Insert at least half way into the mix. If it comes out with particles sticking to it, no need to water yet. Rina
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Sorry to say but your cactus is a goner:(. From the looks of it all the tissue has been affected by the cold. Even if there was a little spot you could save I highly doubt the cactus would be healthy enough to put out roots. In the pic where the cactus is broken it looks like there is tiny bits of wood. Well that was once the cactus’ vascular ring. It’s no longer living. This is just a pic of a cactus cutting. To show you what the inside of a cactus should look like. You can see the vascular ring I was talking about. Looks like your cactus was a Cereus peruvianus.
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Laura Those instructions are typical when plants are sold in containers without drainage holes. They will work for a while, but are not suitable for long term health of most plants - not only succulents. If you think of where most succulents grow, and why they are 'succulents', you'll realize that good drainage is very important. Just because you see offset growing well in a month, it doesn't give good picture of overall health of plant - mother or offset. Containers like that are very nice looking, and much better as décor than a plastic or even many terracotta pots. It is up to you to decide if you want plant to grow to it's best potential, or you want best possible décor - that could possibly decrease plants vitality. (And I am not even considering the extra attention needed by the grower in tracking time and measuring amounts of water - but that may not be a problem if there are just few plants requiring it). I am not criticizing, everyone should do as they please. Many of us go to quite extremes (and those could be really extreme to some too!) - and that includes supplying 'the best' growing conditions same as not so best, to get results we want.
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paulzie32
10 years ago
lgteacher, yours is an Opuntia (or Cylindropuntia). It should be ok. Just keep it moist. They're pretty quick growers and can be pretty tough little guys. Just don't let it dry out too much or for too long.

kittikity, Can't really tell what yours are yet, but I would put them in some cactus soil as well. I don't usually use plain commercially sold "Cactus Mix" because if you look at lgteachers picture, you can see lots of organic matter, like small wood chips or twigs. Normally this is not good, but will help you keep your seedlings moist. Keep them moist. Not wet but moist. At this stage of life, they prefer high humidity. Many people grow their seedlings in plastic bags to keep them moist. I usually keep my larger seedlings (out of the baggie) in a large "tupperware" type container with the lid either partially or completely off, to maintain more humidity than just a pot sitting on a shelf. If they dry out too much and for too long, you will lose them :( I do have a friend that will put any small seedlings he receives or finds BACK into plastic bags. So,you could try that too. IF you happen to find algae growing on the top, put a fine layer of sand over it.
Would love to hear your progress and see how they all develop (both of you)
silentsurfer
10 years ago
this is really interesting, i didnt even know cactus seeded themselves, i thought they just grew offshoots like, or 'dropped' smaller parts to root themsselves,,
my sole cactus recently had pups, and i just plucked em off, stuck em in some gritty, and started misting them every 7-10(20?) days,, theyve grown some, i (think?) misting just encouraged 'hair' growth more than anything? lol but im sure they werent over-watered. :)

and it Does look like that last one has rooted itself into a crassula! ...curious,

Kitty,
i would suggest less-is-more on watering, cactus can go weeks without water,
but note that (mine) are strictly indoor (Z 6A) i dunno what Z9 is even hehe
have you done anything withem yet?
Would love to hear their progress as well. :)

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