I think if you just leave it in the new cactus mix it should be fine. The soft green "shoots" (I don't know what to call them either) are common on the cholla that grow all around my house and shouldn't concern you. Anyway, just leave it alone in the new soil - give it plenty of sun and, in the name of all that's holy, don't put it anywhere you might mistakenly bump into it! :-) P.S. I kind of giggled when you said they were selling them at the gift shop - they can be a nuisance around here as they're just the meanest cactus ever. My old queensland heeler ran directly into a pile of cholla "droppings" once when she was a pup - it took me and my husband 30 minutes with a leatherman and comb to get them all out of her poor little paws and snout.

Chances are it is more likely to be a compacting peat based soil and is more than half. Then to imagine how much more profit the" pros " at the garden center would make with holiday cacti cuttings that they'll also try to root and still have the audacity to charge you to re-pot it.

Hello all, I was taking a look back through my old posts and saw this and just wanted to share some newer pictures (February). My TC responded phenomenally to the bark mix and is looking great. Unfortunately, I misunderstood and used coarse orchid fir bark instead of fine, but when I repot next I will break what I have to smaller chunks. Live and learn! Josh, I think you mentioned 2 years to repot in this mix? If anyone reading this is curious, here is a link to Josh's repot post that Laura mentioned above ("CC Repot"). It is a great read and there's a ton of good information. Anyway, here it is (and yes that is a ton of snow in the background--almost all melted now): This 'little' one consisted of one 2-segment cutting and one 3-segment y-shaped cutting when I originally started this thread. I can't believe how much it has grown in the last nine-ish months! This is still in peaty mix, I'm going to repot it this spring. It's the one on the right! :-) Just out of curiosity, does anyone have thoughts on why the larger plant is cascading more while the cuttings are growing more upright? Most of the pictures I've seen on the forum tend to be more upright before cascading. Also, I'm thinking about turning the pot with the cuttings into a mixed container. Any suggestions for plants that may be compatible with TC or this soil mix? If they're ok with a slightly more water retentive mix, I'm thinking a cascading sedum (burro's tail) or senecio (string of pearls) along with a kalanchoe (paddle plant). Looking forward to another year of growth! Nathan

If the roots are healthy, I would not cut them off. Any soft spots on trunk? (it looks good in the photo). If my plant, I would try to tease out rest of the soil from roots (using tepid water helps to soften the peat, and help yourself with a wooden skewer) and inspect them - if any very damaged and/or soft-mushy-slimy, I would cut those off. I would dry off all the water (the leaves look too wet to me - did you soak whole plant?) and pot it up (I use mix of grit+perlite+turface). Give it bright and warm (not drafty) spot and wait patiently for roots to grow in.