Help with ID-ing cactus and succulent + advice
Hello!
I'm pretty new to the world of plants, but after successfully keeping alive a 2.5 EUR Dracena Marginata from IKEA for 3 years I got a little more confidence and starting hoarding all sorts of green-leafed little friends.
I have trouble identifying this little cactus here:
I am pretty sure it will be something that looks completely different as an adult, which is why I couldn't pinpoint it exactly when browsing through google. It also looks a bit shriveled, I have recently put it in a more cacti-friendly soil and I think it is underwatered:
Also, I have another „dollar acquisition” which I THINK is a sort of frilly echeveria:
That guy had it hard in the beginning because I overwatered it and one side got really yellow so I had to discard a lot of leaves. It is doing better now - I think. It just stays the same, no growth no nothing.
I have them both for 2.5 months. The cactus was growing steadily until last month. I had repotted it first thing after buying because it was circling in its small pot, but I had not discarded the old soil. A couple of weeks ago I checked its roots and they were still exactly as when I repotted it - curled up around the old soil, no extensions or new growths. I have untangled the thing and put it in new soil (potting mix + coarse sand + perlite). Hopefully it will do better!
Comments (8)
Sabina (6b, big city, scorch&freeze)
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Help id'ing this large cactus
Comments (1)Opuntia cochenillifera I believe. Here is a link that might be useful:...See MoreHow about a little help on ID'ing a succulent!
Comments (5)Hoovb - thanks, I do like it. Tahneal - thanks to you too. And thanks for the advice, the word "rare" is definitely overused. Kind of like "Limited" meaning, limited to the number they made! Ha! I was also told that the plant is around 15 years old and it has not bloomed yet. It should bloom next year. Whether it is or isn't rare or 15 years old, I still love it, so that makes it a good purchase for me. I'm happy to have it....See MoreNeed help ID'ing cactus: Dragon Fruit or orchid? or Orchid Cactus????
Comments (3)It's an epiphyllum, probably an epiphyllum hybrid (which typically contain other, similar genera, including Disocactus, Pseudorhipsalis and Selenicereus). These are commonly referred to as 'orchid cactus', but they are neither a true cactus nor an orchid :-) They are a semi-tropical succulent related to cactus that produces large, very showy flowers. They do produce an edible fruit (NOT a dragon fruit) but these are scarce on indoor plants. They are epiphytes, meaning they take advantage of other, larger plants - like trees - as a support system, like most tropical orchids do, and do not require soil in their native habitat. For home gardeners, they grow perfectly well in a good quality, fast draining potting mix. Unless you live in a semi-tropical climate or certainly a frost free zone (Z 10 or higher), these are not hardy outdoor. And they are pendant in habit, with those long branching structures cascading over the side of a container to often a significant length. One normally grows them in some sort of hanging basket structure or on a tall plant stand to show off the plant and its long branches to best effect. btw, the flowers form at the tips of these flattened leaves/branches so any pruning should be done cautiously. There are scads of websites on epis and if you do a bit of searching, they will provide all the growing info you need (rather than my repeating it all here!!). I find they are very easy to grow and will reward you with some gorgeous - if short-lived - flowers. I've got one setting flower buds now after being moved back indoors from its summer holiday location. Here's just one example of an epiphyllum website but do not stop with just one!! And be sure to check out any that show photo galleries of the blossoms - they are incredible!!...See MoreNeed help ID-ing succulent
Comments (8)Agree with socks...just leave the mother leaf there until it dries up, shrivels and it will detach itself from the new plant. In the meantime, it is supplying moisture and nutrients to the young plant....See More
socks
6 years ago
Liz (Virginia z6b)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoSabina (6b, big city, scorch&freeze)
6 years agoThanks, Liz and socks! Yes, I repotted the cactus and yesterday was the first time it got some water, so the soil shrunk - I will definitely top up.
When I was searching online I came across the Christmas tree cactus, it was a good candidate - now that Liz is mentioning it, I think it might be indeed a Austrocylindropuntia subulata monstrose. I got it from IKEA and I am not ashamed to admit it :) Seems like the plants from there last longer.
I don't want to flood the forum, so I will ask the next question here - I bought an E. Perle von Nurnberg and it literally wilted OVERNIGHT. I am not kidding. I bought it, it seemed fine, brought it home, did not water it, the next morning the lower leaves were the wrinkly yellow-ish and limp sign of overwatering. I have discarded the leaves, repotted with a hefty amount of perlite in a slightly larger pot and am thinking about beheading. Never tried it yet though. Right now it is a bit wobbly, because the soil is dry and aerated, and the poor thing is like a danglyhead without its lower leaves. Would it be fine if I behead it now, or should I wait for it to get over the shock of changing homes first?
Rob Blomquist
6 years agoSabina (6b, big city, scorch&freeze)
6 years agoHi Rob,
Yep, I find that the purchases from hardware and department stores somehow adapt better. I had plants from fancy florist shops die on me almost instantly or suffer the fate of the poor perle above.
By comparison this is my Dracena and its baby, from IKEA. They're happy plants.
Still, coming back to the Perle - should I decapitate or not yet? Thanks!
Sabina (6b, big city, scorch&freeze)
6 years agoSo after a good drink, and then another, little baby cactus (the possible Austrocylindropuntia subulata monstrose) plumped up, its little nubs turned green, and it started putting on new growth. Happy days!
My E. Perle has been successfully decapitated in the meantime. Now I wait. I'm horrible at waiting.
Frank