Hi,
I was hoping someone could advise me on a cactus problem. I bought my mother a bunny ear cactus and everything was great. It has taken off in a very big way. My mother said that there are little skinny spines like things coming out of the pads that look like skinny greenbeans. There are so many of them that the cactus is getting top heavy and bending over. She is afraid that this is going to hurt the plant and make it cave in by the shear weight of these. It has already folded in at the top of the cacti. Do you know if she can break off the top of the cactus or support it with stakes? Or ? I would appreciate any suggestions because she received this as a mother's day present and she and I hate to see it die because of this problem. She has it inside as a houseplant if this information helps as well. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance! FYI I have two pictures but I did not see how to post?
Can you post a picture? ([url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3724]How to post pictures on forums[/url])
I'm pretty sure the "skinny green beans" are new growth. I like to see new growth on a plant, myself. It means the plant is happy. One option would be to put it in a cache pot. Find a heavy ceramic or clay planter that you like, that is large enough to hold the pot the cactus is growing in. Try to find a cache pot that has a broad base, and doesn't tip easily. Just set the cactus and its pot inside. Cache pots usually don't have drainage holes, so the cactus and its pot will have to be lifted out when it's time to water. However, I have pots I use as cache pots, that do have drainage holes. I still remove the plant from the cache pot when it's time to water, though.
If you prefer not to use a cache pot, you might want to consider repotting the plant in a broader, shallower container. Cacti tend to prefer that shape of container, anyway, because they have shallow, wide-spreading root systems.
If repotting isn't an option, then yes, the cactus can be pruned. There is some information in this thread:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17388
I'm pretty sure the "skinny green beans" are new growth. I like to see new growth on a plant, myself. It means the plant is happy. One option would be to put it in a cache pot. Find a heavy ceramic or clay planter that you like, that is large enough to hold the pot the cactus is growing in. Try to find a cache pot that has a broad base, and doesn't tip easily. Just set the cactus and its pot inside. Cache pots usually don't have drainage holes, so the cactus and its pot will have to be lifted out when it's time to water. However, I have pots I use as cache pots, that do have drainage holes. I still remove the plant from the cache pot when it's time to water, though.
If you prefer not to use a cache pot, you might want to consider repotting the plant in a broader, shallower container. Cacti tend to prefer that shape of container, anyway, because they have shallow, wide-spreading root systems.
If repotting isn't an option, then yes, the cactus can be pruned. There is some information in this thread:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17388
Thank you so very much for taking a look at the picture. My mother has it sitting in the middle of a bedroom where there is very little sunlight coming in. Would you suggest her putting it in the window or putting it out during the day? She lives in Michigan. Thanks so much for any further information you can provide.
Yes, definitely it needs to have more light. I keep my cacti in a window that faces due west. I remove them on the very hottest days, but otherwise, they're on a shelf right up beside the window. Even that isn't really enough light for them, because if I don't turn them every day or two, they begin to lean toward the glass, wanting more sun. The west window is good enough, though.
Your mom certainly could take the plant outside during the day, but she shouldn't place it in direct sunlight. The tissue of indoor plants is more delicate than that of plants that grow outdoors, and they sunburn easily. The plant would have to be slowly adapted, over a period of a few weeks, before it could live outdoors in full sunlight.
I haven't done any research on it, but I know cacti of the Opuntia genus, which includes Bunny Ears, are pretty tough and adaptable to a variety of weather extremes. They grow in places you wouldn't expect a cactus to survive, as long as they're in well-drained soil. They are rated, I think, for zones 3 to 11. I don't know what zone you're in, but the cactus might be able to live outside most, or even all, of the year in your area. You may want to investigate that.
It's fine, of course, if your mom just wants to keep it as a houseplant. Opuntia's do grow fast, compared to other cacti, and they get pretty big. You can expect it to be 1 to 3 feet in height, and perhaps 4 or more feet in diameter at maturity. If you decide to keep it in the house, then you certainly would want to keep it pruned to a smaller size, I think. (I would, anyway! I have a small house, and wouldn't want to be bumping into a cactus all the time!
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Your mom certainly could take the plant outside during the day, but she shouldn't place it in direct sunlight. The tissue of indoor plants is more delicate than that of plants that grow outdoors, and they sunburn easily. The plant would have to be slowly adapted, over a period of a few weeks, before it could live outdoors in full sunlight.
I haven't done any research on it, but I know cacti of the Opuntia genus, which includes Bunny Ears, are pretty tough and adaptable to a variety of weather extremes. They grow in places you wouldn't expect a cactus to survive, as long as they're in well-drained soil. They are rated, I think, for zones 3 to 11. I don't know what zone you're in, but the cactus might be able to live outside most, or even all, of the year in your area. You may want to investigate that.
It's fine, of course, if your mom just wants to keep it as a houseplant. Opuntia's do grow fast, compared to other cacti, and they get pretty big. You can expect it to be 1 to 3 feet in height, and perhaps 4 or more feet in diameter at maturity. If you decide to keep it in the house, then you certainly would want to keep it pruned to a smaller size, I think. (I would, anyway! I have a small house, and wouldn't want to be bumping into a cactus all the time!
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