After liberating my Mini Pet Cactus from its dome back in March, it has been doing very well and getting bigger every day. In the last post I had about the Mini Pet Cactus, it had formed a bud which was pressing against the dome. A few days later, the bud tried to open, but it was too confined by the dome. I knew then it was time to free the cactus from its little cage. Once I removed the dome, an Echinopsis-like white flower emerged.
The dome was easy enough to remove, but there was a plastic washer around the cactus stem, originally used to hold the soil in place. I couldn't remove it without destroying the roots, so I potted it as it was. I'm not sure if this tiny collar will eventually strangle the cactus, but at this point, it continues to grow, along with its offsets.
Previous posts about this cactus:
Another Pet Cactus: December 26, 2007
10 comments:
It sounds like a fairy tale, the mini cactus rescued by the good fairy and thriving, and rewarding her with beautiful flowers. makes me feel good.
Aiyana, I guess I had missed the earier posts, so went back to read them. I am so gad you saved the little guy and he is now happy in your garden. Makes you wonder about some of these fads though!
So nice to see one of these surviving... everytime I saw one of those, I always thought they were doomed...
I guess, as it grows, you could raise the soil level above the plastic washer, and hopefully grow roots above it.
Your mini-pet cactus is looking healthy and exuberant...I'm glad it was released from captivity and the bloom was able to show you its stuff.
It looks so cute but would probably rip your finger off with its spines. :)
Can you snip the plastic off with some wire cutters?
How really good looking this little baby is!!! I love it's white spines and the fact that it is thriving! Of course, there was never any doubt it would under your care!!!
I'd be inclined to wait until it's resting in the winter and then remove the washer anyway, regardless of root damage, otherwise the washer will just cut into the stem. Given that string tying up thick leathery Selenicereus stems will cut into them with no problem at all, a plastic washer will make short work of a soft Rebutia stem...
My money's on Rebutia albiflora, by the way, but then I'm not great at identifying these ;) Regardless, it should be really easy to reroot, even if removing the washer takes the whole root system with it.
how neat!
Thanks for all the comments. Stuart, I'm going to take your advice. I hate to take the chance, but I know it's necessary, and I assume better now than later. We'll see if it makes it and reroots--I will have to take off all roots to get the washer off.
I have a pet cactus too. I will let him free soon. Have you ever started another seedling inside the dome?
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