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[Frog Pajamas]

It appears I've messed up one of the babies. 

A couple bridgesii's have pups that look to be splitting. Both came out of winter dormancy with explosive growth, and my best guess is overwatering. Also, they were overwintered indoors, and while they weren't watered and sat there doing nothing, I suspect they were't truly dormant because the indoor temps were too high.

Any insights and suggestions would be great. Will the pups heal, or should I remove them to avoid damaging the whole plant?

[happyconcacti]

cacti are pretty amazing at healing themselves, I'd probably just let them be and cut back on watering for a bit.

If anything, I'd just dust the open wounds with sulfur.

Hcc

1 Like New Wisdom likes this.

[oplopanax]

Yeah, I would just leave them alone unless you start seeing rot forming where the split is. I bet they will either keep growing or will form new pups where the split is.

[Bach]

That looks more like slug or snail damage. They go for the growing tips like that. Sprinkle some DE on the soil to discourage further damage, and like the others have said just leave it the way it is.

That said, that particular variety seems particularly prone to splitting from overwatering. You'll know it when you see it, an entire column will split from top to bottom. Yours actually looks fine.   

1 Like happyconcacti likes this.

[Frog Pajamas]

Well this is all good news!

I didn't have sulfer powder, so I sprinkled some organic cinnamon on as a substitute. They didn't get any worse after that morning and are looking just fine.

Planning on spending all day tomorrow in the garden talking to the plants, so DE will be on the to-do list.

Thank you all for the help. 

1 Like happyconcacti likes this.

[oplopanax]

Oooo, yeah, THE SLUGS.

I just surround all of my cacti with sluggo these days. I have had them eat so many cacti pups, or the very growing tips. One T peruvianas that I have had for years had it's tip eaten, then it pupped out where the damage was, and the slugs ate the pup! I hear DE works well, sluggo definitely does, or you could wrap the pot in copper tape which scares em off for some reason.

[happyconcacti]

Wild, I had no idea slugs were a thing for cacti. I guess we just don't really have them where I am? At least not that I've seen.

Rats on the other hand, they'll eat a whole bridgesii over night. Pictures to come..........


Hcc

[oplopanax]

It's kind of weird to me that any critters would want to eat the cacti, they are so bitter. I assume that they are the more spiritually advanced members of the slug/rat societies, involved in divination & finding lost objects for the other slugs/rats.

4 Likes happyconcacti, Frog Pajamas, hereje and SlowGrow like this.

[Bach]

Wow rats go for bridgesii? Never heard of that before. I did know gophers will go for the roots though when planted in ground. 

A number of years ago squirrels destroyed my prized Brugmansia vulcanicola and Oncidium ceboletta, so apparently rodents know which plants to go for. They're obviously not dumb animals, but that doesn't mean I have to like 'em...

[Frog Pajamas]

Cactus ftw... it's HUGE above the slug damage. 

2 Likes happyconcacti and Psylover like this.

[happyconcacti]

Looks great Froggy!

Cacti are very forgiving in so many regards