I think I have this issue too. I had no idea timing was so important! Thanks for sharing this mistake with us, so we can avoid it in the future! 🌵🌵🌵🌵🌿🌿🌿💕
Oops!! We all make mistakes and have mishaps. It's sometimes the hard way to learn. But learn I do!!! I feel it's important to show the little mishaps as well as the good stuff!!! Thanks for sharing this important information!!! It helps us all!!! From Morris park in the Ozarks,Out Las Vegas , have a wonderful day!!!✌💖🌵🌸🌴🌺🌲🌻🌳🌹🌿💐🍀🌷😀👍
FANTASTIC video Ana and so very informative, I noticed my big Lobivia monacantha started to stretch out and etiolate after I fertilised it a little too much during the very hot unusual heatwave we had in Ireland this Summer, it never happened before, and I think the combination of the heat and fertiliser made it want to grow at super speed haha, thanks so much for sharing this brilliant info and your experience Ana, and Hans and I are sending you lots of love and happiness and CAFFEINE and PLANT POWER to Las Vegas for a wonderful Monday and new week XXXX
Oh no! Yes, some of my lobivias are affected too. Sorry it happened to you as well, Lyn. Excessive heat always does this to my cactus but since I fertilized late, I made it worse. Ugh! I’m learning from my mistakes. Thanks for sharing your experience as well, Lyn. Next year, I should know better. Haha. 😃
I was seeing exactly this, and I'm now convinced this is what has happened. Thank you for an excellent explanation, it's taken me lots of searching to understand what I thought was etiolation, but clearly wasn't as they'd had plenty of sun.
Thank you for always posting your successes, and even your mistakes. It helps us all to learn. Especially those like myself, who are new to being owners of these beautiful cacti! It is one of the main reasons why I love this channel so much!
Thank you! I appreciate your encouragement. ☺️ I’m glad when we all share our stories, successes or otherwise. I also learned so much from viewers. I really want this channel to be a learning experience. 🙂🌵☕️ Cheers!
Your channel is so good! Thank you for the very thorough, well explained, beautiful and well recorded videos! I love that you go in depth in the subjects you talk about, and don’t fill your videos with repetition or useless fluff, lol. Love it!
Absolutely love Cactus Caffeine! Thank you, Ana! I would be interested in an episode in how to identify the different varieties. How to tell a rebutia from a mammalaria, for example. Cheers!
Very helpful! I have had many sexy hourglass 🤣🤣 columnar cacti in the past but I never thought about why they were growing that way. I can confirm that is "weak growth" because when the normal growth starts again it will bulge out, and soon you will have a top heavy cactus balancing on a thin stem and eventually it will bend or break under the weight. I always used to think cacti were so simple, what with their heat and drought tolerance, but they are very complex! I'm glad we have your analytical mind and explanatory skills to help us learn. 🌵💚
Great info sis. Last fertiliser ko na last week kc next month stop watering nako. Kaya mga susunod n dilig ko wala n fert. Ganyan pla nangyayari. Mga nababasa ko nga e bibilis nga ang laki na hndi na normal kc forced growth na sya.
My theory is that this is because cacti are CAM plants. During very hot weather, a CAM plant can only absorb carbon dioxide during the nighttime hours when there is not enough light for photosynthesis. When the sun comes up and brings high temperatures, their stomatae close tightly to retain moisture, and they use up what CO2 they absorbed during the night within a few hours. Their system fills with oxygen and they cannot get more CO2 until their stomatae open up during the cool hours of the night. As a result of this, photosynthesis can only happen for a few hours in the morning. They cannot produce the carbohydrates they need for growth. If you water too much and fertilize during this time, you force them to grow, but, because they cannot produce enough carbs, the resulting growth will be attenuated, as you have seen. During very hot weather, you should treat your plants just as you would during winter dormancy. Give them only enough water to prevent shriveling and no fertilizer until next spring, except a low nitrogen high phosphorus and potash fertilizer in the cool days in fall.
Very interesting. At the height of summer, our night temperatures were still over 95F. Those stomata only opened a few hours a day. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. 🙂
@@CactusCaffeine Funny thing is that here in Ohio we have been having a relatively cool rainy summer. So far, we've only had about one week with daytime temps rising into the nineties. Tomorrows (9/5/21) daytime high temp is 76F and the nighttime low will be58F.
Thanks so much for your fertilizing advice. I just got some big Trichocereus Pachanoi, a bridgesii and a monstrose form columnar cacti today. I got hem cheap from a private Gumtree sale. Only $10 each and they are from 2 to 3 feet tall.. It is spring now and it will heat up quickly in Australia. I will be very careful with my fertilizer applications. I got a large unknown piece for free that was laying on the ground. It has only 4 ribs and is about 12 inches long and around 12cm diameter. I made a clean cut and am drying the cut end out. The ribs are thin and a bit leathery. I hope I can save the cutting, It is a very unusual variety of columnar trichocereus. I will make a video tomorrow and post it on my page.
I enjoy your videos and narratives very much and have learned a lot. I also appreciate your telling us (for learning purposes), the mistakes you have made so we don't make them. Keep the videos coming so I can learn even more. A fellow "desert rat" (grin).
You always seem to know what My current situation and problems are Ana‼️ How did You know this just happened to Me this week⁉️ Haha 😂 Thank You for sharing this‼️ 🙌🏽💯🤩
It is ok Ana! Next time you can do better, you can try again! Don’t give up Ana! You are a pro at growing cactus 🌵. Thank you so much for posting this video!
Well that makes sense,I have 2 right now that look the same and always wondered why the growth was so fast lol now I know thank you for the knowledge 😊.
Your welcome. At first I was excited when I saw some growth but then it did not stop. And the spines were shorter too. That’s when I realized, it was not good growth. Ugh! 🤦🏻♀️
Thanks C.C. !!!! I didn't know about fertilizing when the strong heat has arrived...I never much cared for cacti ... partially I think because I live in Phoenix and you see them everywhere anyways...now I'm a big fan and want to have a set up like yours! So cool....any tips?
Another informative video, Ana. I always feed my cacti twice a year now, although I’m not keen on the Chempak stuff I use because the NPK is pretty high on it, but I use it at half strength. Next year I’ll be trying some liquid feed that got a much lower NPK, 2-4-4 I think. Thank you for sharing with us as always, Ana. Have a wonderful day and weekend from Edith & myself 🌵☀️🌺🌼🏜☕️
I had a feeling it would be too strong for cactus because the fertilizer is for all desert plants- including palm trees! So I reduced it half strength but it was still too strong and the heat made it worse too. Ugh! 🤦🏻♀️ I remember you showing that granular fertilizer. Yes, be careful with that.
The N-P-K numbers are just a representation of the ratios within the fertilizer and not really a representation of the overall strength of the food. 2-4-4 or 20-40-40 is in effect exactly the same and I would highly recommend buying a cheap TDS meter off amazon or a local gardening store with some calibration solution then you can mix exactly the same strength every time without issues no mater what food you are using. Some ph strips are an excellent idea also so you know exactly what is going into you plants and you will never have to worry again. I mix my food at 300 parts per million (ppm) and a ph of 6.0-6.4 and as far as I know that's pretty standard for nursery's with the cactus without getting into it too deeply
@@CactusCaffeine Ya not a problem, I've worked in the commercial greenhouse and farming industry for a good while and there are a lot of cheap and simple tools available for people privately that can really take the guesswork out of growing all types of plants and give that peace of mind knowing exactly what your doing with precision and repeatability
@leoaldebaran that's 300 ppm total including whatever is in the tap water. If you have hard water I would recommend cutting your tap water with reverse osmosis water to about 50-60 ppm and then adding the fertilizer up to the 300ppm. If you are trying to promote blooms i would say use something with a higher phosphorus like 15-30-15 or my personal favorite is a simple 20-20-20 that would pretty much cover everything the cactus needs without complicating the issue. If you wanted to check the ph of the mix anything between 6-7 will be fine and shooting for say 6.3-6.5 is where I like to run. Pretty much all fertilizer salts should drop the ph into the 6-7 ph range and the 50-60 ppm of the natural stuff occurring in your tap water should buffer the acidicy of the salts
I've read that one should not water cactuses when the temperatures are very high. Maybe it wasn't the fertilizer but the protracted 110 F weather while still watering. I grow my cactuses in mostly pumice and fertilize them a little every time I water (which is only during the growing season), following the advice of Barry Rice from UC Davis.
Maybe you are right. But here our summer temperatures are always very high. 110F is not unusual. I cannot afford not to water because of rapid dehydration or root loss. Although I water less amount when I think a cactus is going summer dormant. 🙂
last few years ive watered all my plants at around 3am so they have time to uptake all the water. Its personally worked wonders for me as thats when they uptake their water in nature.
Oh man! Those will definitely be interesting to watch grow from now on, and see if blooming is any different from years past (if they bloomed for you before). Thank you so much for sharing, I also got that same fertilizer so I'll have to watch how I use it very closely.
Be careful Marisa. The label says it can be used to grow Mesquite trees and Palo Verde trees! That should have been my warning that this is a strong fertilizer. Then again, I applied it at the wrong time as well. Double bloopers for me. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Ana thank you soooo much I have a couple of cacti with that same problem Tks for teaching us so much! So March and sept are the months we should do it!
depends on where you live. Here in northern Ohio, our first frost date is mid October, so in September I am starting to prepare my plants for winter dormancy.
Yes, when the weather cools down and before it gets cold, a small dose of fertilizer in September is good (depending on your local weather). But I guess I’m not doing any more fertilizing this year. Lol! 🤦🏻♀️
Oh no! So annoying when things like this happen, we are all guilty of mistakes do not feel bad Ana 😂 Just out of interest, I always add Bonemeal powder when I repot any cactus, as standard, so this lasts about 6 months slow release, so I'm stingy about adding too much other fertiliser, but only use it in addition twice maximum in the 6 to 7 months growing season (every 2nd or 3rd month interval, usually 2nd watering after wake up and then again mid season, but I don't ever fertilise in August, that's just me, as I want the cactus to wind down before end of September without extra fertiliser keeping it 'active 😄) . I try to use just phosphorus & or potassium and no nitrogen if I can help it, depending on what fertiliser brand I find. This year I found one without nitrogen so happily fertilised twice this year. Too much nitrogen is fatal for cactus, and I suppose if given at the wrong time as well, a fertiliser containing it, will produce even more excessive lush, mushy weak growth, more than usual. But epiphytic cactus you will be glad to know, do accept normal house plant fertiliser and the nitrogen content does not affect them like it does with the more desert type cactus, who prefer zero or as close to zero content of nitrogen. Epiphytic are quite hungry plants 🤣 Will you be cutting off those elongated parts and let the plant produce pups around the sides, a good idea to use these for grafting stock in future, like Clyde does with his Euphorbia pups.
Great share, Ana🙏. I bought several small cacti and get grew well this summer but I do not remember having fertilized them. Even my tender succulents had very little of Osmocote for orchids which is very weak. I have noticed that in my case by fertilizing less the structures grow harder and are less prone to pests, they are less delicious to bite, I suppose 😄. Happy weekend ❤️😍
Lol on less delicious to bite. 😊 I used to talk to my plants and tell them to grow, grow! Now I’m saying slow down! Haha. That fertilizer was way too strong. I should have known better as the fertilizer label says it can be used to grow desert trees! 🤦🏻♀️
Hello Ana I have a question. I would be grateful if you help me. Should I fertilize my cactuses after repotting them or should I wait couple of weeks to do?
That rapid growth is unusual. I know there are some cacti that etiolate and then fill-out later, but I agree with you that your trichocereus have grown too fast. That fertilizer is strong isn't it? Maybe you should just use animal dung fertilizer, you know the one that is compressed pellets. That releases the nutrients slowly. It looks like I too will not use liquid fertilizers to avoid sudden rapid growth. Thanks for sharing😌💖This video is very valuable information for everybody🌟
I agree that my fertilizer could be too strong. It should have been a warning signal to me when the bag said it can also be used to grow trees! 🤦🏻♀️ I hope you don’t experience what happened to me. It’s terrible. 😣
Also part of my cactus is shriveled up on one side the rest feels firm and growing...I'm considering cutting off the elongated parts when spring comes ... i also had a puece break off last year sometime and what looks like a pup grew...i just took it off today it looks columnar...when the shriveled part is completely dry I'll cut it off...any advice ? I had never used fertilizers in the past I just figured my plants would get the nutrients they needed from their potting soil...I'd just put new soil on top iin spring if not replanting and I always had happy healthy plants...i never have done a dormancy period but I did cut back on watering...the longest id go three maybe foyr weeks... I was always afraid it'd die with weeks of no water at all...I guess I'll research that...perhaps the plants sensed I was doing my best for them...
I have the elongation....I didn't realize about the dormancy...and thin threadlike growths are coming out of the main body ...I assume are roots but I've never seen it before or had a problem with my cactus...this was a brain cactus...
Many cacti produce a bud in fall as the weather is mild. They may continue or abort depending on how soon the cold weather sets in. Mine had buds that just fell off as the weather got cold at night.
The same thing happened to my cactus.... it is on my patio and gets diret morning sun... it didn't grow for one year I gave it some fertilizer and it shoot up so fast in this Florida weather and kept getting smaller and smaller... I had to cut it
Good question! That is what I am trying to see and learn right now. I did not do anything to my cacti that elongated last year and I’m observing if the next growing season will correct their shape. Keep watching my VLOGs and I will share my experience once I see results. 🙂
HI Ana 👋🏾 I know this just happen to you, but do you think this will hinder the ability to bloom of these cactus, this happen to my T. Grandiflorum as well 3 years ago and ever since there has been no blooms ?
Oh noooo! 😩 That is the last thing that I want to happen. It’s bad that they are deformed. But if they don’t flower as well, that is disaster! 🥺 I really don’t know as this extreme growth has not happened to me before. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
I am still undecided on what to do. For the Echinopsis and Trichocereus, I may just leave them as is as I am not really concerned about their looks. I grow them for the flowers that they produce. But if it becomes too tall and unstable, cutting may be the only option.
@@CactusCaffeine If you fertilize correctly next year, your next years growth will be plumper. I would wait and see what next years growth is like. If it is plumper, I would cut off the plump tops and leave the attenuated base to form pups for propagation.
The etiolation reaction is not too evident on the globular ones. If at most, they just expanded like they drank too much water. It is more visible on the columnars.
Hi will a slow release fertiliser do the same ?? 🥺 I added some a couple of weeks ago and it is the middle of summer 😭 I have been scraping as much as I can off but it is hard with rocky substrate it just falls through. Do you think slow release won’t harm it as bad ??? NPK 11.1.13 average daytime temps are around 28-30 degrees Celsius
@@CactusCaffeine thank you! Do you think I should repot them out of their current mix that has the slow release fertiliser as we are 1 month away from fall/autumn, just worried the slow release cacti/succulent fert that I have added will interfere with them going dormant through winter. It says the fertiliser takes for 2-3 months to fully absorb, Although it is water soluble and we just had about a week straight of rain where I live so might of already sped it up
Very informative, Ana. This happened to my Myrtillocactus geometrizans last summer. Just to give you some hope. It filled out and looks normal this summer
Oh that certainly is an encouragement. I’ve decided to not do anything and just leave them like that until next year. I want to see how they will turn out. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. 🙂
I received a 20 year old, almost 4 foot cactus, a few months back. Everything seems to be going well but I’m so scared I’m going to kill the poor thing. The base of the main shoot has always been very thin and corked, it is pretty hard and seems sturdy but everything I read on google just worries me. Do you think I should be concerned?
That is an old cactus! I wouldn’t worry unless it is showing signs of deteriorating. It is normal for an old cactus to cork and look beat up. As long as it is growing, it is fine. 🙂
Right now, I really don’t know what I will do. I might leave the Echinopsis as is. I’m growing it for its flowers anyway and not for its form. Others say they may not flower so it will be interesting to know what will happen next year.
Maybe it also has something to do with your cacti being in pots? In the ground the roots are a bit more insulated from the extreme temperature changes.
Oh no! My cacti will definitely not get any more feeding until next year. I’m thinking of just leaving the Echinopsis as is. I’m growing it for the flowers and not for its form. But the Trichocereus, if it grows a big ball on top when it normalizes, I will have to use the knife 🔪. 🤦🏻♀️
This is exactly what happened to our Rebutia muschii, Ana. The one I showed you on IG. What do you think of the idea 💡 of cutting the unhealthy top portion and treating it like a columnar cactus?
@@CactusCaffeine we have decided to follow your advice, Ana. We’ll just keep it the way it is and see what happens…. Yes, her FLOWERS are what matters to us, too! Thanks once again!
I think it is simply a case of too strong a mix of fertiliser. Instructions usualy greatly overstate the amount needed. Most commercial cactus mixes also have have too much and even diluting with another 1/2 or more grit, growth is often still boosted too much after repotting. So I never fertilize in the first year after repotting, they dont need it. After that a low nitrogen fertilser such as one that is designated "Orchid Flowering" ( Most fertilisers designated for Cactus and Succulents still contain too high a proportion of nitrogen) and only used at 1/8 strength absolute maximum, even 1/16th or less, every second or third watering, and that allows it to be used for steady even growth. I also do opposite time wise , I never fertilise in the first few waterings of the year or the last three or so. A few times I made the mistake of fertilising (very diluted) too early in the growing season or accidentally as the first or second watering after repotting, and skin damage, black patches in the top of the stem was the result.
I agree. The granular fertilizer that I used was new and may have been too strong for potted cacti. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. ☺️🌵☕️
Hi Anna!!!! I have a Biiiiiig problem i really hope u can help me with!!! I just fertilized my cactuses for the 1st time of the year as b4 now the temps havnt been warm enough & days have been dreary, not much sunlight. This is totally insane but i made a huge mistake and read the 2-7-7 fertilizer direction label WRONG & instead of 7 drops per gallon, i read it too quick and uses 7 DropperFULLS per gallion!!!!!!!! I am SO Scared now!!! I am kicking myself in the butt!!!! I have over approx over 300 cactuses so on google the only thing i have read as a "Fix" is to run them under the faucet for awhile to rinse it all out but its only been 5 days ago that i made this MESS & am just realizing & i dont want to Rot them with too much water !!! Do u have Any suggestions for What to do if u realize immediately that the cactuses have been over fertilized?? I cant repot 300 cactuses at 1 time!!!! HeLP PLeaSE❗❗❗❗😢
@@CactusCaffeine whenever they start growing, they shed their thrones one by one and than their roots die and my plant finally collapse 💔. I'm very upset about them.
![일상 속 기분 좋음 [Proto disco meme]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DwmEIaZ7XGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I think I have this issue too. I had no idea timing was so important! Thanks for sharing this mistake with us, so we can avoid it in the future! 🌵🌵🌵🌵🌿🌿🌿💕
Oops!! We all make mistakes and have mishaps. It's sometimes the hard way to learn. But learn I do!!! I feel it's important to show the little mishaps as well as the good stuff!!! Thanks for sharing this important information!!! It helps us all!!! From Morris park in the Ozarks,Out Las Vegas , have a wonderful day!!!✌💖🌵🌸🌴🌺🌲🌻🌳🌹🌿💐🍀🌷😀👍
I was just thinking about fertilizing & am glad i stopped here first. Thank you very much for this informative post!
FANTASTIC video Ana and so very informative, I noticed my big Lobivia monacantha started to stretch out and etiolate after I fertilised it a little too much during the very hot unusual heatwave we had in Ireland this Summer, it never happened before, and I think the combination of the heat and fertiliser made it want to grow at super speed haha, thanks so much for sharing this brilliant info and your experience Ana, and Hans and I are sending you lots of love and happiness and CAFFEINE and PLANT POWER to Las Vegas for a wonderful Monday and new week XXXX
Oh no! Yes, some of my lobivias are affected too. Sorry it happened to you as well, Lyn. Excessive heat always does this to my cactus but since I fertilized late, I made it worse. Ugh! I’m learning from my mistakes. Thanks for sharing your experience as well, Lyn. Next year, I should know better. Haha. 😃
I was seeing exactly this, and I'm now convinced this is what has happened. Thank you for an excellent explanation, it's taken me lots of searching to understand what I thought was etiolation, but clearly wasn't as they'd had plenty of sun.
Thank you for always posting your successes, and even your mistakes. It helps us all to learn. Especially those like myself, who are new to being owners of these beautiful cacti! It is one of the main reasons why I love this channel so much!
Thank you! I appreciate your encouragement. ☺️ I’m glad when we all share our stories, successes or otherwise. I also learned so much from viewers. I really want this channel to be a learning experience. 🙂🌵☕️ Cheers!
i have a cactus growing like this during the summer even with lots of light. I think i now know why. thanks for the video!
OMG😳, that's a very fast growth! Súper speed!🙈 Good advice, I'll take note just in case sometime this happens to me. Thank you for sharing it!💞🌵☮️🌺
Thank you very much for showing us what to do and what not to do. We all learn on our mistakes. I'm sure I'll avoid this one. 😊💚🌵
Your channel is so good! Thank you for the very thorough, well explained, beautiful and well recorded videos! I love that you go in depth in the subjects you talk about, and don’t fill your videos with repetition or useless fluff, lol. Love it!
Aww. Thank you! Thank you for your encouraging words. 🙂🌵☕️
Absolutely love Cactus Caffeine! Thank you, Ana! I would be interested in an episode in how to identify the different varieties. How to tell a rebutia from a mammalaria, for example. Cheers!
I always learn so much from you Anna, thanks for the post! I needed this info as it is very very hot here too.
Very helpful! I have had many sexy hourglass 🤣🤣 columnar cacti in the past but I never thought about why they were growing that way. I can confirm that is "weak growth" because when the normal growth starts again it will bulge out, and soon you will have a top heavy cactus balancing on a thin stem and eventually it will bend or break under the weight.
I always used to think cacti were so simple, what with their heat and drought tolerance, but they are very complex! I'm glad we have your analytical mind and explanatory skills to help us learn. 🌵💚
Oh no! I haven’t decided what to do with them yet. Thank you for sharing your experience. Wish I could have the hourglass figure instead of my cactus!
Thank you so much for sharing this video before I make my mistake. Very much appreciated 👍.
Glad it helped! Good luck!
Great info sis. Last fertiliser ko na last week kc next month stop watering nako. Kaya mga susunod n dilig ko wala n fert. Ganyan pla nangyayari. Mga nababasa ko nga e bibilis nga ang laki na hndi na normal kc forced growth na sya.
You're the best, Ana! Thanks so much for sharing this information!
Thanks. Have a great week ahead!
My theory is that this is because cacti are CAM plants. During very hot weather, a CAM plant can only absorb carbon dioxide during the nighttime hours when there is not enough light for photosynthesis. When the sun comes up and brings high temperatures, their stomatae close tightly to retain moisture, and they use up what CO2 they absorbed during the night within a few hours. Their system fills with oxygen and they cannot get more CO2 until their stomatae open up during the cool hours of the night. As a result of this, photosynthesis can only happen for a few hours in the morning. They cannot produce the carbohydrates they need for growth. If you water too much and fertilize during this time, you force them to grow, but, because they cannot produce enough carbs, the resulting growth will be attenuated, as you have seen. During very hot weather, you should treat your plants just as you would during winter dormancy. Give them only enough water to prevent shriveling and no fertilizer until next spring, except a low nitrogen high phosphorus and potash fertilizer in the cool days in fall.
Very interesting. At the height of summer, our night temperatures were still over 95F. Those stomata only opened a few hours a day. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. 🙂
@@CactusCaffeine Funny thing is that here in Ohio we have been having a relatively cool rainy summer. So far, we've only had about one week with daytime temps rising into the nineties. Tomorrows (9/5/21) daytime high temp is 76F and the nighttime low will be58F.
So helpful now I understand why they’ve been growing that way. Love your videos ❤️
Thank you. Cheers!
Thanks so much for your fertilizing advice. I just got some big Trichocereus Pachanoi, a bridgesii and a monstrose form columnar cacti today. I got hem cheap from a private Gumtree sale. Only $10 each and they are from 2 to 3 feet tall.. It is spring now and it will heat up quickly in Australia. I will be very careful with my fertilizer applications. I got a large unknown piece for free that was laying on the ground. It has only 4 ribs and is about 12 inches long and around 12cm diameter. I made a clean cut and am drying the cut end out. The ribs are thin and a bit leathery. I hope I can save the cutting, It is a very unusual variety of columnar trichocereus. I will make a video tomorrow and post it on my page.
Useful to know Ana 🙂 I'll remember that if it gets too hot here next year.
That is very important information, I definitely will take your advice on what not to do to my cactus, this was an eye opener on fertilizing.
I wish I knew this back in June. Lol! 😆😭 But definitely, learn from my big boo boo,
I enjoy your videos and narratives very much and have learned a lot. I also appreciate your telling us (for learning purposes), the mistakes you have made so we don't make them. Keep the videos coming so I can learn even more. A fellow "desert rat" (grin).
Absolutely incredible Cacti
You always seem to know what My current situation and problems are Ana‼️ How did You know this just happened to Me this week⁉️ Haha 😂 Thank You for sharing this‼️ 🙌🏽💯🤩
Oh no! I hope yours is not as bad as mine. 😮
@@CactusCaffeine It’s My Echinocereus rigidissimus….. a bit of a cone head now‼️🤣 I hope it doesn’t continue on and fattens up on top again‼️
@@CactusCaffeine At first I thought it was dying …. Then I watched Your video…. So as long as it’s not dying…. I’m not too worried‼️😅😅
It is ok Ana! Next time you can do better, you can try again! Don’t give up Ana! You are a pro at growing cactus 🌵. Thank you so much for posting this video!
Thank you for the words of encouragement ☺️
Well that makes sense,I have 2 right now that look the same and always wondered why the growth was so fast lol now I know thank you for the knowledge 😊.
Your welcome. At first I was excited when I saw some growth but then it did not stop. And the spines were shorter too. That’s when I realized, it was not good growth. Ugh! 🤦🏻♀️
Thanks C.C. !!!!
I didn't know about fertilizing when the strong heat has arrived...I never much cared for cacti ... partially I think because I live in Phoenix and you see them everywhere anyways...now I'm a big fan and want to have a set up like yours!
So cool....any tips?
Wow! another boost of informations and tips..thank you for sharing this ma'am Ana...
Because of my mistakes. 🤦🏻♀️😉 Thank you for watching.
@@CactusCaffeine no body's perfect ma'am Ana...but in fairness, it helps and make us know how it should be ☺️
Another informative video, Ana. I always feed my cacti twice a year now, although I’m not keen on the Chempak stuff I use because the NPK is pretty high on it, but I use it at half strength. Next year I’ll be trying some liquid feed that got a much lower NPK, 2-4-4 I think. Thank you for sharing with us as always, Ana. Have a wonderful day and weekend from Edith & myself 🌵☀️🌺🌼🏜☕️
I had a feeling it would be too strong for cactus because the fertilizer is for all desert plants- including palm trees! So I reduced it half strength but it was still too strong and the heat made it worse too. Ugh! 🤦🏻♀️ I remember you showing that granular fertilizer. Yes, be careful with that.
The N-P-K numbers are just a representation of the ratios within the fertilizer and not really a representation of the overall strength of the food. 2-4-4 or 20-40-40 is in effect exactly the same and I would highly recommend buying a cheap TDS meter off amazon or a local gardening store with some calibration solution then you can mix exactly the same strength every time without issues no mater what food you are using. Some ph strips are an excellent idea also so you know exactly what is going into you plants and you will never have to worry again. I mix my food at 300 parts per million (ppm) and a ph of 6.0-6.4 and as far as I know that's pretty standard for nursery's with the cactus without getting into it too deeply
@@peterr7950 thank you for sharing your tips.
@@CactusCaffeine Ya not a problem, I've worked in the commercial greenhouse and farming industry for a good while and there are a lot of cheap and simple tools available for people privately that can really take the guesswork out of growing all types of plants and give that peace of mind knowing exactly what your doing with precision and repeatability
@leoaldebaran that's 300 ppm total including whatever is in the tap water. If you have hard water I would recommend cutting your tap water with reverse osmosis water to about 50-60 ppm and then adding the fertilizer up to the 300ppm. If you are trying to promote blooms i would say use something with a higher phosphorus like 15-30-15 or my personal favorite is a simple 20-20-20 that would pretty much cover everything the cactus needs without complicating the issue. If you wanted to check the ph of the mix anything between 6-7 will be fine and shooting for say 6.3-6.5 is where I like to run. Pretty much all fertilizer salts should drop the ph into the 6-7 ph range and the 50-60 ppm of the natural stuff occurring in your tap water should buffer the acidicy of the salts
I've read that one should not water cactuses when the temperatures are very high. Maybe it wasn't the fertilizer but the protracted 110 F weather while still watering. I grow my cactuses in mostly pumice and fertilize them a little every time I water (which is only during the growing season), following the advice of Barry Rice from UC Davis.
Maybe you are right. But here our summer temperatures are always very high. 110F is not unusual. I cannot afford not to water because of rapid dehydration or root loss. Although I water less amount when I think a cactus is going summer dormant. 🙂
Good morning Anna Thank you for sharing your knowledge❤️
Great info - thank you!
last few years ive watered all my plants at around 3am so they have time to uptake all the water. Its personally worked wonders for me as thats when they uptake their water in nature.
Wow, such dedication! I don’t think I can wake up that early. But we all do what we got to do for our plant babies. 🥰
Oh man! Those will definitely be interesting to watch grow from now on, and see if blooming is any different from years past (if they bloomed for you before).
Thank you so much for sharing, I also got that same fertilizer so I'll have to watch how I use it very closely.
Be careful Marisa. The label says it can be used to grow Mesquite trees and Palo Verde trees! That should have been my warning that this is a strong fertilizer. Then again, I applied it at the wrong time as well. Double bloopers for me. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Woah im 15th comment today, nice. Also, great video! I love watching you videos!
Ana thank you soooo much I have a couple of cacti with that same problem Tks for teaching us so much! So March and sept are the months we should do it!
depends on where you live. Here in northern Ohio, our first frost date is mid October, so in September I am starting to prepare my plants for winter dormancy.
Thanks for the good content! Keep it up! 🌵❤️🌊
Thank you for the encouragement! 😊
Thank you for this informative video. Sounds like September is fertilizing month. Good to know. 👍🏼
Yes, when the weather cools down and before it gets cold, a small dose of fertilizer in September is good (depending on your local weather). But I guess I’m not doing any more fertilizing this year. Lol! 🤦🏻♀️
Oh no! So annoying when things like this happen, we are all guilty of mistakes do not feel bad Ana 😂
Just out of interest, I always add Bonemeal powder when I repot any cactus, as standard, so this lasts about 6 months slow release, so I'm stingy about adding too much other fertiliser, but only use it in addition twice maximum in the 6 to 7 months growing season (every 2nd or 3rd month interval, usually 2nd watering after wake up and then again mid season, but I don't ever fertilise in August, that's just me, as I want the cactus to wind down before end of September without extra fertiliser keeping it 'active 😄) . I try to use just phosphorus & or potassium and no nitrogen if I can help it, depending on what fertiliser brand I find. This year I found one without nitrogen so happily fertilised twice this year.
Too much nitrogen is fatal for cactus, and I suppose if given at the wrong time as well, a fertiliser containing it, will produce even more excessive lush, mushy weak growth, more than usual.
But epiphytic cactus you will be glad to know, do accept normal house plant fertiliser and the nitrogen content does not affect them like it does with the more desert type cactus, who prefer zero or as close to zero content of nitrogen.
Epiphytic are quite hungry plants 🤣
Will you be cutting off those elongated parts and let the plant produce pups around the sides, a good idea to use these for grafting stock in future, like Clyde does with his Euphorbia pups.
Thank u, I learned that etiolation caused also by extreme heat and root prob❤️💯
Thanks for info will fallow
Thanks for this tip
Your welcome and thanks for stopping by!
Nice video Ana!
Great share, Ana🙏. I bought several small cacti and get grew well this summer but I do not remember having fertilized them. Even my tender succulents had very little of Osmocote for orchids which is very weak. I have noticed that in my case by fertilizing less the structures grow harder and are less prone to pests, they are less delicious to bite, I suppose 😄. Happy weekend ❤️😍
Lol on less delicious to bite. 😊 I used to talk to my plants and tell them to grow, grow! Now I’m saying slow down! Haha. That fertilizer was way too strong. I should have known better as the fertilizer label says it can be used to grow desert trees! 🤦🏻♀️
Thank you💕for your information
Love your knowledge
Thank you dearly for sharing!
Thanks for sharing ❤️
Good info
Really enjoying your channel. Thank you.
Glad you enjoy it!
Hello Ana I have a question. I would be grateful if you help me. Should I fertilize my cactuses after repotting them or should I wait couple of weeks to do?
That rapid growth is unusual. I know there are some cacti that etiolate and then fill-out later, but I agree with you that your trichocereus have grown too fast. That fertilizer is strong isn't it? Maybe you should just use animal dung fertilizer, you know the one that is compressed pellets. That releases the nutrients slowly. It looks like I too will not use liquid fertilizers to avoid sudden rapid growth. Thanks for sharing😌💖This video is very valuable information for everybody🌟
I agree that my fertilizer could be too strong. It should have been a warning signal to me when the bag said it can also be used to grow trees! 🤦🏻♀️ I hope you don’t experience what happened to me. It’s terrible. 😣
@@CactusCaffeine I'm sure your trichocereus will be fine😌🤲💖It will have flowers. The etiolated part will grow out of the cacti over time😉
Thank you for the encouragement ☺️
Que hermosos cactus
Also part of my cactus is shriveled up on one side the rest feels firm and growing...I'm considering cutting off the elongated parts when spring comes ... i also had a puece break off last year sometime and what looks like a pup grew...i just took it off today it looks columnar...when the shriveled part is completely dry I'll cut it off...any advice ? I had never used fertilizers in the past I just figured my plants would get the nutrients they needed from their potting soil...I'd just put new soil on top iin spring if not replanting and I always had happy healthy plants...i never have done a dormancy period but I did cut back on watering...the longest id go three maybe foyr weeks... I was always afraid it'd die with weeks of no water at all...I guess I'll research that...perhaps the plants sensed I was doing my best for them...
I have the elongation....I didn't realize about the dormancy...and thin threadlike growths are coming out of the main body ...I assume are roots but I've never seen it before or had a problem with my cactus...this was a brain cactus...
Where do you live? I live in Arizona so am wondering how our climate here relates to where you live. Thanks.
I’m in Las Vegas, Nevada. Very similar climate to yours. 😊
The potted cactus. Most cacti species spread roots horizontally. That is how they absorb moisture and become strong and stable in the wind.
❤️❤️❤️❤️nice
This video is a year old... Now I'm looking through the catalog for the update 😂
Oh no, I fertilize my barrel castus on end of June...now i see a flower bud coming out on the top today 10/30. Is that abnormal?
Many cacti produce a bud in fall as the weather is mild. They may continue or abort depending on how soon the cold weather sets in. Mine had buds that just fell off as the weather got cold at night.
The same thing happened to my cactus.... it is on my patio and gets diret morning sun... it didn't grow for one year I gave it some fertilizer and it shoot up so fast in this Florida weather and kept getting smaller and smaller... I had to cut it
Oh no! Yes. Very hot weather plus fertilizer is not a good idea. Oh well, experience is the best teacher. 😉 Have a great week!
Once a cactus has elongated due to over fertilizer, is there a away to fix the damage and restore it's shape?
Good question! That is what I am trying to see and learn right now. I did not do anything to my cacti that elongated last year and I’m observing if the next growing season will correct their shape. Keep watching my VLOGs and I will share my experience once I see results. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your mistake😘
HI Ana 👋🏾 I know this just happen to you, but do you think this will hinder the ability to bloom of these cactus, this happen to my T. Grandiflorum as well 3 years ago and ever since there has been no blooms ?
Oh noooo! 😩 That is the last thing that I want to happen. It’s bad that they are deformed. But if they don’t flower as well, that is disaster! 🥺 I really don’t know as this extreme growth has not happened to me before. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
I have excessive growth on one of my cactus too, are you going to cut the elongated tip?
I am still undecided on what to do. For the Echinopsis and Trichocereus, I may just leave them as is as I am not really concerned about their looks. I grow them for the flowers that they produce. But if it becomes too tall and unstable, cutting may be the only option.
@@CactusCaffeine If you fertilize correctly next year, your next years growth will be plumper. I would wait and see what next years growth is like. If it is plumper, I would cut off the plump tops and leave the attenuated base to form pups for propagation.
Hi Ana, im assuming you fertilized all of your cactus, was it just some of your collection that had that reaction? It wasnt everything, right?
The etiolation reaction is not too evident on the globular ones. If at most, they just expanded like they drank too much water. It is more visible on the columnars.
Hi will a slow release fertiliser do the same ?? 🥺 I added some a couple of weeks ago and it is the middle of summer 😭 I have been scraping as much as I can off but it is hard with rocky substrate it just falls through. Do you think slow release won’t harm it as bad ??? NPK 11.1.13 average daytime temps are around 28-30 degrees Celsius
Just make sure to use just half the strength if the fertilizer is not formulated for succulents.
@@CactusCaffeine thank you! Do you think I should repot them out of their current mix that has the slow release fertiliser as we are 1 month away from fall/autumn, just worried the slow release cacti/succulent fert that I have added will interfere with them going dormant through winter. It says the fertiliser takes for 2-3 months to fully absorb, Although it is water soluble and we just had about a week straight of rain where I live so might of already sped it up
Very informative, Ana. This happened to my Myrtillocactus geometrizans last summer. Just to give you some hope. It filled out and looks normal this summer
Oh that certainly is an encouragement. I’ve decided to not do anything and just leave them like that until next year. I want to see how they will turn out. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. 🙂
I received a 20 year old, almost 4 foot cactus, a few months back. Everything seems to be going well but I’m so scared I’m going to kill the poor thing. The base of the main shoot has always been very thin and corked, it is pretty hard and seems sturdy but everything I read on google just worries me. Do you think I should be concerned?
That is an old cactus! I wouldn’t worry unless it is showing signs of deteriorating. It is normal for an old cactus to cork and look beat up. As long as it is growing, it is fine. 🙂
@@CactusCaffeine thank you Sm
Do you really have to fertilize cactuses? I have indoor cactuses and I don’t want them large or long.
Would you chop the top or leave it like that?
Right now, I really don’t know what I will do. I might leave the Echinopsis as is. I’m growing it for its flowers anyway and not for its form. Others say they may not flower so it will be interesting to know what will happen next year.
Maybe it also has something to do with your cacti being in pots? In the ground the roots are a bit more insulated from the extreme temperature changes.
That is also true. My cacti in the pots are the first ones to go dormant during summer. 👍🏼
Any idea of why my cactus is thin at the base and fat from the middle to the top? Thanks.
Can your tell me some good sources for seeds? ty in advance.
Can you do a update video on the Same plants now
We did the same thing, Ana! So what do we do now?
Oh no! My cacti will definitely not get any more feeding until next year. I’m thinking of just leaving the Echinopsis as is. I’m growing it for the flowers and not for its form. But the Trichocereus, if it grows a big ball on top when it normalizes, I will have to use the knife 🔪. 🤦🏻♀️
Oh yes it was an hour glass. Those little ones got me distracted i didnt know why i think of something else
This is exactly what happened to our Rebutia muschii, Ana. The one I showed you on IG. What do you think of the idea 💡 of cutting the unhealthy top portion and treating it like a columnar cactus?
I’m keeping mine as is as I want to know what will happen. If you are bothered by the look, you may cut the top and just have it produce pups.🙂
@@CactusCaffeine we have decided to follow your advice, Ana. We’ll just keep it the way it is and see what happens…. Yes, her FLOWERS are what matters to us, too! Thanks once again!
I think it is simply a case of too strong a mix of fertiliser. Instructions usualy greatly overstate the amount needed. Most commercial cactus mixes also have have too much and even diluting with another 1/2 or more grit, growth is often still boosted too much after repotting. So I never fertilize in the first year after repotting, they dont need it. After that a low nitrogen fertilser such as one that is designated "Orchid Flowering" ( Most fertilisers designated for Cactus and Succulents still contain too high a proportion of nitrogen) and only used at 1/8 strength absolute maximum, even 1/16th or less, every second or third watering, and that allows it to be used for steady even growth. I also do opposite time wise , I never fertilise in the first few waterings of the year or the last three or so. A few times I made the mistake of fertilising (very diluted) too early in the growing season or accidentally as the first or second watering after repotting, and skin damage, black patches in the top of the stem was the result.
I agree. The granular fertilizer that I used was new and may have been too strong for potted cacti. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. ☺️🌵☕️
Hi Anna!!!! I have a Biiiiiig problem i really hope u can help me with!!! I just fertilized my cactuses for the 1st time of the year as b4 now the temps havnt been warm enough & days have been dreary, not much sunlight. This is totally insane but i made a huge mistake and read the 2-7-7 fertilizer direction label WRONG & instead of 7 drops per gallon, i read it too quick and uses 7 DropperFULLS per gallion!!!!!!!! I am SO Scared now!!! I am kicking myself in the butt!!!! I have over approx over 300 cactuses so on google the only thing i have read as a "Fix" is to run them under the faucet for awhile to rinse it all out but its only been 5 days ago that i made this MESS & am just realizing & i dont want to Rot them with too much water !!! Do u have Any suggestions for What to do if u realize immediately that the cactuses have been over fertilized?? I cant repot 300 cactuses at 1 time!!!! HeLP PLeaSE❗❗❗❗😢
Let the nutrients drain through watering asap, like for example if you have a dish under them remove it to let the nutrients flow out
So cactus should be fertilized just twice a year?
Do you think it’s ok not to fertilize
I live in zone 9a
I don't have any problems as of now, I fertilize my plants everytime I water. I use a weak solution of non liquid fertilizer haha
Good for you! Yes, weak solution every time you water is a great idea. 😃👍🏼
You turned it into a spachianus me thinks. I wish you could divulge some echinopsis mirabilis secrets of success. I might have some seeds put away.
THE WILLY SHAPE CACTUS LOOKS MORE XXX ,THEN THE BBC or BIG BAD CACTUS, 😆
My cactus is shedding its thorns. Is it okay?
I’ve never seen nor heard of cactus shedding their spines. I don’t think that is normal. Check your cactus’ overall health.
@@CactusCaffeine whenever they start growing, they shed their thrones one by one and than their roots die and my plant finally collapse 💔. I'm very upset about them.
I fertilize everytime I water.. hm....
This is not my device it's one of my kids...but I'd be interested in your feedback
🏜😀
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