So this is my first cactus (a spur of the moment purchase...
So this is my first cactus (a spur of the moment purchase from ikea ages ago). For a while I thought it was dead but seemingly out of nowhere this side piece appeared. It keeps getting bigger and bigger and I feel like I should do something. Cut it and plant it on its own? Leave it be? #NewGrowth #MoonCactus
12ft to light, indirect
6” pot with drainage
Last watered 2 days ago
5
Best Answer
Fun fact; the moon cacti we buy at stores are actually two seperate cacti grafted together. Gymnocalycium mihanovichii is the cactus on top, in your case the dead part. The lower cactus though is a Hylocereus, and that breed of cactus grows arms like that. (It’s also a dragon fruit plant!) If you want to remove the top part of your cactus then you might see better growth from the bottom.
@That0neCatGirl I did not know that! Any particular way I need to remove the top part? And should I leave the side arm alone? I don’t want it to snap off.
@WeepingWillow80 use a sterile knife and slice as close to the top as you can. Be wary of bugs though because they will go nuts over fresh cactus guts. The arm can be left alone and it’ll keep growing:) Cacti are super cool because you can graft a lot of species together and make franken-cacti
Leave it be.