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Question

This is my first and only cactus i got it a couple days ago and it has some little black shriveled things what are they and what do I do about them ?

And it looks like there's fuz of cotton at the base of the top spikes and in the crevasses i think it might be from the shipping to the store , I got it from do I remove it?

#plantaddict #cactus #plantsmakepeoplehappy #growlights

@𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕖 · Answer

It’s just dead pods.                          we don’t know how it died so might want to look at that

@SillyPlantGirl · Answer

Hi Aelea, if you take a toothpick or a-tip, gently nudge it, does it come off? If not- do not try to pick it off. It could be a flower trying to come out, or it could be a pest- but I don’t see

@maci.in.bloom · Answer

I’m thinking that it’s not pests.

@SillyPlantGirl · Answer

Dangit…I wasn’t finished!! lol      I have many cacti and when they start sprouting flowers, you’ll see what looks like a “row” of nubs where the flowers start. I might suggest just keeping an eye on it. But do look at the soil where the cactus is, and if you see any white webbing around the sines, or teeny white things- that is Soider mites and you’d have to wash the cactus and treat with Neem oil, (don’t put in full sun while the Neem is wet), and apply Neem every 7 days for about 2-3 weeks. And quarantine it for a week or so- get it away from other plants too.     But- because your little nubs are close to the top- I do think it’s going to flower- and the flowers form a circle, or crown- near the top of the cactus

@SillyPlantGirl · Answer

Photo of one of mine flowering.

@SillyPlantGirl · Answer

Here’s a photo of mine that is starting to get flowers. Has the same dark in but mine is different cactus and has tiny spines.

@izzyandsugar · Answer

I think that's normal- I usually see most cactuses like that

@SillyPlantGirl · Answer

Don’t touch the white fuzz- it’s normal anatomy called Areole. It protects new growth, Also, removing that natural fuzz leaves permanent damage because you are stripping away the cactus’s specialized skin cells.                       If you pick things off, you make an open wound on your cactus and that invites bacterial and/or fungal rot that could kill the plant. It also causes sunburn, water loss, and you’ll not get new spines.

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