My mum has had the mixed bunch for a good few years now. They've grown taller, but not flowered, and a few months ago I bought a simply cactus at the 99p store (why not?). I have no idea about names for cacti, and just wondered if any one here could ID these plants.


99p^^

Mixed bunch^^

Thanks for your help in advance.

P.S. Sorry about the not-so-good quality. If need be, I can (hopefully) get better quality pics.

Hello Username. Cacti are one of those very diverse plant groups and can be tricky to ID to say the least. Usually the flowers are the real clincher (although I now leave myself open to the real cactus gurus!).

One trick you can do is this: I have a gut feeling that the biggest one in the bowl might be a Euphorbia. To check this take a fine pin/needle and give it a poke! If the tiny hole oozes white fluid then it is a Euphorbia. Don't touch the sap, it is irritant.

Euphorbias are actually succulents and come from Africa rather than central America like cacti. They are not as tolerant of cold (10 degrees above freezing is rock bottom for Euphorbia) as cacti. All of the plants pictured though look healthy enough though! My gut feeling is based on the fact that I see a lot of these cactus bowls sold, and most of them use a Euphorbia because the look quite different from the more ordinary cacti.

greenBen

I believe it is a cereiform cactus that has been beheaded at some point. The image is blurred, but spines emerge from areoles and this is a defining feature of cacti.

Do you mean in the mixed bowl? And if so, the big hand one?

If not, then the one on it's own, I have poked, and it did ooze, but I seem to remember it oozed clear. The place where I have poked this (I actually did it a while ago, to check it wasn't false) has healed into white.

The plant on its own is definitely a cactus. The tubercules should narrow it down, but others are much better at identifying cacti than I am.

I think the one on its own is Echinocactus grusonii.

The two in the bowl, the one behind looks like a cleistocatus of sorts, and in the front a cereus which has seen better days as it has been beheaded at some point and now would benefit from watering / repotting.

Echinocactus have very characteristic ribs which the plant in the photo lacks.

Aiden you are correct about adults but young plants don't at first, am not sure I have a young enough plant here to photograph to show you, I will have a look.

this should be a link to a young Echinocactus grusonii I found using a google search, I hope it is OK to do this rather than copy the image itself? I have a photo of my own Echinocactus grusonii on my computer and will upload it later when I work out how to do it. I haven't got any seedlings right now.


http://www.miles2go.com/images/7025.jpg

this is my Echinocactus grusonii, its about 10 years old.

Not all Ferocactus have ridges, and the first could possibly be one, and the deformed one in the second picture one of several ceroids. After you repot, give them pleny of sun and get them healthy there will be a better chance of IDing them.

Yes, the picture of the young Echinocactus grusonii looks very much like the single cactus.
I've just watered the bowl. Do you know what the cereus should be repotted into? I have no idea.
Thanks for all your help.

soil mixtures for potting cacti are usually something like John Innes nos 2 or 3 with added grit or perlite or you can use a compost like arthur bowers or levington soil less compost. I usually use John Innes no 3 with added silver sand (grit) and perlite if I have any, top dressing with grit. The main aim is to have an open compost which drains well. Water the cacti from spring until autumn and let them go dry over winter. If they are kept in a warm room over winter rather than a unheated greenhouse they may need an occasional slight watering over winter.

My mum's friend grows cacti, and she says I should wait until the soil if dry/almost dry, then water it until it bubbles. As for flowers, apparantly it is very hard to make some types flower.

I'll try and see if I can repot it, but it might be a while until I can get the right soil (when has that happened before?). This time, I'll keep it in the pot.

How bad would it be if I repotted it in multi-purpose soil (Miracle Grow) with Perlite? I haven't, I just won't be able to get to a garden centre for at least another two weeks, and my mum is wondering why we can't just use that soil?