I'm not positive I have my cactus listed as the correct variety, so please let me know for sure what it is. It is growing tall and doing well but can't support itself. Any suggestions on how to help it thicken up and now grow so slender in hopes it can support itself? Or open to better support suggestions. Thanks!
It’s a Brasiliopuntia. I reverse google searched it. I had to do the same thing with all my plants.
1 likeOh ok. Thank you!
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I’m not familiar with this variety, but your first two pictures show it stretching for light so I’m wondering if it’s not able to support its weight because it’s not supposed to be that tall. It might need more sun. Succulents etiolate (stretch) to reach the sun when they aren’t getting enough. I think prickly pear need full sun. I know people have different opinions on full sun. Mine is, anything less than directly under the sun outside is not full sun. With that said, a lot of full sun plants will do fine with the fullest sun you can provide in the house. Just maybe not live up to their full potential. Meaning, not color up fully or stretch some. As long as you give it thr most sun you can (right in front of a window), it will probably be happy enough. 😊 Remember, the further a plant is away from a window or grow light, the less light it’s getting even if it’s a bright source of light.
1 likeThank you for the feedback. I did previously have it directly under the window sill and it was still stretching tall. I'll try putting it closer and see how it does.
0 likes On the ground, right? I’m assuming because it’s so big it didn’t fit on the window sill.😄 Too big for its own good I guess. 🤪 Yeah, it’s probably a bit of a catch 22. It would probably love to sit directly on a windowsill and get that full bright light on its entire self, but it’s too tall to fit there, because it’s not getting enough bright light. I understand that not everyone has a space to put a grow light pointed at a plant, and I am a firm believer in plants being accessible for everyone. 😊 Obviously, everyone’s house is different, but a few ideas off the top of my head… - if you have a door with a full glass panel, maybe you could sit it in front of that when you’re not home and it wouldn’t be in your way. - Or put it on, a little table in front of the window? - Or if you have a porch, maybe you could sit it in the shade on the porch sometimes you get a little extra sun. You wouldn’t want to put it directly out into full sun, after being in a house, it might get sunburn (if it’s like other succulents). But staying in partial sun in your house, and then moving to a shady spot outside sometimes should be close enough to not sunburn it. I hope those ideas help.❤️
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I agree with above comments that it needs more light to grow thicker and support itself. - I recommend adding a grow light if it can’t get at least 8 hours of full direct sunlight each day. - I would propagate by cutting back to the base section. Put the other sections in separate pots or back into this pot after building a callous on the cut ends. - I would check the actual size of the root ball and reduce the pot width/depth to be no bigger than an inch around the root ball. 🍀🪴
0 likesDo you mean to cut it back right under the side pieces? I'll also see how I might be able to set up a grow light.
0 likes Yes, cut it below the side sections and add more light.
0 likesI currently have it in my office at work so I'm limited to where I can place it. I'll think about where I can move it to better help it.
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