Been propagating cactus from pads and things have been going well. I wasn’t intending on feeding any pads till the cacti got large but I noticed one of new pads growing on top of another new pad ( both about the size of your palm) was a bit droopy. When I checked later both pads ( I am assuming cause of weight ) had fallen/broken off the original pad. Course the torts didn’t mind the earlier than expected meal. I don’t think this is normal and wonder what I can do to correct it
Another cactus question...
- Thread starter Skip K
- Start date
Pistachio's Pamperer
Well-Known Member
Don't know if this is a "correct" method, but it's something I have done and I have good results. I grow quite a few different cactus/succulents(not all tortie food). I use toothpicks, wooden dowels, paint sticks, whatever I have laying around and "fence" them in or prop them into the position I want so they grow upwards and have support until they are able to stand on their own. I do watch and occasionally have to move my fence farther out at they are growing. I am very careful of roots and try not to jab my "fence" pieces in very far to the soil.
I also have one cactus (I swear it hates me) that I have tethered like you do bean plants and tomatoes. I have a wooden dowel close to the cactus on one side and have strings attached to the dowel to hold the cactus up. It's almost gotten to a hammock like system with a couple of strings to help support the dern thing. I don't know what the technical name is for the little monster but I call it a pickle cactus as that's what it looks like. It started out as one bent pickle and as it grew the pickle started to twist and want to fall over, then it sent out a bunch more little pickles that don't always want to stand.
FUN Times.. hehe
-Meg
I also have one cactus (I swear it hates me) that I have tethered like you do bean plants and tomatoes. I have a wooden dowel close to the cactus on one side and have strings attached to the dowel to hold the cactus up. It's almost gotten to a hammock like system with a couple of strings to help support the dern thing. I don't know what the technical name is for the little monster but I call it a pickle cactus as that's what it looks like. It started out as one bent pickle and as it grew the pickle started to twist and want to fall over, then it sent out a bunch more little pickles that don't always want to stand.
FUN Times.. hehe
-Meg
It may be that your pad was water starved and wilted.
Yvonne...I’ve been letting the pad containers dry out for a day or two then watering. Watering about 3 times a week. I’ve read where drooping can be caused by too little or too much watering. I had watered them yesterday. The pads were very heavy....but the torts sure liked them...lol
In your area, I'll bet its too much water. I don't think you ever have to water them there with all your rain... I only water once or twice a week here when temps are 100+ and humidity is in the teens or lower.
Because I have 40 stands, I have the luxury of simply cutting and removing any pads that don't behave themselves. I get all sort of weird growth anomalies. I just cut those pads off and feed them out. More will grow.
Because I have 40 stands, I have the luxury of simply cutting and removing any pads that don't behave themselves. I get all sort of weird growth anomalies. I just cut those pads off and feed them out. More will grow.
Thanks Tom. One last cactus question. I don’t know if there is a definitive answer.
Dealing with glochids. I have a hard time understanding how those uber annoying little hairs don’t harm torts. Especially for babies. I‘ve swiped the pads down and held them briefly over flame. I’ve read many references that it’s “ok” but no further explanations. What is your opinion on why glochids are not an irritant to a torts mouth or throat?
Thanks
No idea, but here is some anecdotal insight. There is no cactus native to Madagascar or Africa. Farmers in Madagascar encircle their fields with the fully spined version of opuntia to keep wildlife from eating their crops. Native tortoises just walk right up to this non-native spiny plant and eat it like candy. The tortoises in these regions are thriving, growing, breeding and doing great.
I handle cactus pads for 7-8 months of every year here. I somehow manage to get glochids stuck in me almost every day, no matter how careful I am to avoid them. I usually pull them out with my teeth. I've never had a glochid get stuck anywhere on my face or mouth despite spitting them out daily.
For the last several years, after seeing that radiata video from Madagascar, I stopped bothering with spine and glochid removal. I literally cut off pads and drop them into the enclosures. I do this for all ages and sizes. My hatchlings get tiny cactus pads when they are still in the brooder box just days after hatching. After feeding thousands of pads of 12 different opuntia varieties to hundreds of tortoises of 9 species over a period of 6+ years, I've had not one single problem of any kind ever.
I handle cactus pads for 7-8 months of every year here. I somehow manage to get glochids stuck in me almost every day, no matter how careful I am to avoid them. I usually pull them out with my teeth. I've never had a glochid get stuck anywhere on my face or mouth despite spitting them out daily.
For the last several years, after seeing that radiata video from Madagascar, I stopped bothering with spine and glochid removal. I literally cut off pads and drop them into the enclosures. I do this for all ages and sizes. My hatchlings get tiny cactus pads when they are still in the brooder box just days after hatching. After feeding thousands of pads of 12 different opuntia varieties to hundreds of tortoises of 9 species over a period of 6+ years, I've had not one single problem of any kind ever.
I used to quickly run a knife blade over any cactus pads i had with large spines that we get from a local grocery store. A quick back n forth and the large spines were off. Id sometimes then trim the edge all around then chop up. Now, i just rip the pad into a few large chunks. Our Sully loves them. Less spines in my fingers too. I worry more about the large hard spines than the glochids.
Thanks Tom. I though I was careful handling the pads...when I was preparing them for the torts...and still got hairs on my fingers. This is what spurred my question in the first place. They are so irritating and hard to remove...i can’t help but imagine them in the torts mouths.
I handle the pads with thick oversized rubber gloves. The spines and glochids stick in the gloves instead of me. Well... most of the spines and glochids... I cut them with a pocket knife or a machete and put them into five gallon buckets for distribution to all the tortoise pens.
Don't use leather gloves. Those spines go right through leather like its not even there. Ask me how I know this...
Tom...you can rest assured I’m gonna take your advice about the rubber gloves! I had multiple hairs in my fingers...and this was after I tried to avoid them when handling. I only got rid of them by scraping the skin with the edge of a knife
I've tried the knife thing and it usually doesn't work for me. I have a set of jeweler's magnifying glasses and a pair of micro tweezers that I use to remove those irritating glochids almost daily.
There is something so satisfying about seeing and removing them... Oh the relief...
Tamihealey5163
Member
I work in a garden nursery and without seeing your " pin cushion " definitely sounds like a over water issue... Just to help you out? when a plant is over watered the root system rots and can no longer transport the water up to its branches and leaves(cacti flowers or pads) and it looks like the plant isn't getting enough water... which it isn't because the "pipes" are broken that transport it up... And therefore we water again thinking it isnt getting enough thereby drowning it more. I can appreciate the advice about tying it up if it was a large plant but I didn't see u mention its size(or I skimmed over it in error) but if it wasn't a really large plant and was droopy just let that puppy dry out. They don't need much. If the base of it looks or feels squishy it may not have been caught in time and just take those pads and cut off... let the wound scar (or dry in other words) until a thin skin forms usually in a couple days then just pop that puppy in the ground and it'll reroot into a whole new plant. I'm not trying to butt in but thought it may help you resolve the droopy issue in the future if you were wondering the possible cause of it. But all the advice you got was great and darn it... it's those invisible needles that drive me crazy too...lol?
Good advice. The problem here on the East Coast is that over the last few weeks, we have had massive thunderstorms dropping many inches of rain pass through almost nightly. Ive been lucky so far with my newly started pads, BUT i can see this being an issue. Just TOO DARN much help from Mother Nature. I’m sure there are folks in drought-like areas wishing they had THIS problem. You know, feast or famine.
Tamihealey5163
Member
Lol.. right?!! Here in California all we have are fires?
I hear ya, Tom. Sometimes the scraping worked quickly...some times it took multiple tries. I tried removing them after a shower...with the mindset that the shower might make the skin more prunish for easier removal or wash them away...but that was mostly futile. The sheer discomfort and tenacity of those damn hairs...constantly creates turmoil in my mind about how they cannot bother the torts. But your experience with cactus over a long time...while I’m a novice about cactus...well...I’m going with your and others experience and just feed them the cactus. But I don’t know if I’ll ever not think about it till I get the explanation why it doesn’t cause an issue. But I do have faith in you and the other members...
I think it has to do with tortoises' slimey mucous in their mouths.
I think you are right. When I remove them with my teeth I sometimes get them in my mouth. They are easy to spit out and have never stuck in my mouth.
HA! I tried tape too. No dice.
Its gross, but I can feel them with my tongue and then carefully grab them with my teeth and pull them out. If you bite too hard you'll crush them and leave the end in your skin to irritate you for days. I use this method because I'm walking around my ranch and in a hurry to get everything done and I don't have time to go get the glasses and tweezers out. The saliva appears to prevent them from poking and digging in. After all these years, none of them have ever stuck in my mouth, and that is after pulling hundreds of them out with my teeth.
