Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Saturday - April 07, 2012
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Cacti and Succulents
Title: Problems with claret cup cactus in Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a claret cup cactus in a terra-cotta pot that bloomed beautifully a few years ago but hasn't since. This year, it set about a dozen buds and looked poised to bloom like crazy, but two weeks later the buds had turned dark, almost black, and started to shrivel up. Is this a disease problem I should be addressing, or just one of those things?ANSWER:
Echinocereus triglochidiatus (Claret cup) is native to North America and grows in Texas, so we're okay with that. What we are wondering is if it has been in that same pot all these years and is it outside or inside? If you will follow the above plant link, you will learn it has low water use, needs full sun (6 or more hours of sun a day), prefers (but not exclusively) volcanic soils and can grow in clumps as much as 3 to 4 feet across. So, we're thinking if you started with a cute little cactus in a pot and it has lived in that same pot for years, indoors, and been watered with the other indoor plants, it has several strikes against it. Here is an article from Desert USA that can give you more information.
For specifics on what to do, this article CactiGuide.com Cacti Pests and Diseases is very informative. Our opinion is that it needs to be divided or introduced into a much bigger pot, watered less, fertilized not at all, planted in a cactus or pumice soil. Very likely it is developing a rot condition and may or may not survive.
From the Image Gallery
More Cacti and Succulents Questions
Wholesale dry yucca trunks and branches from California
January 29, 2012 - Where can I buy wholesale dry yucca trunks and branches? I have spent the last hour looking for them and can only find nurseries and decorative branches.
view the full question and answer
Winter damage to yucca in Winona MN
April 23, 2009 - This past winter was hard on my established yucca plant and most of the foliage has discolored and it is not very pleasing to look at. What should I do about the discolored portion? Should I remove ...
view the full question and answer
Trimming back Agave havardiana
June 05, 2008 - Hi.. thanks for all the great information on Agaves. We have a number of Agave Havardiana (blue) that love where we planted them. Several have gotten HUGE. So much so that they are starting to ge...
view the full question and answer
Strange form of Dasylirion sp. (sotol)
December 27, 2008 - Mr. Smarty: I have a client with a huge (2 ft. diameter trunk), multi-headed dasylirion. On one or more of the heads, the leaves arch inward instead of outward. Someone said this is because of an inju...
view the full question and answer
Plant ID of succulent from Flagler Beach FL
July 08, 2012 - file:///C:/Users/CircuitCity/Downloads/All%20sizes%20%20%20baby%20plants%20growing%20on%20succulent%20leaves%20%20%20Flickr%20-%20Photo%20Sharing!_files/3901143728_dcf227ea85.jpg
I have a succulent t...
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
