Topic: cacti

[Mrs Ava]

What do you do when your cactus is so tall, it touches the ceiling?  :-\

[Biscombe]

WOW!!! no suggestions but would love to see a pic!!

[calendula]

What do you do when your cactus is so tall, it touches the ceiling?  :-\

buy one of those fun fair mirrors that will make it look really squat and fat instead  ;D

[Mrs Ava]

 ;D  It is in my conservatory planter that the old man built for me last year so it is fast approaching the conservatory roof.  We tend to it lovingly as number one son grew it from seed when he was just a ickle boy (mind you he is only 6 now!)  I don't know if I should cut the top, which seems drastic, and if I do, what will happen then....will it die....will it branch....will it heal over and just stop growing?  I don't know!!

[calendula]

probably best to use a search engine on pruning tips if nothing here - the problem is how to do it without disfiguring the cactus - also 'pups' don't always emerge from a cut but then sometimes they do

I did have a cylindrical cactus once that went 'funny' in the middle so I cut off the top, cut out the middle and grafted the top back on and in time it only left a slight scar

I would offer the responsibility to the 'ickle' one or increase the ventilation in the conservatory  ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Cut the top off, and leave for a week or so to dry. I'm assuming we're talking about a true cactus, and not another type of succulent. Then plant the top, and keep watering very sparingly. It'll go on growing, ignore that. In time, it'll root, and grow away as normal. Don't plant it till it's got a really good callus over the cut surface, and be very careful with the water. The danger with this is that rot gets into them all too easily.