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Cactus Query

TeaselseedTeaselseed Posts: 3
in Plants

I have had this cactus for approximately 12 years. It  was then just a tiny little thing! Can anyone tell me what type it is,  how big it might get and how long it might be expected to live? 
Thank you.

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I think it’s Mamillaria elongata ... but I’ve never grown it so I have no idea how big it can get ... however I have seen some pretty big ones in shows and collections. 
    I think they’re fascinating. 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Alan Clark2 in LiverpoolAlan Clark2 in Liverpool Posts: 2,190
    I also suspect M. elongata, but I am not sure. It is a cristate form, a type of fasciation.

    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/388011/fascinated-by-fasciation/p1
  • TeaselseedTeaselseed Posts: 3
    Thank you 😊
    The cactus is known as 'brainy box' in our family and is always a talking point for visitors. 
    I had never heard of fasciation,  but feel sure I have had some digitalis in the past that have fasciated 🤔
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    You can easily propagate this cactus by gently twisting some of the shoots off and replanting them in soil and grit during the late Spring/early summer.  If you do this then you can be sure that you will always have back-up plants. These cacti should have small red/orange flowers in the summer, some only last a few days but do look quite stunning.
  • TeaselseedTeaselseed Posts: 3
    Thanks for the advice. Sadly it has never yet flowered. 
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