No Bunny Ears, why???

I am so bummed. I had the cutest little bunny ears cactus. I got it from the nursery about four weeks ago and potted it two weekends ago. This morning I noticed the top half lying on the table! When I touched the plant all the other segments just fell apart!!! I am so sad, I can't imagine why?? I put the pieces in a tray with some ground, but I don't even know if they can propagate that way like some other succulents do.


And it looked so healthy, no signs of anything!

I am sucking at this gardening thing, nothing is working. I planted a pomegranate this summer and something or someone or the dogs (???) broke it in half, setting it back I don't know how many years. My autumn veggie garden produced nothing but weeds, and none of the late summer flowers I've sown came up. And now winter is upon us and I hate winter. I'm just so discouraged.

 

Too much water maybe?

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/orn.../bunny-ears/how-to-grow-bunny-ears-cactus.htm

 

Ach meid....don't feel so sad now.
You know how it goes......Some days the peanuts, some days the shells or sometimes you get the 'gater, sometimes the 'gater gets you.

There are lots of those types of sayings, y'know--- but it just illustrates sometimes how true it is that situation is. It just happens. You are not going to let this series of set backs get you down too much. You are going to have a period of thoughtfulness and consider what has happened with each setback and then think about what could have been done (if anything) to have gotten a different sort of result. These adverse incidents you can perhaps learn from.

Be discouraged, ja, that's allowed. Of course, but move on and begin making your plans for the coming year. You know full well that you are among gardening brothers and sisters here, in that I believe that we all have had the same experiences. Everyone deals with the disappointment differently...with what works for them best--but one thing is a given: we all continue and try different things the following season.

You know what Bobbejan says--"Je moe nie huil nie, je moe nie treur nie", right?

Me though?.........well, my program for dealing with disappoints will most certainly include ....chocolate, dark chocolate....a serious dose of it. Jeez 102, I am always at the point that I almost WISH for een tegenvaller.

Come on now... Lil hug.

 

No I was very careful I think I only watered it twice since I got it.

 

Thanks Sjoerd, you always make me smile. Aanhouer wen, nê....

 

I'm not a cactus expert. But my bf killed one of ours early after we first moved in together. Mine got watered like once a month. He watered it every other day while I was out of state.

You soil looks pretty moist and doesn't look to have much sand in it.

But yeah. She's right. Setbacks happen. It'll work out.

 

Oh no that's not the soil it was in, it's just were I put it to try and get it to root now. I mixed it a nice dry, sandy, gritty, cactus soil. At least google says it can propagate this way, but I don't know if it will do that now seeing as it's supposed to go into hibernation and now I want it to sprout roots. I hate throwing plants away, I just can't do it. I think I'll move it to my sunny windowsill and just hope it's survival instinct kicks in.

I've killed succulents with too much water as well, so since then I'm very stingy with the water

 

That's too right, 102.

I have never heard of that situation with the cactus. In fact I do not know a lot about cacti, but what I do know about this cactus is that they must have coolness and seriously diminished light during the winter months...for if they do not get this it could result in the death. That rest period is essential.

I suspect that those leaves will root alright, but it is uncharted territory. I shall follow this with interest 102. It is an unusual and interesting problem.

I personally do not grow cacti, I eat them. In Mexico they are called "nopales" (nopal - singular form) and one can eat them in restaurants or buy them in the markets, then cook them themselves.

 

Let it sit there in that tray. maybe eventually it will develop a new plantlet and roots. Be patient though, it may take a long time. I don't know much about them myself, but maybe the moving it was stressful and it shed its parts to make more plants "enroute" to its final destination ( like a survival trait the plant has) I have some burrow's tails a friend brought me ( she kills them all) and it is just sitting in my greenhouse in pieces... I have had it for many months now and I finally see tiny new plantlets coming on the shed pieces on the soil. I just spray it with some water every once in a while. not too often,otherwise I am sure I would rot it.. maybe for me it is because it was low light and cool the entire time I have had it and now it is Spring and the plant is "waking up" and regenerating finally that it has taken so long to do anything. I think she brought it to me late last Summer or early Fall.

 

Wow Carolyn that's interesting about the survival thing! Nature is just amazing.

Sjoerd we eat prickly pears but I don't know of any others. (This little plant better beware, if it doesn't root I might just cook it! )

 

My jade plants do this. If you drop a leaf somewhere or even sometimes parts just fall off, they eventually start forming a new plant that grows right where it is at. The burrows tail is also a succulent that shed its little "barrels" where it is bumped and eventually under optimal and even not so optimal conditions they start a new plant. maybe this plant is doing the same.

 

Don`t worry the cactus will be fine. One problem was that you repotted it. That made the plant unstable and since it is top heavy, over it went. Cactus have very minimal root systems. It is best to leave them alone in the pot they came in if possible. Garden centers spend months and even a year or more letting these things grow in the pots. Cactus are not the speediest plants in the world.
Just get some pots preferably a pottery or clay and plant each section in one with pre moistened soil. You want that circular area at the bottom about a half inch into the soil. Place them on a windowsill with filtered light and water only about once a month or less with an ounce or two of water. You can turn the plants when you water them so they get the same amount of filtered light. Then just watch for new growth and by spring they should be well rooted to move outside. You can support the plants if needed with stones/rocks so they do not topple over till they are rooted and stable.

 

Learn something new every day I'd always heard that cacti roots were much more extensive than other plants. Just more shallow to collect water faster.

 

Thanks for the advice guys, this was very helpful. I'm going to do just what you suggest Mart and put each section in its own pot.