Plant Showcase: Rat Tail Cactus

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Rat Tail Cactus
Aporocactus Flagelliformis

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When I first bought my Rat Tail Cactus, I was under the impression that the grower had the plant adjusted to full sun.

So I put it out on the balcony at our old house... that was FULL sun!

A couple of days later the plant started to yellow... and the yellow was spreading fast.

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I had no idea what was happening and instantly reached out to the owner of The Windowsill, where I had bought the plant from.

I will be featuring this shop in my next Plant Shops to Visit - Oregon (A Series) so stay tuned!

She also had no idea what was happening and ended up reaching out to the grower that she bought the plant from (which stressed me the hell out because this was a huge wishlist plant of mine.)

I'll share my ever-growing wishlist with you guys soon

Below is her response from the grower:

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Luckily, the damage wasn't on the whole plant.

Unfortunately, I had to cut off about six inches to a foot on some of the arms.

This was truly a heartbreaking task and still pains me to think about it to this day.

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These are only a small portion of what I cut off.

Thankfully my Rat Tail Cactus is still alive to this day and THRIVING.

It is nowhere near as long as it was when I originally bought it, but it has put out almost ten new growth points.

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An example of what some of the new growth looks like, they grow straight up and then eventually flop over and trail downwards.

Like I mentioned, this plant is still alive and very special to me.

I only have 3 cacti in my entire collection of 50+ houseplants, this is the only cacti that wasn't gifted to me.

Here is a picture of the cactus right now:

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It's mind-blowing how long it was when I first bought it vs now... I can only imagine how long it would have been if I didn't burn it.

I honestly try to avoid thinking about that so I don't beat myself up.

When I showed idkpdx@idkpdx the photo of it then vs now, he asked if we time traveled lol

I will never place a plant directly in full sun again (unless I know it's acclimated)

LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE PEOPLE!


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Stay rad - Stay safe
5-21-20

Plant Showcase: Rat Tail Cactus | Ecency