when I got my cactus years ago from my mothers twin sister Velma...[ RIP my dear you're in my thoughts through the flowers ] she said to keep the babies picked off for flowering.. I've always pulled them off and sat them on some dirt for rooting.. and did so through this springs flowers on it.. soon after another bunch of a dozen or so babies appeared.. but I left them on.. having 50 of them planted about.. it doesn't seem to have made much difference.. in the second flush of the summer...Question... is it really necessary.. to pick them off... will they get so big they would fall off on their own.. or will it hurt mommy.. as they get big... seems like they flower either way..

Send some of those babies over here; what gorgeous blooms!

I don't think it hurts the plants to leave them on. My Echinopsis 'Los Angeles' has babies and it flowers just fine with leaving them on the mother plant. The babies stay on the plant unless they are brushed against etc. I can see the reasoning for taking them off so that the strength will go to producing flowers instead of growing babies. However, that does not seem to be the case, at least out here in the desert.

Beautiful flowers and if the babies need a home, I volunteer to offer them a home.

I'd love to adopt some too! I don't know if they affect the ability to flower, I just want to know how to get mine to flower at all.