Viewing post #2244945 by Baja_Costero

You are viewing a single post made by Baja_Costero in the thread called Echinocactus grunsonii - Repotting Question.
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May 19, 2020 10:10 PM CST
Name: Baja
Baja California (Zone 11b)
Cactus and Succulents Seed Starter Xeriscape Container Gardener Hummingbirder Native Plants and Wildflowers
Garden Photography Region: Mexico Plant Identifier Forum moderator Plant Database Moderator Garden Ideas: Level 2
I would. You can defer the separation, but I would think it only gets harder with time.

In my experience growing this plant from seed it seems to widen by about an inch a year at that stage, give or take, and that would probably be an upper limit for you given the overwintering involved. So if they have that much space, you can deal with them next year, otherwise maybe one more unpotting would be in order.

To separate clumps with intermingled roots, I remove any soil that easily separates from the sides, maybe wiggle and shake gently to encourage it to fall away. Then I take a chopstick and hold it like a pencil and gently carve away any soil that comes away freely from all sides. At some point I might grab each plant by the stem (one plant in one hand, two in the other) and gently wiggle it in various directions to work up some freedom of motion. One at a time, little by little. During this process you will be able to look in the center and see which roots are keeping them together. Sometimes it helps to take a chopstick and very gently work it all the way to the bottom in the very middle of the clump, then lean it to one side and the other to get things moving.

From there on out try to break as few roots as possible, as consciously as possible, and be sure to look at the situation from all different sides so you know where the easiest angle of attack at any given point might be.

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