Echinopsis subdenudata flower Solved

[Nicevans]

Hello,
Do flowers vary in quality from one year to the next. I bought an Echinopsis subdenudata last year and it produced a beautiful flower, but this year the flower looks very different, rather wispy and weedy.
Just wonder where I went wrong?!

[rodsmith]

I can't explain this. Someone might have experience of this odd development but I haven't ever come across this situation. Flowers usually appear the same each year. I wonder whether the growing point of the flower bud has been attacked while developing.

[DaveW]

Yes flowers with all degrees of abnormality or monstrosity are possible. It only needs something out of the normal to trigger them. That one is not too far from normal compared to some and the next flower will probably be normal. Some plants only occasionally produce them, or some like the so called Delaetia's are always abnormal, but really just a monstrose flowered Eriosyce species.

http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACT ... hin_Petals

Echinopsis Haku Jo can produce both normal and abnormal flowers.

http://echinopsis.eu/displayimage.php?pid=4349

http://archivo.infojardin.com/tema/la-r ... jo.276794/

What about two styles and stigma's in a flower? This was one on mine that did it once, no doubt two flowers fused together in one areole at an early stage.

[Nicevans]

Thank you very much for the information and flower photo. Can’t wait for the next flower, fingers crossed!

[topsy]

Hi,

If you compare the plant photos year on year it looks as though the plant is now under nourished, the ribs are sunken, not pumped out as they were last year. This in turn means that the flower is not getting enough moisture and possibly food, to be able to produce a flower the same as last year's.

Solution, repot, more food, more water.

Suzanne

[Diane]

...and it also looks as though it was originally in a plastic pot and is now in clay, which might explain why it looks a bit shrunken.

[Keith H]

Hi,

If you compare the plant photos year on year it looks as though the plant is now under nourished, the ribs are sunken, not pumped out as they were last year. This in turn means that the flower is not getting enough moisture and possibly food, to be able to produce a flower the same as last year's.

Solution, repot, more food, more water.

Suzanne

Those were my thoughts too, more food and water required.

[Nicevans]

Thank you for all the suggestions, I see what you mean about the shrunken ribs and will be repotting and feeding asap.
I am fairly new to growing cacti and originally thought that cacti look much better in clay pots rather than plastic. I can see from some of the discussions here that plastic pots are generally favoured over clay ones.
I guess I need to increase watering for plants in clay pots.?
Nicola

[DaveW]

They will grow in both, you just modify your watering and compost to suit the container. It may be that it simply needs repotting in fresh compost as the existing has either become depleted in nutrients, or mineral salts have built up to a high level, particularly if you use tap water in a hard water area.