Expert: Greg Simpson - 2/17/2006

Question
I believe my cactus is a neoraimondia herzogiana.  It is a tall baseball bat looking plant with fairly large straight spikes.  Ive had this plant for probably 15 to 20 years now. It is about 14 inches most of which has grown in the last few years.  During the first 8 years or so i did not water of sun the plant like i do now and it grew very slow. Now the first 6 inches of the plant is smaller than the larger top.  Maybe 1/2 the diameter.  Is this OK it looks really healthy other than that.  Can i get the base to increase in size or will it be fine???

Answer
Dear Brian,

Those are beautiful plants, I have an 8 foot one in my front yard myself with nearly 6" spines conering it! Actually, all tree like, ceriod type cactus form a woody trunk. In the beginning, they don't need a woody base to support them, but as they start to branch, it becomes very important. This plant will get comarable in size to a saguaro cactus (not in weight, but in size), so it will continue to form wood up the trunk as it ages. As long as your plant is healthy, there is nothing to be concerned about.

Sincerely,

Greg