When your bunny ear cactus starts growing long and skinny, what’s actually happening is that it’s stretching itself out to reach more sunlight. If there isn’t enough light available, it’ll resort to stretching (i.e., elongating) itself in order to get closer to the light source. This can be a good thing.
Once you’ve made the necessary fixes—if necessary—your cactus will eventually become healthy and strong again and stop trying to reach for the sun.
When a cactus’ new growth is growing long and skinny, it’s a sign that the plant isn’t getting enough light. It’s not necessarily the cactus’ fault—it may be that you have the pot it’s in too dark a place, or it may be that the cactus is too young to get enough nutrients from the soil to produce full growth. Either way, you can fix this problem by letting the plant grow some more before cutting off its skinny stems and using them to propagate new plants.
Like any living thing, a cactus needs plenty of sunlight to survive. This sunlight nourishes its roots and helps them spread throughout its soil, which in turn allows the plant to grow larger. However, if it doesn’t get enough light, it will start growing in an attempt to reach toward the closest source of light instead of outwards.
Growing upwards instead of outwards makes the plant seem to grow abnormally long and skinny—the stems look like they’re sticking out at odd angles and there might even be leaves starting up at their tips.
Why Is My Bunny Ear Cactus Growing a Long Stem?
Bunny Ear Cactus is a popular indoor plant that thrives in indirect sunlight, but if you’re growing it from seed, you might be wondering why it’s growing long stems—especially if the cactus seems to be getting plenty of light.
It’s reaching for the light. Bunny ear cactus will grow long stems when they aren’t getting enough sunlight. This process is called etiolation, where they start to turn and stretch out in search of light, giving them a “leggy” appearance with a long stem and smaller, spaced-out leaves.
Why Is My Cactus Growing Weird?
The world of succulents and cacti is a mysterious one. One day, your cute little friend is happy and healthy, and the next day it looks like it’s being eaten by aliens! Not to worry though. There are a few reasons why your succulent or cactus could be looking strange, and with a little research, you can easily figure out what’s going on and fix the problem.
I’ve found that when my plants start looking strange, it’s usually one of three things:
-Too dim or too bright light
-Too little or too much water
-Too cool or too hot temperatures (and often a combination of all three).
How Do You Fix an Elongated Cactus?
To fix an etiolated cactus you have to move it to a place where it can receive better light. Cactuses are known as desert plants, but they don’t necessarily need to be in the desert to grow. In fact, it’s possible to grow a cactus outside your home if you live somewhere with a Mediterranean climate.
If you’re deciding to grow a cactus indoors, you have to choose the right location for your plant. It’s best if the plant is placed in a south-facing window so that it can get direct sunlight. If you’re able to provide your cactus with natural sunlight, then you don’t need artificial light. If this isn’t possible, then you need to supplement your cactus’ sunlight with artificial light.
When growing cactuses indoors, there are certain things that could be done to help them get enough light. For example, they should be placed near the windows but not directly under them in order to not pollute them with excess heat. They should also be placed on a shelf or table so that they can be elevated above other objects and can therefore get more light.
Why Is My Cactus Growing Tall Instead of Wide?
Growth is a natural part of any plant’s life, but it can become a problem when the plant is not receiving enough light. If a cactus is not given enough light, it will grow tall instead of wide. This process is called etiolation.
The longer light exposure is inadequate, the more damage will be done. The cactus will elongate until it reaches a point where it doesn’t receive any more light at all. At this point, the cactus will begin to die and its growth will stop altogether.
If you see that your cactus is growing tall instead of wide, you should move it to a new location with more sunlight immediately. Once the damage has been done, there is nothing that can be done to reverse its impact on the plant.
Should I Trim My Bunny Ear Cactus?
If your bunny ears cactus remains healthy, there is no need to prune the growth. As with many succulents, this one’s main harvest is in the form of cuttings, so it is important to keep the mother plant intact and healthy. However, on rare occasions, the base stem might develop some squishy parts from overwatering. Because it is the base, it will be impossible to remove the damage without cutting away significant portions of the plant.
Can Bunny Ears Cactus Grow Indoors?
They are called “ears” cacti as the two side-projections from the main stem resemble rabbit ears. The overall shape is somewhat like a spineless ball cactus, but it is covered with numerous spines that protect it from predators. The height of this plant can reach up to 20″ and it has a diameter of 6″.
This plant can be grown inside as long as you provide it with enough sunlight. As mentioned above, it requires full sun exposure for both indoor and outdoor growth. It will need daily exposure to the full sun to thrive indoors too.
These plants like well-drained soil and they should be watered only when they are dry to touch. In winter, allow the soil to dry out completely between watering cycles. They should be fertilized once a month during their growing season with a diluted houseplant fertilizer that is low in nitrogen.
In addition to bright light, regular watering, and good drainage, these plants also need air circulation around their roots for healthy growth.