Cuddly Cactus (Cereus Jamacaru) Care Guide and Growing Tips

Growing guide for the Cereus Jamacaru "Cuddly Cactus".
The Cereus Jamacaru "Cuddly Cactus", is a unique cactus species known for its distinct lack of spines / thorns. Despite its cuddly appearance and name, it requires the same care as other cacti, preferring well-draining soil and ample sunlight.
In this video, I share what I've learned and what works well for me over the last few years of owning these plants.
If you want more information, photos or having problems growing your plant check out my detailed blog post over on my website - www.ourhousepl...
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[@tylermacfarlane7645]

New to the plant world and grabbed a cuddly cactus at Walmart on clearance with no clue how to take care of it! Thanks for the explanation!

[@ourhouseplants]

Good luck with your new plant buddy! Dispite how they might look or the name sounds, they're tough going.

[@laurenleigh9458]

I just received 3 from Walmart that literally fell off the pot, no roots at base, are these cactus doomed?

[@ourhouseplants]

If the base is rotten, then it's not looking good. But if it's solid and the rest of the plant looks healthy you can pot it up with proper succulent potting mix, and they could well root for you. The most important thing is not to use a very absorbent potting mix to try this. Have a read of this to get some ideas of what you can use or how to make your own. Good luck! Hope they make it - www.ourhouseplants.com/questions/what-is-the-best-potting-mix-for-succulents

[@ForeverASucculentAddict]

I just got my hands on one of these. It called to me in the store and I thought it was adorable! Love the cute name for it too! “Cuddly Cactus”. I just love it!! Thanks for the tips on taking care of this one. ❤ PS. Just found your channel. I’m a new subscriber officially. Looking forward to watching your videos.

[@ourhouseplants]

Good luck with your new addition! They can be very long lived so I hope you have it for many decades to come.

[@ForeverASucculentAddict]

@@ourhouseplants TY! I hope so too! 😁

[@TheQueensWish]

Thank you Tom for this care video. Great timing as mine just died from a rotting issue, after doing beautifully well for months. The change was down to bringing it inside during some below freezing temperatures. All the plants came in. Unfortunately it was down to over watering mixed with too wide a pot. The dampness of the surface soil was too much for it to handle. This one does better in a narrow pot??

[@ourhouseplants]

Glad you found it helpful and enjoyed it. I did talk about container size and temperature a bit more, but edited it out to cut time! I would say that yes, they can deal with quite cold temperatures but only if the potting mix is pretty much fully dry. It sounds like your plant was cold and wet which for succulents is the classic mix for rotting to set in. Container size is important for reasons outlined in the video (here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3yXlopnecllmLMsi=jy973_ZJge44UM6-&t=422 ), but whether it's wide and shallow or narrow and deep, I don't think it makes a difference. Some plants will prefer one or the other, but these are opportunistic plants and seem to grow into whatever space is available. When they get very large, and I've had experience of this, I may change my point of view! Sorry you lost your plant, but perhaps you will try again at some point.

[@lilid704]

Thank you so much for your video! My cuddly Cactus was perfectly fine I have it for a year and a half and suddenly turn black but still firm what can I do?😢

[@ourhouseplants]

At a guess based on the info given it sounds like overwatering or cold damage. Has it been outside? Either way, once it's gone black, those bits won't turn green again. If possible and it's quite a small area, you could chop it out. If the black parts are at the top you could remove the top and new growth should sprout eventually (could take up to a year).

[@LindaJarosz-d6s]

So I’ve had a cuddly cactus for two years and it’s doing great started growing. The gross is on the skinny side and that’s told me. I probably need to put it in a warmer area with some more sunlight. The new growth also has spines so it’s not so cuddly anymore. The original part does not have any stickers or spines what can cause this?

[@ourhouseplants]

Yeah they will absolutely do okay in lower light for ages. BUT they don't grow properly if they don't get full sunlight over the growing period. If you don't have a sunny window to put them in, put them outside over Summer. If they don't get enough sun, they have thin growth, and this is called Etiolation. Re the spines. It's normal for small ones to grow sometimes, but they shouldn't be proper full on damaging ones. If they are, then it's possible your plant is the typical Cereus Jamacaru and perhaps the original seller removed the spines prior to sale.

[@angelicamorales5936]

Thanks for your video! Question, I recently got a plant light and noticed that my Cubby Cactus turned black at the top, I’m guessing from the direct light, but my question is what should I do to help it further? I moved it away from the direct light but now I am worried. Do I cut off that top? Do I worry because if you put a little pressure on the tips it secretes liquid? Ugh I wish I hadn’t put it under the light it was growing so well.

[@ourhouseplants]

Oh no, such a shame. It could be the plant light, but with you talking about it being mushy makes me think it's overwatered.

[@MrNurserob]

I have a giant CJ which I propagated from a cutting about a year ago. By cutting I mean a whole giant arm I pruned off of a giant, outdoor mother plant which the owner had growing in their landscape for probably over a decade, and wanted trimmed. It’s certainly well-rooted by now and seems quite healthy in terms of its color and texture. It’s summer, so I’ve brought it outside to the patio for more sun. I’d like to force the growth of an arm or 2, do I do that by cutting a notch into one of its ridges/spines, ie cutting off a crescent-shaped portion around one of the ‘spikes’ with a clean, sharp blade, as is done with some other varieties of cactus? Can I choose any spot on it that I want, like about a foot up from its base? (It’s about 3-4 feet tall and a single column). Can I try to force more than one arm at a time, or will it over-tax the plant? Thanks.

[@ourhouseplants]

You can certainly try it! However from my years of growing various succulents I've learned you can't force them to do anything. I've tried notching and sometimes nothing happens, the wound just heals over. I've had better luck with just cutting the top off and sprouts will form at the sides of the cut, but I don't think that's the look you want! In this case I'll have to defer to someone more experienced. If anyone reading has any tips please share and Mrnurserob if you carry on researching and find more information I'd love to hear from you again!

[@PrincessVanessaValley]

Should I repot if I just bought it just recently🤔?

[@ourhouseplants]

You can repot. Or you can wait. For me, I follow the usual repotting rules and go from there. (I e, is the container it's in very small / too large compared to the size of the plant. Has it become unstable and wobbly? Is the potting mix very wet and you suspect root rot etc)

[@PrincessVanessaValley]

@ourhouseplants I just didn't want to over water it because I'm afraid I'm going to kill it. I'll just wait until I'm ready to repot it. It looks like the top was recently cut. I haven't water it because there was one with the batch at the store that I got my cuddly cactus from was all wet like it was over watered. I'm already having trouble with over watering my other plants so this one I wanted to be careful watering😅!!!!

[@heather1225]

So I have a cactus that looks similar and there was an offshoot. I read that you should twist and pull then dry out for a few days. Well I did that and now it looks like the root stayed behind on the mother plant! What do I do? Wish there was a way to show you pictures 😢

[@ourhouseplants]

Hi, you can always post photos in the comments on the article on my website - www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/cuddly-cactus-cereus-jamacaru As for what you've said though, I think I understand / can picture it. Without roots, that will make it much harder, but once the end has "dried" out a little. Maybe 48 hours. You can pot it up into normal potting soil and keep moist and warm. There is a good chance, if it takes, it will grow new roots within a month or two. It won't work every time, but at this point, there isn't anything else you can realistically do.

[@heather1225]

I have a question!

[@reng.794]

My cuddle cactus grew a bloom for 24 hours. Then it closed and now it is turning black. Will it call if on is own, or do i need to cut it off from the cactus?

[@ourhouseplants]

How brilliant is that! Mine have never flowered. Must cacti blooms shrivel and fall off on their own. But if it's annoying you, I'd remove it early.

[@emmalilliana8127]

Mine has spikes?.. im so confused

[@ourhouseplants]

There are two types of Cereus Jamacaru. One is generally spineless like the Cuddly Cactus and the other has spines. This one is less commonly sold as a houseplant, but I have seen sellers growing it as a large outdoor plant in some warmer regions of the world. Maybe yours has got mixed up. You can still grow it as a houseplant in exactly the same way, just be careful as it obviously isn't "cuddly" if it's covered in spines.

[@StalkerNaturaliste]

It's probably not Cereus jamacaru but Cereus hexagonus.

[@ourhouseplants]

Why do you say that? Is there a way you tell which it is for certain? I did look online and Jamacaru is supposed to have the bluish-green color whereas the hexagonus doesn't. So my plant does have that bluish-green look. I suppose I need to try and find a hexagonus in RL to compare!

[@StalkerNaturaliste]

@@ourhouseplants Cereus species are very difficult to identify, not because of blurry criteria but because of prior misidentifications. Correctly identified specimen are so scarce most research engines fails to help. Research papers are also scarce and the genus isnt very well studied. Something you probably observed: this plant is VERY fast growing and thirsty like a jungle cactus while Cereus jamacaru is a slow growing, drought tolerant plant. Cereus hexagonus grow in the jungle, in an environnement so damp his own seedlings are commonly seen growing epiphytically before falling down to the ground. But more important are the spines insertions and ribs profile that are different from confirmed jamacaru specimen and similar to Cereus hexagonus. There is a brasilian collector who made an extensive photo album on flickr with pictures of every species and specimen he encountered, pictures of areoles, ribs, apex, flowers, fruits and seedling, it's very usefull to ID Cereus species. His name is "brcacti". I came to the conclusion that this plant based on his album, and he confirmed the ID to me.