barrel cactus putting out babies

Question

I have an older barrel cactus that has never bloomed but has put out two babies from the top center. Mother Barrel seems dormant, but the babies are the size of oranges. Do I remove them and pot them up? Leave them alone? Will Mother plant die? HELP!

Thank you,
Richard Lucik.

Answer 1

Yes, you can remove the cactus babies, known as "pups," and plant them, usually without harming the mother plant. These articles will explain how:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/scgen/removing-cactus-pups.htm
https://garden.org/nga/searchqa/answer/48157/