Why does my cactus grow so tall it can't stand on its own? - eviltoast

I’ve had this cactus for a few years, and for a while it’s had a problem where it grows so tall that it can’t stand up. You can see in the photo that I have it tied to some stakes to keep it upright - if not for those it would literally uproot itself in under a day.

Why might this be? I don’t know all that much about houseplants. I water this cactus (and my other cactuses, which are not the same species) once every two weeks, about 1 to 1.5 cups of water. I use some cactus fertilizer like twice a year, pretty inconsistently. It lives perpetually indoors with those three light rods visible in the picture as its sole light source (On for 12 hours a day).

Given how little I know about proper plant care, I’m sure none of that is ideal - but is any of it the obvious culprit for why this happens? What should I be doing better?

Thanks for any help.

P.S. Those two nodules just above the lower string are brand new, and it’s never branched out like that before - what should I expect them to become? Round bulbs? Branches? Flowers? Nothing at all? The tip top of the cactus being white is also very recent.

  • dbx12@programming.dev
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    1 year ago

    I’m by no means an expert on plants, but usually they grow thin and long if they need (more) light. Could you relocate it closer to a window where it gets sun light? And naybe it is confused because the light comes from its sides rather than from the top.

    • zkfcfbzr@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      I honestly can’t put it near a window - there are only 2, and they both get pretty limited sun from like 6pm to 8pm. I did originally keep it on the back porch (Which I’m not convinced gives more light than the light rods), but I moved it in when it kept getting bugs. I can look into ways to get it more artificial lighting, though.