This is a plant I was given at a DG plant and seed swap. The descriptive tag reads: Red Eppi. At the three year point it has nineteen arms in an eight inch pot. It has a span of about thirty inches from erect arms to the bottom or arms that have fallen below the rim of the plant. The shown white heavy hair like growth with a lighter green small new growth has appeared at the terminal point of almost all parts of the plant. My guess is that it is pot bound but this plant might not mind that at all. My question is...."what is this I am now seeing for the first time"? The sharpness is off a tad but I believe good enough for anyone knowing the answer I seek. The image is shot Canon Rebel Close Up using a 17 X 55 IS zoom lens in Close Up Mode with a 4X close up lens added. Apparently I found it necessary to breath when shooting or the humidifier may have caused the slight movement rendering some blur at the center focus point. The over all blur is intended to be part of the image.
I don't quite know what I am doing here with no image option. I will post this and follow with the image.
ORCHID CACTUS GROWTH QUESTIONN
I still don't but this is going to show the image. I'm very much a senior. That's my excuse and I shall stick to it.
I believe that those are roots. Not an unusual development for wintertime in PA for Rhipsalis or Epi's. Others here are better qualified to offer a solution, but I try to spray mine in the winter and offer a more humid environment. As the house is very dry, I am not very successful at keeping them from doing this. I do regard it as a sign to do more watering. However, this is not without some risk, as over the years I have lost a few to rot when it is overdone.
My health causes us to have humidification constant for me at 40% - 50%. The native plants are I am told tropical which would certainly include higher humidity than we would dare have in the house. If my amateur gathering of facts and tid bits suggest that if the plants were anchored with roots holding onto pockets of organic matter collected in the crotches or even things like bird nests. I would call each place like that the base roots to whatever grows above the new fixture or rooting in organic matter. The plant has to reach out and find other such organic matter tucked or stuck away for the next extended growth to originate from.
If this is reasonable to assume then the question is are these growths the beginning of a new root process ready to grab ahold while the little green mass seen in the picture becomes the first leaf or arm on the new roots at a new location. Continuing in the assumption mode........then anything like spraying them with water would clean and open the stomas and cause the plant to be more healthy and produce more and stronger early root development that we may be seeing at the terminal end of the leaf or arm. Others have said that just the opposite or stress of any type may cause this effort by the plant to reach out as well as to encourage bloom for the seed production. Other plants flourish and do better when dead headed. Dead heading is a stress factor. Others have said that the plant likes an acid medium. I remain guarded on this thought because in the tropics all of the plants expansion is by rooting into organic matter all of which becomes neutral in the natural rotting process that eventually offers the plant leaf compost that always finished neutral. I would therefore deduct that the planting medium would be organic not necessarily needing much of any minerals or adjustments away from neutral. One would certainly not want to push growth of elongated weak cell growth by using any fertilizer stronger than an organic very weak tea. Finally they grow under the canopy naturally in the tropics. This suggests that they like shade better than direct sun light.
Certainly they could climb or crawl their way to the top of the jungle canopy if they needed sunlight.
As an aside.........I think the growth shown is a pretty and interesting part of cactus life. Pondering it's function is just an added positive activity in my mind. As a decent photographer I would be tempted to play around with composition and various degrees of sharpness to create a floral presentation that would simply cause the observer to ponder "what's that". Next year I may even do time lapse on this development. It does not take much to amuse my pure and simple mind. One percent pure.
doc--
This is way back--maybe to 2005 when I had my first Ric Rac Cactus...
Brought it in for the winter--and over time--it grew these ugly air roots.
Seems to be a habit when the humidity drops to indoor levels. Light is almost nil, etc..
It neither hurt or helped the plant. I cut them off when it went back outside the next summer.
Maybe yours is doing the same thing?
Keep following up on your growths..and post more pictures...
Gita
One thing I would look for is the plant rotting off at the soil line. I found a Schlumbergia like that this fall. If you have that the roots are looking for water. Repot the plant with some rootone cutting away the rotten portions.
This plant will like shade and plenty of water in the summer but right now a cool room at about 60F. Some plants grow advantageous roots at every node, just in case there is soil present.
I have no rotting anyplace. I agree with you these growths are advantageous roots and that the plant wants shade not desert sun. I do water it daily with all the other plants that get daily watering in the summer. I use well water. I may have elevated humidity by wetting my bricks in the patio when I water the plants daily.