I love the color! I usually just remove the pups when the mood strikes, so can't give any accurate process.

Thank you Pam. How do you remove the pup? This is the first cactus I've ever had.

The way that I do it may not be the correct way, hopefully I won't be the only one answering! I like the way that they look with the pups, so unless I'm trying to populate a bed or share babies, I don't separate them.

I dig the mom and pup out together, grab with tongs or wide strips of cardboard and place on a cardboard box so that I can get at the roots. The babies come apart with very little root teasing. Mine weren't actually attached to the mother, the roots were tangled and once I untangled them gently, they separated.

I always say that I should get more pictures when I do this sort of thing. I do the whole bed after setting up the wheelbarrow for a table and assemble all of the tools. I do this every few years.

I take this opportunity to get any undesirable weeds out and then (with tongs) place the cactus into it's prepared hole (I like using just a sprinkle of compost at the bottom). Use your trowel to firm the soil around the roots.

Oh, ok. If we move, I'd like to take the pup with me.

Some cacti are clumping. HERE is a link to a picture of Claret Cup cactus. Your cactus is producing the same type of offset, meaning it does NOT need removal. One could argue that no pup needs to be removed since they've been growing this way long before people kept them.

I will remove the pup on the right in the picture below as well as one at the base, but only the pup at the base is at risk of being lost by shading from the parent.

Clumping cacti offsets usually have roots, but the pup on the above cactus does not have roots. When the pup is snapped off it should be placed in a warm, dry area to callus. This is even more important if the pup was cut off. Once the raw end has dried it can be planted into moist soil, and set in part sun to full sun depending on the species. Some use rooting hormone to quicken root formation. After planting do not water until the soil is quite dry—at most twice in a month.