You say the lower section becomes woody over time. Is it ok to bury the plant deeper when that happens?

How long it takes for the thinner part to wooden?

Madcap, All of my cacti are like those, but shorter. They are skinny at the bottom and fat from the top. I would want them to look nicer though and let them stand on their own someday.

Maybe I bury some of them deeper next spring after the dormancy, so some of them are going to look nicer and some of them will yield sooner.

Thanks.