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Cacti & Succulents

Purple Prickly Cactus Pear Rot? (Pictures)

14 years ago

Purple Prickly Cactus PearÂ Rot?

Hello All,

I am guessing this is rot (see pictures) but want to confirm before I break off the one good part (the heart shape, its the only part that doesnt have any discoloring) and replant it. I recently moved back to Florida from Arizona where I acquired this Purple Prickly Pear Cactus. The soil was fine in AZ and always stayed dry, but after a few Florida showers it doesnÂt appear to be fairing well. I pulled it out to inspect the soil and roots; the roots look healthy but the soil was quite wet. When I put it back I mixed in a lot of sand. Is it too late?

Thanks!

Matt

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Comments (4)

bunnygurl
14 years ago
Squeeze it. Is it squishy? If yes then it's rotted.
mal7843
Original Author
14 years ago
It's Actually quite firm. No squishynees at all.
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It's hard to tell in thus pic if it's rotting. If you could take it out of the pot and then take a pic it would be easier to tell. The whitish stuff at the base isn't rot. What I can tell is that if this is the container your cactus has been in I think it's time to give it a new pot. I would get a terra cotta pot maybe an inch bigger than the container in the pic. Then get some cactus mix preferably without peat. Also get some perlite or pumice to mix in the cactus soil. A 50/50 ratio should be fine. Plant your cactus higher up in the pot:)
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greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
14 years ago
Sand? What diameter sand?
Generally, sand will compact and hold too much moisture.

Josh
kaktuskris
14 years ago
In my opinion, the plant will recover. No 'squishiness' means no rot. But the brown patches caused by the higher humidity or showers will not go away. I would suggest protecting it from the rain in the future. As you know, there are Opuntias native to Florida, which can handle the humidity better than your species can.

Christopher

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