My Old Man Cactus lost it's roots...

18 years ago

I guess I kept my Cephalocereus senilis too dry over the winter because as I was watering it Saturday, I noticed it was very wobbly in it's pot. At first I thought it was rotting at the base, but when I removed it from the soil, it simply had no roots.

I've never encountered this problem before. Shall I just add some rooting hormone powder to the base and stick it in some moist soil, similar to rooting a cutting? It's about 2 feet tall, and I'd hate to lose it, so all advice is appreciated. Thanks!

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Comments (3)

dufflebag2002
18 years ago
No just do the opposite. Keep it away from all soil and water until you see roots, or you will rot is further. You must clean off any rot or it will spread. Set it in a pot no soil, no water, set it in filtered sun, or morning sun. You don't want to ruin the top. Make sure it gets the same light as it always had. Don't make any position changes. When you do repot make sure it's a new clean pot, that it has fresh potting mix with either plenty of small rocks or pumice, it must drain fast, you may want to sterilize the soil. I think this plant grows in Peru on rocky hillsides. No you don't want to lose this one. Norma
cactijoe
18 years ago
I'd check the nearest lost and found first, might get lucky and find those missing roots. This is one of those tricky ones but I think that you will probably have to do some surgery as it is likely the roots rotted up to the base of the stem and stopped. If you can't see any rot in the stem at all you may get lucky and it will send out new roots from the base. I agree that you should not set it back in the soil till you have "seen the light" and know for certain that no rot what-so-ever exists in the stem. If in doubt you will have to slice off the lower most tip of the stem and inspect. If it has no rot and the stem is not compromised or sliced open it will send out roots in an effort to save itself. You can get those little green bamboo sticks at the garden center and lash it to two or three sticks and push the sticks into a pot leaving the base of the cactus suspended in air above the soil and keep an eye on it. If in a months time it sends out some roots then you can lower the stem till it is touching the soil and slowly start a watering program. These hairy cacti are very water sensitive in Winter and must be kept very dry in a fast draining sandy mix in a well lit area. In Summer they like the great outdoors and liberal watering and lots of sun. Keep us posted on this IC patient. -Joe
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I think that if it is the Mexican Old Man cactus, they are very susceptible to rot. That's why you don't see very many in collections. I've managed to keep mine alive for about 5 years (at least I think it's alive). I don't water it at all in winter and just once month in summer. I had a really nice one, but I gave it to my son's then girlfriend--it probably hit the garbage sooner than later. If I would have known they were going to break up, I never would have given it to her :-). Can't help you much, but do let it dry for quite a while before you try to root it. And a pic would be good since there are a few different cacti called old man.
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If only a few, swabbing with alcohol as mention is effective. I would pull it out of the pot and see if there are any bugs down below especially at the bottom. Use a strip of newspaper folded over 3 or 4 times to hold the cactus so the spines don't prick you. There are systemics, but I don't know anything about such chemicals.
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In my opinion, the second one is goner. However, you can save it in a way. Get a sharp, clean knife and cut the top off above the bad area. The interior should look damp and clean with no sign of the deteriorated area of the plant. If you still see a bad spot, cut again until you see all clean tissue. Set it aside out of the sun for at least a week so the cut edge can dry up. or callus. Get cactus and succulent mix from the nursery (you can get a better mix if you also get perlite or pumice to mix with it 50/50, but at the least get commercial cactus/succulent planting mix). When the bottom of the cactus is completely dry, plant it in the mix you got. Do not water until your cactus has started to grow roots, which could be weeks. Don't worry, it has a lot of moisture stored so it will survive. If you water, it will rot because it has no roots to take up water. As for pots, you could use that little pot it was in if it has holes in the bottom and if you do not double pot it as it was. If you buy a pot, get a small clay pot. Your plant does not want to be in a large pot. It died because of being double potted and the soil isn't fast draining enough and was holding too much water.. Also, it was probably not getting enough sun. It needs full sun, but transition it gradually to that much light. Others know more than I, but I would repot the euphorbia in a slightly larger clay pot. The little buckets are cute but are not helping your plants survive.
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Comments (50)
OM Gosh! So glad you guys revived this thread. I absolutely love these. Don't even have a pup, though. The one I traded for never arrived. One day. I wonder how they'd do in the Caribbean? This is the closest thing I have to one. I know, I know ... Humor me, OK! Maria Elena
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wendy23373_yahoo_com
16 years ago
my cats knocked into my "old man" and it broke almost in two. about 4 or 5 inches up from the soil line. it has a second arm growing out from the tip and i really want to save it, if possible. can i tape the broken part back down,or finish cutting it and root the cutoff part? any help,please.

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My Old Man Cactus lost it's roots...

Comments (3)

dufflebag2002

cactijoe

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