Tara... NO WWIII here! Lol.......Sorry you've had your head bitten off! I've seen it happen on other forums too. There is no excuse for it, and I understand you must have been upset. There are lots of different ways of doing things! The OP got one idea from me, one from you. She could choose! It's all good. My plan was based on my belief that IF people new to cac/succ can save failing plants, it's a big learning opportunity and satisfying too. Kinda like rescuing a dog! But someone with a nice collection properly cared for might not have the patience or interest in rescue efforts! That's completely understandable as well. Again, sorry you were treated rudely.

Hey, Doll! I'm on the FL gulf coast. MG soil is way too water retentive for me to use. Many people can mix it 50/50 with perlite, but it still stayed wet for me and led to root rot. I've played with mixes for the past 4 years and here's what works for me. I mix perlite, granite chicken grit and Turface together in equal parts. That's my general purpose succulent mix. When I have a large pot that I want to be able to pick up and move (in case of a hurricane!), I also add an equal part of fir bark. Reptibark is what I have used - not as fine as recommended, but close enough that I don't have to put it into my food processor. LOL This mix can be tweaked for specific plants. For my Echeverias - which don't seem to like my hot and humid area (or me!), I add less Turface, the moisture retaining part of the mix. With bark - No bark - This mix works really well for me. It drains fast and my plants can withstand the summer rains. Where along the Gulf are you? I married a MS boy and am obligated to say, Hail State! LOL

Thanks for the feedback. What I meant was I water it once every two weeks until water drains from the three holes on the bottom. Just enough water until it drains. It's in a room with south facing Windows and also fluorescent grow lights for at least 6-7 hours a day but when there getting actual indirect sunlight I shut the lights off. Before I got the lights all my plants looked a little bad but they have all shown new growth since the lights. Except these two with the same problem....the soil is cactus soil with equal parts perlite. It is only indoors. And it gets no food....

Thank you all so much for your input! Yes, it IS an Easter Cactus - you got me on that one! As soon as I posted I knew I was wrong! When I bought it this spring, I thought it was just a Christmas cactus gone crazy blooming that time of year, but I wasn’t about to tell it that! I attempted the running alcohol on a q-tip solution when I initially noticed the problem (maybe a week ago?). It was hard to get the dot off - it looked like an orange/brown dot with a clear layer of slime over the top (probably a bad description!), and didn’t immediately come off, but eventually did once I “helped” it a bit more with some harder pressure. The plant is outdoors and is in the shade most of the time. If it gets any sun it’s afternoon sun. I water once a week, but I have a moisture meter and check the moisture first. Right now it’s reading as very moist/wet, which, I know, is not a good thing. It was potted in a mix of cactus/succulent soil, sand, and pearlite, so it should be draining well. I’m in California where it’s been 100°+ for a while, so the fact that it is not drying out is a little worrisome. Hopefully I watered it recently and forgot! The pebbles on the top were a deterrent to gnats that I read about, and I also like the look. However, if it’s causing the problem, it’s back to sand for me! yes, Rina, I would love some pics. I took one as close as I could (my phone camera doesn’t like to focus close up when I want it to!) of what I scraped off with a q-tip and alcohol today. Maybe it will help! I’d like to save the plant if at all possible. It’s not huge or terribly sentimental, that’s true, but I’d like to keep it if at all possible, just the same. Thanks again everyone for all of your help!!!