I might cut some of the pads that are salvageable off before rot spreads.

Christopher

Any firm (non mushy) pad might indicate survival potential, even if there is scarring. Cut off the firm pad(s), (unless the ones at the base already rooted are the survivors, cut the mushy ones off those), let the cut place dry out, then plant the pad in dry cactus mix. Mist the pad lightly every so often and watch for pests (spider mites, mealy bugs). Eventually if the pad roots you can start watering. May take the pad several months to re-root. If the ones at the base with roots are the firm ones, they have a good chance to resprout new growth.

This!!! I just made an account to try and ID my six foot tall (48 yr old) cactus, and I'm pretty freaking sure this is it. Can anyone tell me the name of this cactus???

Be sure you cut away every bit of soft tissue. If you save partial pads, cut into healthy tissue to be sure you've cut away all mush. Bacteria grow rapidly in the damaged tissue and can sometimes spread to healthy tissue when a plant is stressed or dormant, so be sure to get rid of that stuff.

Opuntia species are fantastically resilient and easy to propagate. I have seen Opuntia pads root from between blotter papers in a plant press left over the holidays in a cold, dark botany lab. You needn't keep them damp. They have adequate moisture in the pads to feed new root growth, and they can't absorb moisture through the "skin" anyway, so my feeling is that adding moisture will only increase the danger of rot. Personally, I think it will root just fine if you lay it on top of dry soil. Just be sure the damaged portion scars before you let it get at all damp.

Some Opuntia species are very cold tolerant. Others aren't. There is one species that grows wild around Boulder Colorado- Opuntia compacta maybe. That isn't your species, but it's easy to see why you thought it might survive such intense cold.

I hope you can salvage some. It looks like one of the more attractive Opuntia.

"Thescopeofmydesire," the genus is Opuntia, but many Opuntia species are very difficult to tell apart, and it is a HUGE genus. You won't likely be able to identify your species without more information: height, growth habit, pad shape, color, needle type, and most importantly, blossom and fruit description will probably be necessary. If you have those, you can probably find an online botanical key to Opuntia species.

Or, if you're lucky, yours is a species common to cultivation and someone here can ID it for you. Try uploading some pictures to your own thread. State in the title that you need help with ID.

Looks like you have some nice pads left to try to root. As stated above, make sure every bit of rot is removed or you will lose the whole pad. These root easily, and soon you will have new plants. Good luck.

Christopher