The link won't open on either of my computers, ipad and laptop, it's much easier and convenient for us to view the pics within the post rather than having to access other sites. Please add your pics to your thread using the buttons below, that's why they are there after all :)

Gill UK

I know very little about cacti, so I won't offer any advice. I hope someone else will chime in. That does look odd to me, though. The branch / bud / pup (?) looks good.

Here is the picture that you posted in the second link -

Thanks Crenda, ha, I missed that second link, it did work after all!

That is really bizarre, it certainly 'appears' to be completely dead! The mother plants roots may now be dead, and the pup is just relying on drawing out the life from the dying mother plant....once that life source has dried up completely I'm afraid the pup is doomed also....unless it's detached and rooted independently. Interesting nonetheless! BTW, its potted rather deeply in it's pot :)

Gill UK

I'd be tempted to top up the pot until the soil level reaches the pup... quite often pup might drop some roots whilst still attached to old trunk.

Chop & reroot would lose the interesting issue :)

Can I be SURE mother plant is dead, though, if it's green on the inside? The top is also very firm. I'll post a better picture with better lighting.... It's not as brown as the second picture makes it look.

That's a good suggestion Tamiya.

"Curiouser and curiouser" as Alice said when in Wonderland.

Gill UK

@GC... let's just say I've been needing to rescue many brown specimens in recent mths :/ not really by choice either

@Amy... main stem possibly isn't dead, there could be enough green chlorophyll in new bud to sustain it as a water/nutrient pipe. But it will never regrow its top as that's where these things grow from... your only hope is if it'll sprout another pup on top but unlikely given this time.

Also if you disturb it from its soil just for looksee... I don't think that's got enough energy (as a whole) to regrow damaged roots from the bottom. You'd want to just chop & reroot the pup.

Hence safest way is to see if pup will bypass root when you bring soil level up to it, whilst still being attached to brown trunk... that's my gutfeel anyway. You've got enough empty depth in pot; if not otherwise I'd pop whole thing as-is into a bigger pot & fillup with coarse sand for a few months. (Or more if it's winter there) & don't water...

btw what did u do to the top that you cut off? Threw away..?

This bit you could've possibly rooted into a new plant, or grafted it onto another cactus :) like those red lollipops you see on green triangular rootstock.