You might want to try and save this plant by cutting the bottom off until you see clean green pulp, next put it in a clean pot with no soil and put it outside to cure. This can stay through the winter, you will want to see root nodes (white) coming from the bottom cut before you set it down on very porus soil/ gravel/sand about April 1 or when it start to warm up and no frost is expected. At this point you have nothing to lose, and you just might save a plant.

I am not sure what kind of cactus you have, but I don't know of any that would like that kind of pot and those conditions. Those pots are meant for African Violets and other things that like constant moisture. Cactus don't! I would transplant and then follow the direction on the cactus foood. I use the Schultz stuff but I hardly ever fertilize and they are fine without. Most don't require a lot of food. If you are going to keep it in that pot to see if it will survive, I guess you could put the fertilizer solution in the pot every 3-4 months and let it leach in like the reg. water does. A lot of the nutrients may get trapped in the ceramic though. Another options would be to get those house plant fert. sticks, cut them in thirds and put 1/3 in every 3-4 months. That way your not pouring water into it that can't get out. I still think your plant won't survive long in a pot like this.

I meant to mention, great handle - I'm watching a bunch of taped episodes and it comes up. You can use whatever, a garden knife, a machete, a katana, a scimitar or some secateurs, just make sure they're clean.The cuts, when made, should be on a downward bias and left to dry No, I would wait until spring to make the cut to make a new plant (it's best to do so when times of growth are optimum), but absolutely, you can do that at whatever point on the plant, just make sure you try to make the cut at a segment's joint. Yes, it's worth it, as almost any piece of living tissue, nurtured correctly, will grow a plant, you just want to do so at the best time. You may be also interested to know that this cactus's extract was one of more than a few used delivered suppository-like by Incan shamans to have their visions.

Looks totally fine. The marks/scars happened from who knows what, but the cactus has healed itself. The circle looking scabs in second pics makes me think it had fungus at one point, but now it has healed. Nothing to worry about at all:). It is really hard to keep plants looking perfect, no matter how hard you try. One year this appeared on my Trichocereus. I blame the tree trimmers that came one year to prune back some trees. Especially wounds on cactus those wounds are forever. The cactus will form a scab over the wound, but won’t grow out of it. Next question;), are you talking about the little fuzzies coming out of the areoles? Totally normal cactus can have fuzzy areoles. Some fuzzier than others. I don’t think you asked, but this is corking and comes with age. Another normal thing when it comes to cacti. Your cactus looks A ok.