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Cacti & Succulents

Need Help, Cactus Looks Deathly!

5 years ago

Hello!

Need some quick professional feedback to help save my cactus.

Over the past two weeks the color of the cactus (1 of 3) has turned left green/yellow and in some areas brown. The cactus at this point is very stiff and unfortunately seems a little to late to be treated.

I was concerned it was to much sun as its located indoors next to a window which of only lately was getting more sun than usual, however, the entire plant, front and back, top and bottom are showing the same signs.

At the time Im seeing aggressive shedding of white scales.

Please any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

J

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Comments (3)

Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
It’s time to unpot and check out the roots on your Cereus. The yellow one is gone, so I would throw that guy away. The other two look healthy.

Remove as much of the old mix off the roots you can because it looks very compacted. The new mix you use needs to be fast draining and if you use a bagged cactus mix from the store it needs to be amended with 60% of rinsed & strained perlite or pumice. If you notice your cactus is majorly root bound go up a size or two in the pot, but if the roots are weak you can keep the same pot. All pots should have drainage holes.

When you repot wait 2 weeks to water. Goodluck;).

Could you take a closer pic of the scales you’re talking about:)?
Sans2014
5 years ago
scales look like bugs- try to get a detailed close up as Kara requested.
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Lamora. I am not sure of where else you asked this question, but I hope it was at the cactus forum...That is where the experts on this plant are. Karen, Josh and others have been very keen on giving wonderful advice and have helped me with mine there. Now I can help a bit..:-) Why did you pot them together? I would of potted them in alone in seperate pots. They are not as bad as you think they are, unless the roots are rotted and you have yet to look at them. I have a feeling your mix is not compatable with a VERY healthy and hydrated plant. Is it exposed to very cold temps too? I find that when mine shrivel a bit like that, they are starving for water by either not being able to take up water because of poor root function, usually due to my errors. Causes could be a very heavy mix that stays wet too long, or very cold temps along with this type of soil too. They love very airy and porous mixes. Not sure what your plant is trying to tell you, but I have a deep feeling it's coming from the roots in a bad mix. Does the mix look porous? If it's lousy, the I would watch for root rot. If it is NOT porous, I would do something about that and then leave them ro recover. Constant tickering around with it will only hold back its recovery. This is a plant that one must not fuss with. It is one that you simply provide a good porous mix from water more often as than you think, as long as the mix is porous, give it good light, and leave alone:-) Mike
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The small black areas are old damage. Leave them alone; the plant has already sealed off those areas, and digging around is only going to make new wounds. The discolouration between the ribs looks like a sort of corking, and while it's not dangerous in itself it's a sign that the plant isn't as healthy as it could be. Some of it has been there a while, as you can see from the cracks. You don't have to cut spines off to explore the large discoloured area -- use a blunt pencil or toothpick or something to feel the area indirectly. Outside is good (it hasn't been getting enough light lately -- see how the top of the plant is reaching up and has fewer spines?), but miracle grow anything is unlikely to drain well enough unless you have the bottom of the soil in contact with the dirt outside. Careful with that new growth though, it's especially unused to outdoors sunlight and will scorch quite easily. Consider getting a scrap of shade cloth and hooking it loosely over the top growth. Eventually that tender growth will no longer be at the growing point, and scorched shoulders are less bad for a cactus than a scorched head. Overall the whole plant is a bit scabby, but once you get it into the right conditions you'll be surprised at how quickly that few inches of bad skin disappears into the base. The O. trolli below is hardly a show specimen, but I'm showing it to show what the top of the plant should be shaped like, and how much increased light levels will change the spination.
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You could add both - I know Lena said it is not necessary (and it isn't an absolute must), but anything that will make the mix more porous is a plus. Especially if you are heavy waterer or if your plants are outdoors where it rains more often. I don't remember if you mentioned your general location (it is good to indicate by your name - as you can see most ppl do); I am in Ontario, Canada and have to bring plants inside for the winter but keep them all outdoors otherwise. All my succulents are in a mix of grit+perlite+turface and have been for almost 4 years now.
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Polypompholyx
5 years ago
You mentioned aggressive shedding of white scales. I see white crusty looking stuff at the top of the dying cactus. It is hard to see in the detail of the picture but you might have a scale problem. Scale is an insect pest. Looks like there might be some scale on the two healthier looking cacti.

Also, your cacti might actually need even more sunlight than they've been getting. I don't grow large cacti like yours so consider that while I give the following advice: those normally grow in full sun all day, I think. Your window only goes down about half way to the floor, it is screened, and the shade is closed. However, maybe you closed the shade for the picture. Years ago I had a large Euphorbia that suddenly became ill and died. Eventually I concluded that happened because I didn't give it enough light for too long.

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