Hi Bernard, I hope I don't repeat something because I only got about halfway through this thread before I got sick of reading and decided to go ahead and post. #1. I don't know where the idea come from that calloused roots are good. Callouses can't absorb water. It's dry scar tissue that keeps in/out moisture, thereby protecting broken stems and so on. When a plant's roots are partially exposed by wildlife digging, etc., the exposed portion callouses to keep the plant from dehydrating, but that calloused portion will never absorb water again. We don't want roots to callous (except maybe Bonsai growers who like to expose some roots over a rock or something). Putting a root system into dry mix is never good for it. I challenge anyone to prove how dehydrating or callousing a root system can possibly be good for it. The previous poster who said the dry mix will dehydrate the plant is correct. Always use damp mix for re-potting a healthy root system. If the roots are dead, it might be a different story. #2. As you've already learned, it's easy to under-water gritty mix. Since it's pretty close to impossible to over-water grit, I'm with the posters who say to soak it deeply and often. If you're paranoid, soak it daily, or even twice daily, but then give the pot a quick, little down-up motion to dislodge any perched water. That way it'll always be just barely moist. If it were mine, and planted in grit, I'd just water every day or two until the roots are well-established. As one who has killed off whole, healthy root systems by under-watering grit (once weekly), I feel confident in telling you that you're extremely unlikely to drown a plant in grit. I'm watering my succulents daily right now, and some are STILL too dry. BTW, Danny, I think mentioned he prefers soil for jades. I don't disagree with him. The one I have in soil has grown much better than the ones I have in grit. Furthermore, the Aeonium I had in a 1:1 soil:pumice mix has a huge, beautiful, healthy root system. The big one in grit has puny roots. These aren't experiments with standardized variables, so something else might be going on, but for now, I'm also not certain that grit is always a better medium.

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.

I don't see why sunlight would have affected the roots. anyway, put it in a bright spot (southern window) and just leave it be for a while. Since most or all of the leaves have died, it's going to be using very little water. That said, cut way back on watering. Do not fertalize either. just give it time and it'll probably put out some new growth. Leaves that are grown indoors can't just be placed in full sun. They're not used to that. You need to slowly acclimate the plant if you want it grown in full sun. New leaves that do grow in full sun will not burn as they'll grow already acclimated to the higher light levels.

Beaglenc- I have been looking for Cheer powder for a couple of weeks with no luck. I will check some of the non-chain stores next. Seems all I find is liquids or Ariel. I remember Cheer from my teen years and loved the scent. I was the one responsible for taking the laundry down from the roof clothes line and the scent was so fresh and clean. Rococogurl-Yes they seem delicate and I have not treated them as such. So far they are holding up but I really need to be more careful. I found them on clearance at BB&B years ago. I have been unable to find them anywhere now. I would buy a replacement set if I could. And yes they are very soft, they don't feel exactly silk just soft and cozy. Laundry Mitch- We had torrential rain this afternoon so I didn't make it to the Dollar Store, but will tomorrow. (Ihope.) I would like a powder only because I have for years used only liquid and now want to start using powders, however since I have developed this urge to own a multiple different detergents I might just have to buy one of each.