What is happening to my cactus? Is it overwatered?

3 years ago

I have had these cacti for a little less than a year now. I noticed a light green/yellow at the base of the cactus. My moisture meter reads dry but it only extends about 6 inches into the soil. I have recently removed some of the top soil in that area to use for another plant so I am not sure if I just uncovered it because that was where the soil level was originally. It is not soft to the touch. I keep the cacti near a big window and I have a plant light too. In the summer I watered them about every 2 weeks and now I water just once a month maybe half a cup to a cup throughout the pot. Have I overwatered it or is it underwatered? I am trying to determine if I should repot it.

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Comments (11)

dbarron
3 years ago
It's looks to be totally inappropriate peat based media. Which probably means too much water retention.
Lora Moore
Original Author
3 years ago
What do you ratio do you recommend for the soil? Do you think the plant is savable if I change out the soil?

The water meter reads as dry so I did not think there was a problem with water retention although it could be deeper down.
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dbarron
3 years ago
Feel free to read other posts in particular you can search for Al's Gritty Mix. It's all been said 20 or 50 times.
Lora Moore
Original Author
3 years ago
Ok. I repotted it using All Gritty Mix formula. the roots didn't seem rotted and there wasnt any mushy areas just the color change. Since it is winter should I continue only watering them once a month or longer than that? Thanks!
Lora Moore
Original Author
3 years ago
Al's*
dbarron
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Well, it's 90 here and certainly not winter. I'm watering as often as I water impatiens and other std herbaceous plants. Mine are in full sun outside though. I'd say about every 2-3 days is my watering schedule right now. I'll cut back to every 3 weeks or so when I move inside (November) till I see new growth (typically March) and then outside till November again.
The gritty blend drains well, so the dangers of overwatering are much lessened.
It's been my observation that when in active growth and full sun, cacti grow best with frequent watering. Less frequent will even result in them shedding incipient flowers.
socks
3 years ago
Whenever I use a moisture meter on a fast draining mix, it always registers dry. Many here recommend using a wooden skewer leaving it inserted in the potting mix for a while and then pull it out to see if it’s damp. When you water you should water enough so that it runs out the bottom holes and not again until it’s dry. I think your plant will be ok.
Lora Moore
Original Author
3 years ago
Sorry, I meant as it transitions to fall/winter since it is now september. And ok, thanks for the info dbarron + socks, will definitely try out the wooden skewer method as well.
socks
3 years ago
Good idea. You can compare the results.
dbarron
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
My advise: get familiar with the weight of your pot. Water when it gets light/dry. When you water, flush the pot...not a cup, maybe gallons :0 The goal is to thoroughly wet the media, don't worry about how much water that takes. I tend to water these in my sink or tub. If you let the media get too dry, you will have to run a bit of water to fully rehydrate the media.

You will be amazed how much growth you get in a full season giving as much water as the cactus wants (just because they're adapted to water conservation doesn't mean they enjoy water rationing). Know your species, I can't tell for sure, but I think it must be in the cereus group (trichs, echinocereus,etc). They love water (relatively speaking) when growing..and my what a lusty root system you can get out of them. Try to duplicate the natural environment of wherever it naturally grows (dormant season, rainfall periods, temperature cycles,etc), but you can probably be a bit more giving with the water. Just allow the media to approach fully dry, but not quite get there. Fully dry (dust) can be hard on the root system (and thus the whole cactus).

Flowering in most requires a cool drier dormant season, I use my mostly unheated laundry room (it won't freeze, but it may be 45 out there). Compared to the winter before when I kept my echinos in the bedroom (warm), it was great guns difference in vigor and flowering.
hc mcdole
3 years ago
It looks like the soil was a little higher on the trunk at one time which blocked the light (or sun) from hitting that area. Now that the soil has receded a fraction of an inch, the yellow/lighter green area is showing. I don't see a big deal with this. This kind of cactus can be cut and started many times over. They use them in Aruba (and probably other tropical places around the world) as living hedges against wild animals (wild donkeys in the case of Aruba).

PS: I use MiracleGro potting soil for almost everything including this type of cactus. The shallow pan dries out quickly so not a problem - I just have to remember to give it water when it doesn't rain.

I had this cactus for years (a Walmart buy in a 3 gallon container) and it was over 7 feet tall at times. A little hard to move in and out every year.

It blooms when the conditions are right like 2015 but again hard to move about while avoiding the thorns. The pot was heavy and small for this size.

You can see previous cuts to this cactus as well.