It's a well established plant with about 50 ears and has been growing in same secure spot since a seedling. So transportation damage is not applicable here. Since I removed all the white "sap"? I noticed another ear starting to display signs of this white stuff. Thanks for your input - I w...

Daiv, no leaves have been cut (only this one as a sample}
yet I've removed this "thing" from half a dozen leaves.

I removed white "lumps" from the tips of a number of
ears. Initially I thought the plant was beginning to flower but then found one where the area under the lump appeared to be rotting.
Can someone please tell me what this is.

Thanks Iann,
This make me feel somewhat relieved as I have a number of these plantsd and people have been suggesting too much sun which I do not believe.

I have numerous seedlings with the same symptoms-
Green tops but purple bases.
Is this normal?

Since I removed this cactus from it's pot and planted in my rock garden in full sun, it appears to be deteriorating. For one, the thorns used to be white. It will help if I knew it's name.
Can someone please assist?

Some of my cacti are dying from scale infections. I've tried painting jeyes fluid on one plant but this killed it. I'm now trying painting a solution of water and dish soap. The problem is that because of the criss crossing of the thorns, one cannot simply scrape off the scale. Any advise would be a...

Thanks Iann. I removed the plastic about 8 months ago. Where I live in South Africa summer is upon us and it gets quite humid here. My seedlings are outside still in full shade, the growing medium has good drainage resulting in the soil drying out quickly. Because of this I water every week. Possibl...

While on the subject of rotting cacti, I planted a pack of mixed cactus seeds 12 months ago. The tubular shaped seedlings are now about 2.5cm (1") high. They are well formed but a number of them feel fragile at the base when touching the top. The bases are not green as the rest of the plants, b...

My purple cactus on the right, I removed it from the pot and planted it in my rockery. I fed it with liquid fertilizer and now the purple colour is gone.

Reaching for the sky.
The fish bird bath had to be moved away to allow cactus to overtake it's hight.

The pic shows what was sold to me as a cactus. Sections keep on dying off after changing color from a bright green to almost black. In the shade it's green but as soon as I plant it into my rock garden the various shoots start turning dark green, almost black, then dying off. Too much water, too lit...

The base of the cactus on the left is turning brown, while one on right is turning purple.
As it is winter here I have stopped watering.
Advise would be appreciated.

Thanks, I think the general concensus is the sun/water ratio. Hot sun needs to be counteracted by more watering than would normally be required.