Sad looking cactus... too much water?

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
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NashvilleGirl
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:56 pm

Sad looking cactus... too much water?

Post by NashvilleGirl »

My mom gave me this cactus in the fall, and it looked great at the time! Since I've had it, it has looked worse and worse.
After a couple months of having it, I realized I probably didn't have it in a sunny enough spot, so I moved it. Then a roommate moved in with a cat that started biting the plant. The cactus is safe from the cat now, but I forgot to have my friend water it over Christmas break. I got worried and started watering it again, but I think I gave it too much. The baby plant in the pot, which looked great about a month ago, swelled up near the roots and fell over. The larger plant has continued to wilt more.

So my questions are:
1. What kind of cactus is this?
2. If I did over-water it, what can I do to help it?
3. Should re-pot it? I have read quite a bit on here about potting, and am thinking that I should give it some new, better soil. Thoughts?

Thanks for the help!
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JamesEG
Posts: 291
Joined: Wed Jun 26, 2013 2:13 pm
Location: Somerset, UK, Zone 8b

Re: Sad looking cactus... too much water?

Post by JamesEG »

Not a cactus, although I'm not sure what it is :-k maybe an Aloe or Agave? To me it does look like it might have gotten too much water. I would suggest taking it out and removing all the soil, then repotting it in a really good draining mix with plenty of grit and maybe a slightly smaller pot if the roots have rotted. If you do re-pot it I would also say don't water it for a couple of weeks or more to make sure that the roots heal and start to grow back and don't rot again from any open wounds.

I hope this helps! Other people with more experience can improve my answer and I'm sure they will :)
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