I need a diagnosis please

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
Post Reply
don
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 4:59 pm
Location: Carefree, Arizona zone 9b

I need a diagnosis please

Post by don »

I have not had this one long; in fact, I'm not even sure what it is (coryphantha ?). the first picture was taken last week...I went away fro three days and there was a torrential rain...when i returned, it started turning black (second and third picture). It can't be sunburn (under shade-cloth and only gets sun from 9 AM to noon). Is this some form of instant rot? Can it spread to other plants? Any way to easily fix or is it a goner?

thank you
Attachments
photo 3.JPG
photo 3.JPG (163.56 KiB) Viewed 904 times
sick.JPG
sick.JPG (163.99 KiB) Viewed 904 times
sick2.JPG
sick2.JPG (157.8 KiB) Viewed 904 times
User avatar
globose
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:39 am

Re: I need a diagnosis please

Post by globose »

could be it was having problems before you got it and it's just showing now. Does look like rot to me.
User avatar
greenknight
Posts: 4815
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: I need a diagnosis please

Post by greenknight »

Yes, it's rotten. I would take off the offsets and root them if they're free of rot, throw the rest away. The main plant is beyond help.
Spence :mrgreen:
User avatar
tumamoc
Posts: 2330
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2005 12:10 am
Location: Tucson, Arizona USA

Re: I need a diagnosis please

Post by tumamoc »

A Coryphantha macromeris, probably rotting due to too much water. You could try removing the black areas well into the green, and let it callus over. Remove it from its pot and see if the roots are still in good shape. If so, the main stem will probably continue to send out pups, and eventually the old stem will be hidden or less visible. Here is an example of a Coryphantha with a damaged main stem, but still thriving.

Image
User avatar
greenknight
Posts: 4815
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: I need a diagnosis please

Post by greenknight »

If the black area is not soft, it might survive - there are dry rots which don't spread much, cacti can live with black dead patches from them for years. But you don't want it around producing fungal spores. Dry rots usually infect adult plants only through wounds - but the spores have to be present, you should destroy all the infected part of the plant. If you can cut off all the discolored part, you could do it that way - though it doesn't look to me like that's going to leave much of the main plant body.
Spence :mrgreen:
don
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 4:59 pm
Location: Carefree, Arizona zone 9b

Re: I need a diagnosis please

Post by don »

Thank you all very much. It has continued to spread very quickly...I think this one is going to Cactus heaven...again thank you.
Post Reply