Inherited an old cactus...rotting?

[zagoric]

A member of our club passed away and his plants were donated to the club for our annual show. Most of the plants were labelled an 30-40 years old. This one didn't have a label, but I'd guess it is around the same age. Anyway I bought it figured I'd repot since the roots are packed in a tight sandy ball.

The part under the spines had spines that were black and falling off. That section is not mushy, but it does have some give when I pinch it. Is this rotting? Not sure if I should repot and make use of the existing roots or cut toward the top and that new growth to save it from possible rot.

Thanks.

1.jpg (106.37 KiB) Viewed 779 times

2.jpg (118.4 KiB) Viewed 779 times

3.jpg (97.42 KiB) Viewed 779 times

4.jpg (98.18 KiB) Viewed 779 times

[greenknight]

Roots don't look rotten, if it's not mushy, probably ok. A little give could mean it's a bit dehydrated. Had it been potted too deeply, maybe?

I would go ahead and pot it in a pot that's not too much larger than the root ball - probably need to prop it up somehow. Give the roots time to heal before you water it, at least a week. Water very cautiously at first, and keep a close eye on it.

[zagoric]

Yes, it was potted up to where the spines are. I think thats why the lower spines were dark (soil?) and falling off.

I'll repot and ease it into watering. Good to hear it isn't shot.

[greenknight]

Thought so. It's fortunate that it didn't rot, they must not have watered it much. You can pretty well tell where the original soil line was, that's as deep as it should be - they should never be buried any deeper than they originally grew.

You could put rocks around it to hide that unsightly stem and help support it, but nothing that will hold moisture against the stem. That would be for later, though, after you've developed a decent root system on it so it can go into a larger pot.