Sick cactus

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
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Andreea1198
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Sick cactus

Post by Andreea1198 »

Hello guys,
I have a big problem. I bought 3 new cacti 3 weeks ago. Everything was fine until this day; I went to water them and on a closer look I noticed that one of them was looking sick... Also, in picture 2 there is something weird. The circled part doesn't look like the others. Any ideas? I don't want to lose it :(
P.S.: No overwatering, no sunburn and the plant and the roots were looking good when I repotted it(after bringing it home).
Thank you in advance!
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Nic
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Location: Albion California zone 9

Re: Sick cactus

Post by Nic »

Needs more light, but don't be too hasty, or you'll get a nice sunburned plant.
There is no cactus you can't eat, but you just might regret it if you eat the wrong one.
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Andreea1198
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by Andreea1198 »

Nic wrote:Needs more light, but don't be too hasty, or you'll get a nice sunburned plant.
They are in the sunniest spot in the house- the balcony.. winter is setting in so there is nothing I can do about that..
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CactusMad
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by CactusMad »

Hi,it looks over potted and does that pot have a drainage hole in the bottom? Also the soil doesn't look very draining.How often is it watered?
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Andreea1198
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by Andreea1198 »

CactusMad wrote:Hi,it looks over potted and does that pot have a drainage hole in the bottom? Also the soil doesn't look very draining.How often is it watered?
Hi! That was the smallest pot I found. No, it doesn't have a drainage hole but there is a layer of stones on the bottom, more than 1/4 sand and the rest is cacti soil. I repotted it 3 weeks ago (when i bought it) and watered it today.
I've got 3 more cacti since 18 august 2016 and 2 more since 29 oct 2016 and I used the same combination of stones, sand and soil and they are all doing great.
Last edited by Andreea1198 on Thu Oct 20, 2016 6:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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toadstar
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by toadstar »

You'll definitely need to get it into a pot with drainage holes or risk rotting the roots and killing the plant. I wouldn't water it anymore until you do. And because winter is setting in, it doesn't really need much watering anyway. Cacti usually like to go through a dormant period during winter.
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CactusMad
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by CactusMad »

Yes you need a smaller pots and one with drainage hole/s in definately.I would mix some perlite in with that soil also or something similar.Your other cacti may be doing ok at the moment but if they are all in the same pots etc they will not be for long.
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Andreea1198
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by Andreea1198 »

CactusMad wrote:Yes you need a smaller pots and one with drainage hole/s in definately.I would mix some perlite in with that soil also or something similar.Your other cacti may be doing ok at the moment but if they are all in the same pots etc they will not be for long.
Well I searched for something like perlite when I bought the soil but I didn't find anything. Thank you for advice, I'll see what I can do!
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CactusMad
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by CactusMad »

What country are you in please ?
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Andreea1198
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by Andreea1198 »

CactusMad wrote:What country are you in please ?
Romania. And no, it's not as bad as others think xD. I think I need to search more for perlite.
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hegar
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by hegar »

In order to prevent etiolation due to the lack of light, you can give your plant more light by placing a lamp with a plant grow bulb above your cactus. Those bulbs are long lasting and have bluish glass surrounding the filament inside, in order to replicate sunlight as closely as possible.

Harald
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Andreea1198
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by Andreea1198 »

hegar wrote:In order to prevent etiolation due to the lack of light, you can give your plant more light by placing a lamp with a plant grow bulb above your cactus. Those bulbs are long lasting and have bluish glass surrounding the filament inside, in order to replicate sunlight as closely as possible.

Harald
Thank you very much for help!:)
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Andreea1198
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by Andreea1198 »

Nic wrote:Needs more light, but don't be too hasty, or you'll get a nice sunburned plant.
Thank you very much for help!:)
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Andreea1198
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by Andreea1198 »

Hello guys, here are some photos I took yesterday. It is doing waay better :D
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hegar
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Re: Sick cactus

Post by hegar »

It looks like your former "problem cactus child" is going to have a row of flowers tomorrow! Congratulations! :)

Harald
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