I have owned my cactus for almost eight years now. From the very beginning, it's had a few spots that I can best describe as being a bit white and flaky - almost like filo dough. I never thought anything of it, because they never spread, the cactus continued to grow, and, as I said, they were there for years and nothing changed. Recently the flake have started spreading and the cactus has started shriveling. (The new growth has in some spots completely shriveled and died, while the sturdy bases have wrinkled and are now covered in white flakes.) I'm not sure if the white flakes have caused this, or if their growth is a product of something else? No idea how to fix this, but I would love some input!!
Also, this is definitely not caused by over-watering. If anything, I'm worried I haven't watered it enough, though I aim for about once every three weeks.
Thanks!
PS Apologies for the sideways photos.
White flakes and shriveled?
White flakes and shriveled?
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Re: White flakes and shriveled?
You are writing about white flakes that seemed to have multiplied and spread, causing a shriveling of your plant.
What is the size of these "white flakes"? If they are very small, they could be either armored scale insects, mealybugs, or - because your plant is an Opuntia sp. (prickly pear cactus - even the cochineal insect. These and other insect pests are described in words and images on CactiCuide. You only need to click on the button labeled "Pests & Diseases"on the green bar above at the top of the page. If these are indeed insects or a pathogen, also pictured and described by clicking on the same button, you can then take the correct action. For any of these plant problems it is very helpful to use a good hand lens, with at least 10x magnification. If this is a disease, especially one that is moving from the bottom up toward the top of the plant, oftentimes the best action is to cut the plant stem about a quarter inch above the diseased part using a sterile cutting tool. You can dip the blade in either a Chlorine bleach solution or isopropyl alcohol in order to sterilize it. The diseased part and the soil the plant was occupying should be discarded.
Shriveling of a cactus can have various reasons, ranging from inadequate availability of water (drought) to a root rot, that was caused by too much water in the root vicinity. Also, I do have one prickly pear cactus planted outside, that actually almost lays down when the winter months are approaching. Then in the spring it takes up its vertical position once again.
Whatever you decide to do, first you need to take a very close look at your plant, in order to identify the cause of the shriveling. Heavy feeding by insects also can lead to shriveling of cactus stems and even death.
Another thing I wanted to tell you: Dig the plant up and inspect the root system. Do the roots look healthy? Also, is the stem overall firm, or is it discolored and soft or hard, dry and brittle?
I hope, that you will be able to get a decent and hopefully correct diagnosis of what ails your plant.
I did notice what looks like larger splotches on the lower stem segments. These could be caused by a fungus.
Well, in conclusion and a short way, I am telling you, that it is not possible to diagnose what is wrong with your plant, without having additional information and/or seeing magnified digital images of what you believe is wrong with it.
Harald
What is the size of these "white flakes"? If they are very small, they could be either armored scale insects, mealybugs, or - because your plant is an Opuntia sp. (prickly pear cactus - even the cochineal insect. These and other insect pests are described in words and images on CactiCuide. You only need to click on the button labeled "Pests & Diseases"on the green bar above at the top of the page. If these are indeed insects or a pathogen, also pictured and described by clicking on the same button, you can then take the correct action. For any of these plant problems it is very helpful to use a good hand lens, with at least 10x magnification. If this is a disease, especially one that is moving from the bottom up toward the top of the plant, oftentimes the best action is to cut the plant stem about a quarter inch above the diseased part using a sterile cutting tool. You can dip the blade in either a Chlorine bleach solution or isopropyl alcohol in order to sterilize it. The diseased part and the soil the plant was occupying should be discarded.
Shriveling of a cactus can have various reasons, ranging from inadequate availability of water (drought) to a root rot, that was caused by too much water in the root vicinity. Also, I do have one prickly pear cactus planted outside, that actually almost lays down when the winter months are approaching. Then in the spring it takes up its vertical position once again.
Whatever you decide to do, first you need to take a very close look at your plant, in order to identify the cause of the shriveling. Heavy feeding by insects also can lead to shriveling of cactus stems and even death.
Another thing I wanted to tell you: Dig the plant up and inspect the root system. Do the roots look healthy? Also, is the stem overall firm, or is it discolored and soft or hard, dry and brittle?
I hope, that you will be able to get a decent and hopefully correct diagnosis of what ails your plant.
I did notice what looks like larger splotches on the lower stem segments. These could be caused by a fungus.
Well, in conclusion and a short way, I am telling you, that it is not possible to diagnose what is wrong with your plant, without having additional information and/or seeing magnified digital images of what you believe is wrong with it.
Harald
Re: White flakes and shriveled?
I'm guessing the "white flakes" are the large corked patches? They would be caused by poor growing conditions or a pest.
The plants do look thirsty. That could be due to underwatering, but more commonly is due to root loss after overwatering or because of an unsuitable soil. Always worth checking the roots. If they're good then you can give some more water in a few weeks, or maybe in spring if winter is here. If the roots are gone then you need to do something about it, because keeping watering will only be bad.
The plants do look thirsty. That could be due to underwatering, but more commonly is due to root loss after overwatering or because of an unsuitable soil. Always worth checking the roots. If they're good then you can give some more water in a few weeks, or maybe in spring if winter is here. If the roots are gone then you need to do something about it, because keeping watering will only be bad.
--ian