My cactus is dying

[rayquaz251515]

First and foremost, hi I'm new on this forum (sorry if my english isn't correct, it isn't my main language)

Before I start, I have had cati's for years but never learned a lot about them, my knowledge about cacti diseases is small.

I have this cactus for almost 5 years, never had any issues with it till around 3 weeks ago.

Around 3 weeks ago the darkened part started to lose color, from nice green (like the lower parts on the picture) it started to get more bland and today I discovered it looked like this.

I didn't see any bugs on it and the darker (and that black little spot) part feels dry and solid.

I don't want this cactus to die but I don't have any clue what to do, can it be saved from death or is it too late?

If there is more information needed I will gladly answer that.

[ElieEstephane]

It looks like dissication. Was the cactus sunburned or placed in a strong light condition that it's not used to?
Is it watered enough?
I would check the roots to see if they are gone.
Your cactus could still be saved. However, it will take a very long time to get back on its feet.

[stefan m.]

Sugest amputation of afflicted tissue, apply sulfur or cinnamon powder on amputated spot, root check afterward. If root is afflicted as well, amputate a healthy bit with same powder procedure, dry for few weeks, and place in new, fresh sandy soil. Ive done this before.

[rayquaz251515]

It looks like dissication. Was the cactus sunburned or placed in a strong light condition that it's not used to?
Is it watered enough?
I would check the roots to see if they are gone.
Your cactus could still be saved. However, it will take a very long time to get back on its feet.

Because I moved around 1,5 year ago I put the cactus in a low light place in first place so there was never direct sunlight on the cactus.

Since I have it I water it every week (by spraying it), around 20 to 30ml in the summer and 10 to 20ml in the winter (the weather in the Netherlands isn't that hot or really cold)

I will check the roots then (tomorrow)

Sugest amputation of afflicted tissue, apply sulfur or cinnamon powder on amputated spot, root check afterward. If root is afflicted as well, amputate a healthy bit with same powder procedure, dry for few weeks, and place in new, fresh sandy soil. Ive done this before.

In that case I should cut off all the pieces that have that issue? Also I've read on this site that if you do that you have to cut it off till you see healthy green tissue, but the bottom of the catus is corky (happened around 2 years ago) so does that work the same then?

For the rest, if the roots look OK should I place the cacti directly in a new soil or should I wait for a few days?



Thank you both for your help with this

[stefan m.]

Corky cactus tissue is normal around the root and older stem , but if it is unusally soft, then you got a problem.
If its normal(root healthy), amputate damaged tissue, wait for 2 days to callous partially, repot .
You dont want soil on uncalloused cacti flesh.
EDIT btw what do you mean by spraying.

[ElieEstephane]

That's way too little water!

[rayquaz251515]

Corky cactus tissue is normal around the root and older stem , but if it is unusally soft, then you got a problem.
If its normal(root healthy), amputate damaged tissue, wait for 2 days to callous partially, repot .
You dont want soil on uncalloused cacti flesh.
EDIT btw what do you mean by spraying.

With spraying I mean using this filled with water (I always fill it with water and leave it for a few days before usage)

That's way too little water!

Really? Around 2 years ago I repotted my cactus and someone told me that my previous watering was too much and that I should spray it and not just give it water on the soil... (now I feel stupid)

My old method was around 60ml in the winter and depending on how wet the soil was more in the summer, every week.

[stefan m.]

You should definitely avoid spraying water to cactus or their roots, unless theyre bare root plants, because you might cause fungal infections.
Cacti like water. They dont like a lot of it, or too little of it, they like enough.
I water cacti weekly in summer(just a light pour), and 2to 3 times monthly in winter.

[rayquaz251515]

You should definitely avoid spraying water to cactus or their roots, unless theyre bare root plants, because you might cause fungal infections.
Cacti like water. They dont like a lot of it, or too little of it, they like enough.
I water cacti weekly in summer(just a light pour), and 2to 3 times monthly in winter.

In other words what I did before (pouring it on the soil) was ok compared to what that person told me. (then I'm suprised the cacti didn't die instantly from that new method).

Will stop doing it that way and I will amputate that part, hopefully that will help.

[stefan m.]

Would you believe it if i tould you that i a lost plant thanks to dryness?
Also the damage isnt instant(cacti do get rained upon heavily in the wild) but gradual. If youve been doing it for a while, the mold tends to build up over time until its strong enough to invade and damage the plant tissue.

[rayquaz251515]

Would you believe it if i tould you that i a lost plant thanks to dryness?
Also the damage isnt instant(cacti do get rained upon heavily in the wild) but gradual. If youve been doing it for a while, the mold tends to build up over time until its strong enough to invade and damage the plant tissue.

Good know about that.

I hope I can save him from dying then, amputating (will cook some water tomorrow and mix with some dettol to sterile the knife before use) it and giving it time to recover is my best option then + going back my my old method of watering it.

I would feel kind of guilty if I don't do anything about this, thank you all for your help

[stefan m.]

Listen, few useful pieces of advice while repotting
1- make sure the cactus isnt too deep in the pot, ergo minimize the chance that water will hit or clog near the cactus stem by making sure its near the top bit of the pot/
2-this one is new but seems to work-put quartz gravel above the soil after step one. It prevents water splashing on the stem
3-i use fibrous peat soil with perlite mixed with 1/3 sand.

[brixtertabun]

Deleted

[ElieEstephane]

I can't see the photos? Is it just me?

I'm curious what the roots look like. The problem with spraying a little water is only the surface of the soil gets wet. The roots will just grow on the surface of the soil instead of growing downwards. When it rains in the desert, it rains hard but it happens rarely. So I water my cacti thoroughly (just like normal plants) but only every 1 to 2 weeks (unlike normal plants). I live in the tropics so I water more often than you.

But now is a different case since you are rerooting your cactus. I haven't tried rerooting cacti but I think you need less water because there are no roots to take up the water.

The pictures are down but we could see them at first.
When you reroot cacti, first you let the roots (or whatever's left of them) heal for a couple of days then you wanna keep the soil evenly moist but never wet until the roots are established. Bottom watering with a very thin layer of water on a pan is an option

[rayquaz251515]

(seems Google Photos removed my photos)

The problem with spraying a little water is only the surface of the soil gets wet. The roots will just grow on the surface of the soil instead of growing downwards.

That would explain why 2 years ago or so the root of my cactus started to come out of the soil upwards.

Finally prepared myself for cutting of the dead parts of the cactus tomorrow, got some dettol for desinfecting the knife, I need only to decide if I cut off the dead parts while leaving the cacti in the pot or I just remove it from it and then cut off the parts and leave it outside the pot in a dark but not to cool place to let the amputated spots dry (guess 1 week should be enough?)

Will see tomorrow what's the easiest method to do.