I have a few species of cacti that I have been taking care of in my apartment. They sit on a well-lit counter next to a window and get enough light. For this cactus in particular (see attached photo) I am lost as far as why it is shriveling at the bottom. I do not know if it is under watered or over watered. With that said, I do not think that I was over watering. I live in NY so it's winter now, so I am not sure if this is just because of the amount of daylight for the season or related to water. The cactus has healthy roots and is in cacti/succulent specific soil. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Too much water probably looking at the soil. It is far too rich and water retaining and the pot is way too large. Take it out of the pot clean the roots off all dirt, I use a paint brush. Let it rest abd dry for a couple of days out of the pot the plant it back in a smaller pot just bigger than the roots and use a much more gritty soil mix. I use pure mineral mixes of just crushed rocks, baked clay kat litter etc. Once it's potted back up let it rest for say a week before watering again. It should only be water once the pot is dry. I lift my pots up and check through the drain hole's to get an idea of how dry they are, if it looks slightly damp let it dry more before watering. There are quite a few posts in the cultivation section on soil mixes so I won't repeat what's already covered but I will mention the soil hexalogue which is worth researching and you may find "the stone eaters" addition of xerophilia magazine useful go to xerophilia.ro
And as the walls come down and as I look in your eyes
My fear begins to fade recalling all of the times
I have died and will die.
It's all right.
I dont mind
I dont mind.
I DONT MIND
