Need I.D. on sick cacti + diagnosis

[Gabiebaby7815]

So I moved into my dad's and I saw this cacti the backyard. After hearing that it had just had flowers a month or so before my arrival, I suspected it to be a T. pachanoi; but being unfamiliar with cacti, I did see homework. Researched it a couple hours a day for two weeks. Still not sure. Also while waiting for approval to the forum I was impatient and felt it for sure had sunburn and had read to cut off the burned portion (it was really bad up top). But after cutting it, it started to turn dark brown; I was thinking maybe fungus or something but the side that gets least amount of sun looks fine even though I cut it. Please help with identification. Also any ideas of what may be causing it to suffer. I live in southern California, the high desert. It's very hot and dry in the summer and can get pretty cold in the winter. But it hasn't been below 10 degrees. Sorry I don't have a pic of Flowers I have yet to see them yet. I know it was transplanted into this location and I would like to retransplant it in the spring. Assuming it'll make it. Thank you.

[stefan m.]

its a cereus (pervianus ) with sunburn (yellow dry area) and what seems to fungus(dark patches) and desiccation shriveled.
So , yore probably correct on all assumptions. Funny story about it thats its hardy(-15C") and wet tolerant. Sadly, that makes a good plant for Mediterranean and tropical conditions, but not a good one for deserts(would need be in a shady spot like a young saguaro, with more water).
If you are wondering, yes, sometimes fungus seeps through sunburn scars- thats what makes sunburn dangerous, and cereus plants are prone to it, like ive stated before.

[Gabiebaby7815]

Nice. Thank you so much for replying. So should I just leave it alone until spring? If it gets worse, should I cut the two columns extending from the base and root/clone them (attempt to...)? I'm in the process of building a shade to help it but I'd like to transplant it into a pot come spring because I know it's not getting proper nutrients and to much sunlight plus I just don't like it in the ground. Too many pests. Please let me know what you think is the best thing to do... Much appreciated.

[stefan m.]

Im gonna be frank with you, i think only the lowermost offshoot (the one on the un-burnt side) has the slightest chance of survival. Luckily for you i have experience with this type at least.
So what to do..
1- cut plant offshoot
2-if plant offshoots centering doesnt have any discoloration(like the red tissue in the cut part), use sulfur or cinnamon powder to help callous faster.
3-dry until callous is hard, then place in better soil.(1-2 weeks) in shade
3.5 preferably add root hormone before placing in soil
4- wait patiently untill new growth... should root in less than 2 months.

[Gabiebaby7815]

Thank you so much. I would've been screwed without your info. The only plant experience I've got is with marijuana. So I read not to use root hormone for cacti cuttings but if you have personal experience with this type of thing, what type/brand of root hormone would you use? Because what comes to my mind is Clonex brand.

[stefan m.]

Wayneblyerly used root horomones when dealing with astrophytum. I dont live in the US, so youd have to ask him. I personalty didnt need to use it when i rooted my cereus, and only recommend it in extreme situations such as yours.
If you noticed, this is the reason i labeled as a point 3.5, not a 4. I know it usefull when needing to root some plants, but its risky as well. In your case, the cactus is desiccated(needs water), and while that (being dry) will be useful in forming a callous, not while rooting. My advice, dont jump the gun. Do step by step.

[Gabiebaby7815]

So should I wait until spring to make the cut? Or should I do it now, before it also gets infected? Does the temperature/humidity matter while trying to form the callous? Sorry for so many basic questions...

[esp_imaging]

It looks extremely dry to me - I'd be tempted to give it a good watering (assuming your temps are a bit over freezing) and give it a few days to see if it improves before hacking it to pieces more.

[Gabiebaby7815]

I've been giving it regular shade and I gave it some water, the dark brown portions in the pic, "sunburned portion", have only become darker in color, nearly black and is crawling it's way down the plant. Should I take the cutting immediately? If it is a fungal infection, I don't want it to spread to the offshoot...

[stefan m.]

Yes, like i mentioned sunburned tissue is weak against fungal attacks. I did tell you take a cutting earlier, and this time do it with a sterile heated knife-and use cinnamon/sulfur. Fungi are not jokes- esp_imaging forgot to take the brown/black spots into account. My advice for cacti-better safe than sorry.

[Gabiebaby7815]

Ok. I'll be doing that asap. Thank you very much with all the help stefan... I'll keep posting on this thread if I run into any issues. Oh, and while waiting for the cutting to callous, is temperature still a factor; I mean, it's been kinda cold, but no lower than 20 degrees Fahrenheit; or is it really only important when trying to root?

[stefan m.]

Needs be room temp in shade (70 F for you guys, or 20" C ish ). Both during callous and root.

[Gabiebaby7815]

OK, I got her in my room, I got the heater on because our home has little to no insulation; anyways, I let her callous for 3 1/2 - 4 days. The callous appeared to be sprouting possible roots so I planted in some soil that I filtered all the wood chips out of and mixed with sand from our backyard. I made sure and dried the soil out a little also because it was naturally damp. Just giving everyone an Idea of how this cutting's doing. Although, after making the cutting, the cactus took a turn for the worse and after getting black all the way down it's ribs and getting crunchy/dry towards the tip. I assumed it has met it's fate and cut the whole thing out. Everything except the cutting I made into a tea. Although, I want to perform a proper extraction. Prefferably 69ron's tek but lack the hydroxide and d-limonene. I do have Isopropyl 91% and acetone. Also, vinegar (5% acetic acid) and 100% lemon juice. Anyone know of a tek properly utilizing these chemical's?

[Gabiebaby7815]

Ok some bad news.... Not sure if I took too long to make the cut, and it got the same fungus or bacterial infection.. OR.. maybe I didn't let it callous enough? maybe I shouldn't have brought it into my warm room since it was used to the low temperature outdoors... OR... Could it possibly be getting too much light? I do have the curtains open most the day and the light on most of the night... Please help so I don't let this happen again...

[WayneByerly]

Wayneblyerly used root horomones when dealing with astrophytum.

I was a little surprised to see my name here , so i'll make just a couple of comments. Stefan has given me some good advice in the past. I think you would do good to listen to what he has to say. Rooting hormone. Yes, i used it on my Astrophytum asterias just recently, and not enough time has elapsed to say whether it has been a good idea for this cacti or not.

I've transplanted cuttings and offsets from SEVERAL kinds of succulents, and have tried it both ways, with and without the Root Hormone. And I truthfully cannot say whether I notice any POSITIVE effect when using it. But I think that that is only probably due to the fact that there just havent been enough "repetitions" both using and NOT using. I've had people recommend it, and while I cannot say for SURE that yes, it was beneficial, i can, within a reasonable certainty, at least say it wasn't detrimental. I think that I would be inclined to use it if there was the slightest chance that It DID have a beneficial effect.

I'm done with the root hormone comments and I have nothing to say to contradict Stefan, so I'll sign off. Please feel free to contact me should you think that I could be of any use at all. The members of this forum have been extravagantly good to me, and I would treasure the opportunity to pass some of that on. I've made some postings in the HomePage/Member Topics pages, all under the general heading of "Growth Over Time - CactusName", that I think you MIGHT find interesting.

Good luck with your cacti!