Died and no clue why Mammillaria bocasana 'FRED'

[Miki J.]

Hi folks
I do have a blog on here with all my plants but really looking for some advice on this one.
My Mammillaria bocasana 'FRED' which I had for about 3 months just started to rot from one day to the next. I have him in super fast draining Bonsai Jack succulent soil which is nearly pure gravel.I watered apex all 2 weeks. I never had any other plant die of rot. What is your experience with Fred's?
Any advice is appreciated as I am not quite giving up on this yet and want to get a new one.

Cheers
Miki

[TimN]

Sorry to hear that nice plant died. I've had a fred for a few years now and haven't had any problems. I grew to be fairly big and I took a cutting and sold the rest. The cutting rooted without issue and has been growing for a while now. I also water from the top.

The problem with getting a new one is that they are stupid expensive now. Not exactly sure why.

[walker87]

I cannot be sure of your particular case but I have read that sometimes Fred just turns his heels up!
Personally I grafted the first one I purchased and have 2 others on their own roots that I will also chop up and graft.
The ones on own roots are doing well but we are just coming out of winter in Australia so they have not been watered in many months.
I may keep a small selection on own roots as an experiment but I think they look rather nice grafted on a large piece of pach

[wilsontucker]

They're more prone to randomly rotting or even just dying as they get older. Best with them to kind of take cuttings off them and root/graft so you'll always have some survive.

[Miki J.]

Another Fred died, exact same time span as the one before.... 3 months and a bit. Again rot starting at the base and spreading very fast. Dissolving plant tissue sort of. Its a bummer I adore this plant and for some reason thats the only plant in my collection I can not keep alive. Any more advice, watering schedule etc.. is very much appreciated.

Cheer
Miki

[mikethecactusguy]

Hi
I found this information on LLifle..
"Cultivation and Propagation: Mammillaria bocasana "Fred" grows well on its own roots. Keep well ventilated, as it is prone to root rot. Protect from frosts and freezes. Hates the full sun in summer. It can thrive for years, but tend to self destruct, especially when it really odd looking. As with most Freds, it began to die at the base (root rot is common); instead of giving up on it, you can cut it apart, let it heal and start many plants from that one.
Propagation: It is easy to take a Fred and separate the "blog" into many new pieces. Each piece can be started on its own, with a bit of care, patience and maybe a little luck. As with most cactus, you can cut a piece, let it dry for a week or so, and put it into the soil and it will grow new roots, if the conditions are just right. The best luck is with cuttings that are 3 cm or larger; smaller ones will root, but it takes much more effort to keep them alive."