Cactus is floppy?

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
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dyingcactus
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Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:25 pm

Cactus is floppy?

Post by dyingcactus »

I’ve had this cactus for 8 years. The past couple years I’ve had to prop it up with a little stake but now it’s completely floppy. How do I save it??
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anttisepp
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Re: Cactus is floppy?

Post by anttisepp »

Reminds me Mammillaria pilcayensis grown in a shade in unsuitable soil.
I'd cut its top about 5-7cm long and root it on dry sand.
In the future plant needs much direct sun, as much as possible, special cacti substrate and cool dry overwintering.
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Aiko
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Re: Cactus is floppy?

Post by Aiko »

This plant is severely etiolated. There is no rescue, no way to get it back to "normal".

What you can do is to cut off the top part (my guess is the top 1/3), allow the cutting to heal and then try to root it. The bottom 2/3 might make offsets that you can later on (if desired) cut off too to root.

But if you cannot provide any rooted cuttings much better light conditions than you have given it until now, the same will happen with those cuttings in the future.
dyingcactus
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Re: Cactus is floppy?

Post by dyingcactus »

So I cut the top 1/3 off and tried to root it. It has not grown any roots and the cutting is shriveling up. The bottom part after I cut completely died. What did I do wrong?
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jerrytheplater
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Re: Cactus is floppy?

Post by jerrytheplater »

Was the cut surface totally green without any brown? If not, you didn't cut far enough.

Did you let the cut surface dry out and callous over before placing on your bone dry potting mix or sand? The callous can take about a week or so. Rooting can take months.

How badly is your plant shriveling? A photo helps a lot.

Also, where are you growing it? What season are you in? Members are from all over the world.
Jerry Smith
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45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
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Lefty
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Re: Cactus is floppy?

Post by Lefty »

As Jerry said cut needs to be free of rot. I spray fresh cut with water to wash off the juices then mop up with tissue paper. After that it's largely luck. Ideally done in warm weather but when trying to save a plant, there isn't much choice.
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Steve Johnson
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Re: Cactus is floppy?

Post by Steve Johnson »

dyingcactus wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 2:11 pm So I cut the top 1/3 off and tried to root it. It has not grown any roots and the cutting is shriveling up. The bottom part after I cut completely died. What did I do wrong?
First of all, it's hard to give you detailed advice without knowing where you live, so please see this:

viewtopic.php?t=43819
anttisepp wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2023 6:47 pm Reminds me Mammillaria pilcayensis grown in a shade in unsuitable soil.
I'd cut its top about 5-7cm long and root it on dry sand.
In the future plant needs much direct sun, as much as possible, special cacti substrate and cool dry overwintering.
What anttisepp said is correct, and the bottom part of your plant died because you had it growing in what appears to be potting soil. Lean it out with some sort of mineral gravel for better drainage and aeration of the roots -- this is required for the vast majority of desert species like your M. pilcayensis. My default recommendation is a 50% soil/50% mineral gravel mix. Pumice is great, but if you can't get it, go with crushed granite poultry grit or calcined clay cat litter.

Regarding the top third...

Whenever you do a cutting, give the exposed surface a liberal dusting of sulfur powder -- this prevents the possibility of fungus or mildew getting into the cut's tissues. Let the exposed surface dry out and form a callus before you even think about potting it. I'd give this process at least a couple of weeks. Then as anttisepp said, let it root on dry sand. As Jerry said, the rooting process takes time, so you'll need to be patient. Since your pilcayensis hasn't rooted yet, mist the top part every 3 or 4 weeks just to keep the cutting from shriveling beyond the "point of no return". Do this until the end of summer and check to see if new roots are grabbing into the pot. No need to unpot the plant -- just give it a gentle tug. If they are, repot the plant in cactus mix at the beginning of your next growing season, and the new root system will be able to accept full watering in the spring and summer (or fall and winter if you live in the southern hemisphere).

My biggest point of concern is with light or lack thereof -- 8 years of inadequate light have taken a toll on the plant, and if you can't improve the light situation by keeping it outdoors in the growing season, IMO the best thing you can do is go with a grow light. Lighting technology has advanced quite a bit in recent years, and this gives you some ideas on what to look for:

https://www.amazon.com/Lights-Spectrum- ... r=8-5&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/1-Pack-GooingTop ... 179&sr=8-8

https://www.amazon.com/Grow-Light-Indoo ... 79&sr=8-16

If rooting your pilcayensis doesn't work out, don't give up on growing cacti indoors -- the grow lights of today are game-changers.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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