Rot or Not? Please help

[CoolestGravy]

Alright, she's out of the old pot. I know this isn't perfect clean, but I don't have the heart to go further. I feel like a monster. So what do you guys think?

[jerrytheplater]

Those last photos showing your washed cactus are so much clearer than your first ones-at least for me. Can you take a photo of the "damaged" area again?

As far as your washing off the soil-you did a pretty good job, but not perfect. You are not a monster. Try using a spray to get into the remaining areas. Sometimes drying will allow you to get more off. Use a dull pointy object to pick out the pieces of Perlite or foam. Think knitting needle or even tweezers.

Don't be afraid to leave your plant unpotted, even till spring. It should be dormant now anyway.

[CoolestGravy]

I'm going to let her dry for a few days before I consider any further cleaning. I'm probably just going to leave the roots alone from here. These photos are from minutes before I pulled her from the pot.

While not potted, should I avoid direct light from the grow lamp?

[Steve Johnson]

Don't be afraid to leave your plant unpotted, even till spring. It should be dormant now anyway.

Not sure about that -- CoolestGravy's cacti are in the house under grow lights. If the indoor temps are above the low 50s at night and above the low 70s during the day, the cacti aren't dormant. By the way, IMO those roots are nice and clean. The bits of soil clinging to the roots and the base? No problem. However...

The downside to keeping cacti warm in the house during winter is that many desert species need a cool/cold winter rest to flower in the growing season. CoolestGravy -- in case you didn't know it, your plants are desert cacti. For the cactus you unpotted, I don't think it matters if you have it under a grow light or not. Don't repot until I post a couple of photos that'll guide you on what to do. And let me know what your current indoor temps are.

[CoolestGravy]

Over winter, we're kept at 70-75 during the day and 66 at night. While cacti flowers are gorgeous, I'm not worried about getting them or not.

I figured I'd at least let everything dry out for a week before considering putting her in a pot. But I'm really interested in what you and Jerry have to say on the matter from here. .

[Steve Johnson]

Very good. I'll post the photos with some repotting suggestions for you either tomorrow night or over the weekend.

[Steve Johnson]

And here we go...

20240118_204205_01.jpg (105.58 KiB) Viewed 1702 times

Fill the mix up to line #1 -- that's the soil line. Add a nice thick layer of gravel top dressing up to line #2. It'll stabilize the stem and provide excellent drainage around the base when you water. Tiny gravel (1/16"-1/8" grain size) retains too much moisture, so I recommend pea gravel. You'll find a nice selection of it on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pea+gravel&c ... _sb_noss_1

Next step, finding the right pot for your cactus:

20240118_204205_02.jpg (103.91 KiB) Viewed 1702 times

Measure the diameter of the stem as I'm showing you here. Add 1"-1 1/2" to the diameter, and that gives you the right diameter for the pot. Measure the depth from line #2 in the first photo to the lowest root, add a 1/2"-3/4" margin, and that gives you the right depth for the pot. If the pot you get is a little bigger, you'll be fine.

After you repot, your cactus will need to start growing a more extensive root system. There aren't enough roots to take up water with deep watering yet, so give the plant some light watering -- sip, don't soak. Do this every 2 weeks for a couple of months -- it "teases" the roots into growing more as they seek out water while the mix is dry. After that, your cactus should be ready for deep watering. I water most of my cacti every 2 weeks in the spring-summer growing season, and I think that watering schedule should work for you too. Then again if you keep your cacti outdoors in the growing season, the summer heat in Utah may indicate that you should water once a week. Speaking of water...

Hard water is a fact of life for pretty much everyone in the US. I've been acidifying my tap water since 2012, and it really does wonders. Only problem there is that you'll need to know the pH of your tap water to determine how much you should acidify. I use a digital pen-style pH meter for testing my tap water, but I don't know if you'd want to go through the hassle. If you don't, water your cacti with distilled water, rainwater, or R/O water.

[CoolestGravy]

Thanks so much, again! Since my last post, I've checked with the people who control our climate control. I was off on my temperatures. Over the winter, night is 60-65 and day is around 65-70. Does this change how I should approach watering before spring?

[jerrytheplater]

Watering: I'll change what I've said based on Steve's reminder of your temps and what you just updated a few minutes ago. Go with what Steve said about the light watering after potting.

New photos: Thanks. Much clearer to me at least. The hole is larger than a puncture from the spine of another plant. It even looks larger than one of the tubercles. I just checked back and you bought this plant around Jan 13 and its Jan 22 now-9 days after you bought it. I'd still keep my eye on it, and if it were me I'd take a pair of small side cutting pliers and cut off the spines around the hole to be able to see into it better. Your going to cover this area with pea gravel anyway and won't see that damage. If the plant is alive in 10 years, you won't notice it at all.

[CoolestGravy]

Thanks again to you too Jerry!

I wonder if something ate it's way into it while with the previous owner? Who knows, but I'll definitely keep an eye on it. And I'm not worried about the spots showing, I just want to keep her as healthy as I can.

[Steve Johnson]

Thanks so much, again! Since my last post, I've checked with the people who control our climate control. I was off on my temperatures. Over the winter, night is 60-65 and day is around 65-70. Does this change how I should approach watering before spring?

Just to err on the side of caution, I'll recommend that you don't water at all until spring. Then when spring comes around, you can start following the "sip, don't soak" approach once you see daytime highs (indoors or outdoors) consistently above the low 70s.

Many beginning growers tend to panic when they see their cacti getting shriveled in winter. This is completely normal, and I'll show you some examples of my cacti which go from winter shriveling to spring plumping:

https://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewto ... 70#p363870

You'll also see how I fill my pots right up to their edges, so when you repot, do the same. To prepare you for the spring/summer growing season, here are some watering instructions:

• Buy a spray bottle if you don't already have one -- available at your local grocery story, nursery, or online. Their nozzles have 2 settings, mist and stream. Use the stream setting and squirt streams of water evenly around the base of your cactus. Under the "sip, don't soak" rule, I think 15-20 squirts should be fine, although you could go a little bit more depending on the volume of the pot.

• 2 months after you do the sipping, the roots of your cactus should be grown in well enough to accepts soaks. Water over the top of the plant and let it trickle down the stem into the mix until it comes out the drain hole -- that's deep watering.

Desert cacti don't like having "wet feet", so it's best to let the mix dry out completely from top to bottom between waterings. As I said earlier, every 2 weeks in spring is fine. What about summer? Well, let's have a look at this:

Köppen_Climate_Types_Utah.png (203.98 KiB) Viewed 1632 times

If the climate in your part of Utah is arid or desert, you may want to give your cactus deep watering once a week in summer.

Glad we can help, and if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

[CoolestGravy]

She's back in a pot. I'm sorry, I know you guys don't approve of terracotta.

The top dressing went a long way for structural support

[FredBW]

People have been keeping cacti in terra cotta since long before I was born (I am 63). It is what I keep the majority of my cacti in. You simply have to repot every few years,which you need to do in plastic as well.
I keep mine in terra cotta because I keep them outside in summer,and where I live rain is very unpredictable. It is the best for drying them out faster if they get caught in a storm.
If you ever watch you tube,look up Cactus Caffeine (She has a LOT of videos,and a LOT of cacti). She lives in Las Vegas where temps might hit 110 F. She says her plants burn in plastic,and terra cotta keeps them cooler.
There is a saying in my line of work thet goes "never say never,and never say always" And it certainly applies to growing cactus
.

[CoolestGravy]

Thanks Fred! I don't get enough natural light in the outside areas I have access too, so I have to keep my cacti under a grow light year round. And the moisture wicking quality may have saved me from overwatering. Though this is probably the first time I've used proper soil.

[Steve Johnson]

I don't get enough natural light in the outside areas I have access too, so I have to keep my cacti under a grow light year round. And the moisture wicking quality may have saved me from overwatering. Though this is probably the first time I've used proper soil.

The repot looks good. I've been growing cacti on and off since 1970, and my experience is confined to keeping them outdoors 365 days a year. Such being the case, you may be fine with terracotta since you're growing your cacti as houseplants. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Imidacloprid or any other pesticide for indoor use. Hopefully other members will be able to recommend safer alternatives.