Hi, I have had this cactus for over 2 years and this morning I found it snapped off. It does not look like it is rotted anywhere and the tip that if sticking out is wet. Is it possible to salvage it? I think the reason it fell is because the plastic pot it was in was too small.
Unless your cactus has an unusually big root clump that pot is not too small, but rather too big. I cannot see any signs of rot in the pictures, but the plant is taller and more cone-shaped that it is supposed to, typical for cacti grown in insufficient light and constant room temperature. Such plants become weak at the base and break more easily. Still, it does not look so bad that it would snap off spontaneously. Did it lean much? Anyway: yes, it should be possible to save it. Let it dry for a month or two, then put it on top of a substrate with good drainage wait for the first roots. I often wait until roots start to show before I pot the plant. Water does more harm than good before the plant have healed and produced some roots. By the way, the compost in that pot looks too dense and organic-rich for cacti, especially for rooting, it should be mixed with gravel, perlite or some similar material.
Hi mandarin, thank you so much for your reply! The cactus did in fact lean a lot and I was actually about to re-pot it the day I found it broken off. I thought the pot was too small which was why it was leaning so much, but from your reply, it seems that the leaning had more to do with the compost than the pot. I actually bought it 2 years ago in that same pot (see picture attached), so I guess it was always too big, and I didn't even know about it! It definitely became more cone-shaped as it grew because it was not originally that shape. What is a substrate? Also, should I be putting both parts of the cactus on the substrate (base that is still in the soil and cone) or only the cone-shaped part? When you say dry out, you mean I leave it to dry completely, with absolutely no water? Also, what would be the best place to put it for it to dry? On a window ledge with more light than before or outside? I live in Montreal and it is currently summer, but it often rains, so I would probably have to bring it inside when that would happen, right?
The pot size actually seems to be reasonable in the last picture. Perhaps I was fooled by seeing the plant and pot next to each other in the previous pictures. Sorry, my mind slipped. I meant "growing medium" (i.e. the soil/compost, but people have different opinions about what these words mean). I meant the upper (cone-shaped) part. You could also leave the base as it is, perhaps give it some water when the soil dries out and see if it eventually grows a new body. Yes, open wounds on cacti are very sensitive to rot and they need to heal before they tolerate a humid environent like wet or even damp soil again. You do not need to keep it outdoors, I guess it can get too humid. Direct sunlight is not a good idea either, it might dry them out too much, and also encourage them to grow and they don't grow well without roots (but yes, they can grow without roots, they use the water stored in the body). I keep my "patients" in (open) plastic trays on a desk in a room. I always try to do things like this in autumn/winter when it is easier to prevent them from growing, but you cannot always choose ...
Thank you for your quick response! Ok, so I will let it dry out away from sunlight and hopefully I'll be able to get it back into shape! Once it does dry out and I place it on the soil, what should I use to keep it upright? Wooden sticks or something like that? Would it be ok if I put it back into the pot it was in or something similar, but with better suited compost?
Yes, sticks should work, if you can secure them. If the plant is not too big I use a pot with a thin (~ 2 cm) layer of soil and let the cactus rest against the rim of the pot, at an angle. That eliminates the need for sticks, improves ventilation around the wound and makes it easier to see how the development of roots goes. (see attached picture, where 2-3 roots can be seen). I think so, yes.
Hi, The cactus that I was trying to dry out has been leaking and deflating. It is not looking good at all, soft, getting brown, etc. I have now placed it outside on the balcony with some gravel to see if maybe my apartment was too humid and did not allow for it to dry out. Any suggestions?
That is rot. The infected parts must be removed, otherwise it will almost definitely spread. The usual procedure is to cut until no visible discolouration remains, then sterilise the knife and cut away about 1 cm more.
