Bunny ear cactus help

Discussion in 'Cacti and Succulents' started by Angelie, Jul 23, 2019.

  1. Angelie

    Angelie New Member

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    I was gifted a bunny ear cactus and that, after a few months, has started to bend over and curl. I’ve been keeping it in a nice sunny spot and watering it only when the soil is dried out. It looks like the tiny ears are growing bigger, I’m wondering if the overall wilting is because I’m overwatering or underwatering it? Can I save it?

    Pics attached are before, when I first got the plant, and after a few months.
     

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  2. mandarin

    mandarin Active Member 10 Years

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    That looks bad. My guess would be that the roots have died.
    Does the pot have a drainage hole?
     
  3. Angelie

    Angelie New Member

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    Yikes, do you think I can propagate the new ears or somehow revive this little guy? It does have (what looks like) a drainage hole on the bottom, but I’ve never added so much water that I’ve seen anything drain out of it..
     

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  4. Michigander

    Michigander Active Member

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    Inside the house water once a month or so. Outdoors in full sun, rain will do just fine. Make sure that drain actually does.
     
  5. mandarin

    mandarin Active Member 10 Years

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    I always water mine until the water flows out, then I wipe off the excess. If your plant has been underwatered and the temperature is high then it is possible that the plant is simply dehydrated, but the new offsets look too healthy for that, IMO.
    Rooting offsets: possible, but propagating Opuntia from such small offsets is a slow process.
    If it is rot then it has already gone too far, so I would try giving it more water, just if it happens to be dehydration.
     
  6. Angelie

    Angelie New Member

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    Thanks for the super helpful advice! I gave it a thorough watering until a bit of water drained out, and it’s already looking perkier!
    It must’ve just been dehydrated. The soil seems to dry up quite fast.
     

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    wcutler likes this.
  7. mandarin

    mandarin Active Member 10 Years

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    Good! The drainage hole seems to be covered by a net, which indicates that there is no inner pot. If that is the case it is not strange if it dries out fast, since the pot appears to be very porous.
     

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