I found a cactus down by the trash. I'm not sure what type it is, but it has sections that look like ovals that are stuck together at the ends. The one in the ground, and three attached to that one look fine. However there are some more beyond those that are drooping a lot, and I can see the flesh of the plant where the ovals meet. I've given it some water and put it in a new pot (the old one was broken) But I am not sure if I should leave the sections that are really drooping, or trim them off and let it start again with the bottom sections. Thanks, Michael
I guess it to be an Opuntia of some kind, yes? Generally speaking, giving cacti water in the middle of winter is more likely to do more harm than good. They are subject to rot when cold and wet.
Indeed that does look fimular. I just got a few pictures (they are kind of blurry). I gave it some water because of how it was looking and I was thinking that they would have normally got water in the winter, but I don't know too much about this topic. Anyways The smaller picture should be of the part where it is kind of splitting. It looks kind of watery now. The other picture is just showing how it is limp. Any ideas of if it will pop back up, or if I should just leave the limbs and see what happens, or if I should trim some or all of them? Thanks, MIchael
It looks like a fresh wound maybe. I agree that you should avoid watering it for awhile -- let the soil get totally dry, then wait a few weeks, then think about watering it, then give it a good drink. Did you just repot it? I mixed 1/2 coarse sand with 1/2 potting soil for my (similar-looking) cactus, and it does well; it is also in a window that gets a couple hours of direct sunlight -- I think it likes that (one 4-5" long section grows each year). As for breaking off the wounded part, that depends on how civilized-looking a cactus you want. Those will probably heal, the hanging-down parts will remain hanging down, but any new growth will grow upward; alternately, you could break off the wounded parts, leaving a sound base from which new growth will emerge. Did you find this outside? I just wonder if there could be chilling injury too.
Actually, I'd be pretty optimistic about this plant doing well. I just thought that I could also mention that any pieces removed can be (provided they are not otherwise injured, but just broken off the mother plant,) used to start a new plant(s). This is how I got mine. Let the piece callus (let the wound dry out,) for a day or a week then stick it in a sandy mix, keeping this moist until there are roots. I can't remember, but I think I kept mine moist a few weeks, then just watered it once every few weeks; and, after a couple months I tugged it to see if was rooted, and sure enough! Also remember that a short pot holds more water than a tall pot. (It has to do with gravity -- take a wet sponge and hold it lengthwise till it doesn't drip, then tip it vertically and see that more water drips out.) So if you put this plant or any cuttings into a relatively short pot, be sure that the media is very well-drained by adding sand, perlite, gravel, etc., to the potting mix.
I did find it outside by the trash. I don't think that it would have been out there for long (though I base this on pretty much nothing.) But it is kind of chilly (outside I think it is 40-50, inside it really isn't much better at maybe 50-60). Which is one of the things that i was kind of worried about, just because it is rather cold around here. I assume it has lived around here, but wether or not the previous place it was had a better heating system is unknown. Would there be any noticable symptoms of chill injury, or anything that could be done about it? When I picked it up it was completely dry. Which is what lead me to believe that maybe that was the problem that it was having. Now that I think about it, its rather absurd, its a cactus it is supposed to handle drought with ease. I did just re-pot it, as the old one had a large piece missing, and the roots were showing. However I didn't have any sand or gravel or such, so I just used some potting soil. I'll probably try re-potting it again after I hunt down some courser substances to mix in with it. The drooping parts are looking a little worse today then they were yesterday, I'll see how they look in awhile and decide what to do from there. Thank you both for your input. Michael
It is indeed some sort of opuntia. The picture seems to indicate it is fairly healthy, but I am not sure what the part closest to the soil looks like. Make sure it isn't rotting (squishy). As mentioned before, you can break off sections of this plant, let the wound dry out, then put the piece into a sandy soil mix, half bury it. Better to leave the soil mix too dry rather than damp. A little humid is ok. Let it dry out 50% of the time. Maybe mist it with a spray bottle but not too much. In a week or two it should have started to root. You might help it along by applying a rooting hormone (liquid gel or powder) to the cut and surrounding tissue before you put it into the soil. Good luck.
