what sort of cactus is this? are these arid roots? i thought it might be a hylocereous...but not sure. disregard the dead leaves stuck to the spikes. any advice or recommendations on what to do about the browning of the bottom of the plant, is this normal?
Hi Greenthumbgurt, Some cacti start producing woody growth at the base. I'm not sure if Pilosocereus azureus does this or not, but you might want to see if the base looks woody. Also, I might be more concerned about the yellowish cocoon looking things near the bottom. You wouldn't happen to know what those are would you? Joey
ahhhh!!!! thank you so much! i believe you are right, it is a Pilosocereus azureus. JoeyD: when you mention the yellowish cocoons, do you mean the arid roots? they have recently begun to crack the surface and pop out, im not sure if this is typical or not, but the base seems to be either turning woody with arid roots or rotting....i cant tell. keep in mind that i recently transplanted into that new pot you see in the pics. should i plant it deeper as to cover up those roots? any recommendation would be welcomed! thank you for your replies!
Oh, so that's what those are :P I suppose in that case, first of all, you should determine if it is rotting or just secondary (woody) growth. If it is rotting, you can feel free to take a cutting somewhere in between the top of the rot and below the arid roots. That way you should have an already rooted cactus. I believe if you were to take a cutting, you would want to let it dry for a few days before repotting. Also, make sure to use a sterile blade and also to not water too much with cactus and succulent cuttings while rooting to avoid rot. I would guess the best way to tell if it is rot or not, is to maybe tie a string around the plant just above the brownish area and see if it spreads upwards. If so, it is most likely not growth, but rotting upwards through the plant, in which case you would want to take a cutting to avoid losing the whole plant. Keep in mind also, that you could take a cutting just for the sake of propagating, in which case new buttons will appear on the old rootstock after a while and you will then have the rooted cutting and the old rootstock, which will/should produce new growth. :)
