I have four foot cactus (i'm not sure what type it is) that usually lives near a window, I moved it 2 weeks ago to a darker corner to make room for my christmas tree. Yesterday I noticed that the tallest stem has begun to turn black at the tip. Is ths rot? and is lack of ight to blame? Is there anything I can do to save it? Any help greatly appreciated.
Looks like rot alright. Is it squishy when you gently poke it with a fingertip? Moving it may have contritbuted, but the problem was probably there before, just manifested when you removed the cactus from the light. You can save it! Cut the rotted part out with a sharp, sterile knife. The cactus will (with all luck) callous over and eventually send up new branches near the cut. Personally, I wouldn't advise ever removing a tall cactus like that from a light source, since it will develop etiolated (skinny) portions of the trunk that may not be able to support its weight once it gets taller. Yours both still look OK from that standpoint.
Thank you so much for your help. I've has this plant for around 10 years, and have grown quite attached to it, so i'm very pleased to see that it will be ok (fingers crossed!) I'll return it to its rightful place imediately! Thank you again
During the cold months of the year, when succulents and cacti slow their growth or become dormant, rot is a concern. Sometimes when you think you are doing things correctly, you loose a plant. I lost a cactus last week. It started out with a mealy bug infestation. I cleaned the plant off, but there was enough damage to the plant that rot set in a week later. There was evidence of further mealy bug infestation at this time, and I made the choice of sacrificing the plant instead of having the mealy bugs spread to the rest of my collection. The reason for mentioning this is that there are many reasons for rot to set in during the cold months. Changes in environment, lack of air circulation, the soil staying moist for too long, infestation of bugs, etc. I think my biggest mistakes were not keeping an eye on the plant like I should have and not intervening before the problem got to much to handle. I have lost other cacti to black mold due to a combination of bugs and excessive watering during the cold months. These were all plants that I have had for years and I foolishly thought I had these plants figured out. Things happen. It is a learning process. "Lorax" offered some good advice. Remove the rot before it spreads. If the plant is otherwise healthy, it will recover. Mark
