I went away on vacation for only 6 days and my neighbors fed my cats and watered my plants. I think they over-watered my cactus because it looks like it's dying! Can such a drastic change happen over the course of only 6 days? It was so beautiful and vibrant, but tonight when I saw it all squishy and dark green and droopy, I started to cry. I know it's "just a plant," but it is extremely dear to me for personal reasons. I'm sure there are people here who can understand my attachment. Is there any way I can save it? Can I drain the water somehow or put it somewhere to dry out? I read somewhere that I might have to cut off the healthy part (which is so tiny!!!) and start over. Do I really have to amputate? Is there any other way? Please see attached pictures. Any advice is much appreciated!
i'm so sorry, that poor lil thing is a goner. it takes only one instance of too much water to make these lovely plants do the own version of the wicked witch of the west's 'help, i'm melting. i'm melting' bit. you *might* be able to salvage the tip and that pup on the left looks pretty good; might be able to get the one on the right going, too. cut the tip off and look inside - you may need to slice off a bit more until you get past any rotted/mushy stuff. if you have enough of a piece left, after removing rot, to give it try, allow it to dry and callous over for about a week or so and then pot it. the pups can be taken off and repotted immediately. if the roots look mushy, cut them off and let it grow new roots...allow the cut to callous for a few days and then pot up. allow the pups and the cut piece to sit in DRY medium for a couple weeks and then give just a smidge of water. repeat the little bit of water every couple weeks. check it in a month/6 weeks by giving a gentle nudge to see if it's put roots out or not. if there are roots, then you can do a bit more water - just not as frequently - and then ease into winter period with little/no water for dormancy. i see a couple things that need to be corrected. first, the container should be unglazed clay and should have drainage holes. second, the soil should be a other than plain soil. cactus mix with additional perlite or small stones added for more drainage would better. or even a mix heavy on small stones with some peat added to retain some little bit of moisture. good luck with the salvage!!! i DO understand attachment to plants. and that one looks like it was pretty old, so, all the more reason to want to save it. really wish you the best with it!! if the pups take and the tip survives you should see new growth happening next spring.
Third: if you manage to rescue an offset from this (or if you get another one): give it much more light, this plant was terribly etioliated.
Thank you both for your advice. I cut off the tip this morning, and it seemed salvageable, but tonight when I got home, it seemed like it was starting to get a little soft and squishy. Not sure it will survive. As for the pup, I think I can work with it - although it does not have any roots that I can see. What shall I do with it? Plant it immediately as one of you suggested (even though it has no roots), or let it sit for a while? As for it being etiolated (which I had to look up - thanks for teaching me a new word), the cactus was actually a very vibrant green before it died and always received sunlight from my kitchen window (I kept it about 6 feet away from the window but in direct line of incoming sunlight). Well, I am still devastated, but I hope I can do something with the pup.
It need to heal first, as joclyn wrote, otherwise it will rot. I leave them in a cool, shaded spot for at 2 weeks to 3 months depending on the size of the cut surface, the species and time of the year. Then I put them in something dry and airy like coarse sand/gravel or certain types of cat litter. Sometimes I add just a few drops of water from below a cople of weeks later, but it has do be done with care, cuttings are easily attacked by fungi. The cuts must be free from red/brown/black spots, otherwise you have to cut away more. These infections spread faster on the inside than on the outside of the plant, and it was vey unlikely that the uppermost part could be salvaged. I believe the "vibrant green" is the light green colour on the tip of the plant in you pictures? Few cacti have that colour naturally, and if it is present only on the tip it is a clear sign of too little light. 6 feet is way too far from the window, 6 cm is more appropriate (not while cuttings are rooting though, the heat will dehydrate them too fast).
mandarin covered things very well!! by the shape of the tip, it was definitely etoliated...the majority of cacti need to be in full sun and for most of the day when grown indoors to grow properly. a grow light, if proper sunlight isn't available, can be used to duplicate what the plants need. the pup should be allowed to dry/callous over for at least a week. plant as described above by mandarin. good luck with it!!!
