I have had this plant for two years and this summer it turned woody looking and a large part of it died. What is left of it, is turning whitish. What can I do? Too much water? Not enough water??? Thanks
I'm not sure what the whitish coloring is, maybe a fungus of some type or the roots are drying out. The woody part I have on mine. down near the base of the plant, so I don't necessarily thinks that's a problem. Why part of it died I'm not sure, maybe because of pest, over-watering, dust bowl dry for too long... Check for pest in any case and maybe the root system as well to make sure they are nice and healthy, bug free, not rotting or drying up. Give it good some bright light and sun and water well only when the soil is dry. Maybe you'll get another answer, but that's all I can come up for the moment.
Thanks for the reply. When I pulled out the part that was woody, it had no roots at all! The white parts now are really very pale and enemic looking.
Do you have a picture of your pencil cactus by any chance? You might need to take cuttings if the roots are bad, or missing. Does the pale green section have healthy roots?
