Hello all! I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and hopefully I can save my poor little cactus. I saw my cactus leaning over and remembered I had forgotten to water it. It actually made me really sad and I started crying. The cactus means a lot to me, it has been in my home for about 3 years and has always been beautiful. Hopefully that makes sense, I know to some people its "just a plant." Its not exactly black, its still green, some parts are a darker green than others and its squishy. I did some research and believe its a Golden Ball. I watered it a little just to make sure the soil was moist, hoping the cactus will soak it up and plump back out again. I just feel horrible and I'm hoping someone can suggest a way to help save it. Thank you!! Here are some pictures:
radazie, we understand! You are in the right place: to us here at the forum, plants are integral parts of our lives. If help is to be had, you will get it here. I got a smile from your photos. Your cactus appears to be thoughtfully contemplating itself. Is that a blossom on its top? If so, it must have been in good condition when it was produced...which implies that the problem is of recent origin. Has your plant been exposed to cold recently? What is the state of its potting medium?--draining OK? I'd say lay off the watering for the time being. Welcome to the Forum, and good luck in your cactus rehabilitation!
Thank you for your reply togata57!! Yes, my little cactus does have a yellow flower on its top, which is also turning brown around the edges. It was a bright beautiful yellow flower. I live in Michigan and as of right now, it's winter and the temperature outside is around the 20's ans 30's. However, I have always kept my little cactus in our guest bathroom which is small and warm. During the winter there is light sunlight and during the summer there is bright sunlight. The cactus has always done pretty well in there. Draining seems to be fine. The soil seems to soak up the water and the extras fill the bottom plate and within 5 minutes the rest of the water is usually soaked up. I have never over watered it, just because its a cactus and shouldn't need too much. Once a month if that seemed to do the trick but sadly I did forget to water for two months. I gave it a little bit of water and it soaked it right up, but I'm done watering for now. I hope my little cactus will forgive me for not watering it and come back to life! I don't know what else to do. Does it look like it needs new soil or a bigger pot? Which soil should I use if so?
Looks like a Notocactus leninghausii, yes. So it has changed color and become partially black? And those areas are very soft? Then it's rot, and there is little chance that it will survive. Has it blackened at the base, the top, or both? Has it grown much since you got it? It does not look as etioliated as they usually do when they have lived in a bathroom, which could mean that it hardly has grown at all. How long did the flower last? A slightly bigger pot is recommended. 3 years without repotting is a long time for this species anyway. But see if it survives first, repotting cannot stop rot ...
Thank you for your reply mandarin!! It has changed color. It was a light green color when it was plump, and now it has changed to a darker green color. I don't see any black on it though. I'm just afraid the darker green means it will eventually change black. It really hasn't grown too much since I first got it, although it did blossom. The flower has actually lasted for a while. Its mostly darker and squishy at the middle and top parts of it. The bottom is still the nice light green color that it used to be. Is there anything I could do to save it? Or should I just leave it alone? What causes rot? Also, could the plant have been sick when I bought it?
radazie, i sympathize! plants aren't "just plants" to me (and probably not to anyone else on this site). i sing secret lullabies and growing songs to my plants and tell them how much i love them every day. here's a proverb i take to heart: the best fertilizer is the gardener's own shadow. rot is usually caused by too much moisture. i think low temperature can play a part also, but i'm not certain. if you haven't watered in 2 months, i suppose overwatering isn't the problem. has the bathroom become more humid recently? for example, has someone in your household recently started having ridiculously long, hot showers? i'm not sure if that could've caused the problem, but it's something to think about. honestly, i overwater all my cacti and i know it. i water pretty much every week and a half; i let the soil get a bit dry and stay dry for a day or so before watering. they all do well, though; they even flower for me. i keep them in bright light, pot them in cactus mix (you can find it at any nursery), and never fertilize. i also grow them in low terra cotta pots with drainage holes and gravel at the bottom. terra cotta breathes well and it's hard to drown plants that are in terra cotta pots, as opposed to plastic pots. underwatering isn't necessarily your problem, either. i've seen cacti go without water for a lot longer than 2 months and not really suffer for it. however, golden ball cacti may be a special case... anyway, cacti shrivel and wrinkle when they're too dehydrated. is that what's going on? sad to say, you may want to take a cutting from your plant, but you won't be able to if the entire cactus is sick. if part of the cactus still looks ok, you might want to check out this site for info on cactus propagation http://gardenline.usask.ca/plants/cactus-3.html. sometimes, moving on with the next generation is all you can do...
Rot is caused by bacteria or fungi. Overwatering or high air humidity is often the triggering factor, especially in combination with cold, but sometimes a cactus can start to rot for no obvious reason. Is the sunken area in picture 2 where it has become squishy? If the flower lasted for more than about a week it was fake. I asked because your plant looks a bit unhappy, but real flowers indicate a healthy plant. BTW, both old (real) flower remains and wounds caused by fake flowers can serve as entry points for infections, as can damages from insect attacks. Normally cacti can be left without water for about 6-7 months in our cold, dark winters. The fine root tips die, so when watered again it has to be done carefully with just a light watering the first time, before new root tips have grown, otherwise the soil stays moist for too long and the plant starts to rot. Notocactus are known for their tendency to lose their roots during winter, and many collector choose to give them a little water now and then even in winter to help the roots to stay alive. They usually grow in areas with relatively high rainfall, around 800-1500 mm (straight from memory) evenly distributed over the year (N.B. I don't have specific climate data for N. leninghausii), and are better adapted to moist conditions than many other cacti. Actually I think you have underwatered your plant in summer, but that depends on light, temperature, pot and soil too. Cacti grown indoors in unfavorable conditions (light, temperature, ventilation) often become more susceptible to diseases. It is difficult to say exactly what has happened to your plant. It could be a wet, slimy rot that has not developed fully yet, or the type where the plant just dries up and becomes an empty shell. Or a (hopefully) temporary unhealthiness. I think you should wait for a while and see how it develops. If if is rot the plant is already doomed. If it isn't, you should leave for a few weeks anyway before you water it again or do something else to it.
