Hi everyone, I have a grafted cactus that may have been over-watered. The base is yellowing, soft and translucent. When I took the cactus out of its pot to dry, one of the lobes is very squishy and wet, even though the soil is extremely dry. I cant see the roots too well since the soil is clinging to them quite tightly, but what I can see is still white (that's healthy, right?) though they're limp. Does anyone have a solution for saving this cactus? If the bottom part is a goner, can I still save the top part? I currently have the cactus out of its pot and sitting on the windowsill to absorb as much sunlight as possible. (This might be too late but I'm also playing classical music to it...I heard plants enjoy that!) Thanks in advance!
The bottom part is definitely dead. The rot has probably spread to the grafted part as well, but if not the only chance to save it is to regraft it on another cactus (it cannot be grown on own roots since it cannot produce any chlorophyll). Tricky and probably not worth the effort.
Thanks mandarin. Is there a good gardening center that can do the regrafting for me? This cactus is highly sentimental and I'd like to save what I can.
Not sure about Canada (I'm in Sweden), but the number of garden centers that can do that must be very low. It is nothing I have ever heard of, garden centers in general have a reputation for being totally incompetent when it comes to cacti. It is the wrong time of the year too, almost all cacti are inactive during winter at our latitudes. Unless you are very lucky and happens to find someone in a garden center who actually knows something about this, it would be better to look for a cactus collector. If it had been mine I would have 1) cut off the grafted top and cut away all infected tissue, 2) tried to find a suitable grafting stock, 3) regrafted and placed the whole plant under artificial light, with some water, to awaken it. But, as said, it is not easy at this time of the year, even for a good grafter. An alternative could be to cut away the infected portions and leave the cactus dry until a suitable solution is found. A risk is that the plant might become to dehydrated for grafting. Putting them in a plastic box after a day or two might help, but it is still only a temporary measure. Note: the grafting stock on your plant is among the worst possible in our climates, it is very sensitive to cold, wet conditions (these grafts are usually imported from Southeast Asia, where this stock is much easier to grow). They are usually short-lived, even if they don't rot.
Thanks mandarin. What if I try to propagate the top part? There are some small pups growing on it. Can I cut them off and plant them in the same soil? Will they take root?
No, they lack chlorophyll too. They can be grafted of course (and on a thinner grafting stock than the parent would need) but it is still difficult for a beginner unless you are born with a talent for it.
