Hello, and help! Newbit Cactus enthusiast with sick plant!
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:33 am
Hello,
My name is Blair and I'm a Californian living in East London. I've always loved cacti and have been around an abundance of wild growth my whole life in the desert where I grew up . I've always had 3-4 small potted cacti but last year I inherited 2 very large gorgeous plants, one of them is a dounle cactus nearly 8 feet tall! I've been caring for them ever since, but this week one of them got sick and it's sudden and drastic so I'm in a state of panic. I love this plant.
When I got it, the pot it came in was very small and it was incredibly topheavy, but balanced, and it's been fine sitting in the same place all throught the winter. Our loft is flooded with light but it's indirect, however this cactus has been seeming happy and is stronger and more plump than when I got it 8 months ago. There was always a little plae discolouing, crusty beige scarring at the base but the rest of the cactus was green and healthy. The corner where we have it is the safest place for it because of the size, and it's similar light to where it ws living before for the last 20 years. Then 2 weeks ago, I finally repotted it, the roots were in a compact square and I actually had to break the pot they were so tight, there was very little soil even left. I'm surprised it got any water at all!. I repotted it into a larger heavy terracotta pot and basically just packed new soil around all sides of the root square and make sure it was balanced again and stood straight on its own. I watered it, but not super soaking the new soil.
This morning I woke up and noticed that one of the shoots is under duress. It looks like it's rotting, but the soil is not really wet. I've not watered it since repotting.
I just used normal potting soil, is it reacting to the soil? What have I done wrong and what I can I do now? My instincts are to give it more light but the sun is too intense outside now, I don't want to shock it.
I've attached some pgotos of the problem and also of the cactus when it was in its old pot with no problems (new pot is black glazed). What is wrong and what can I do? I throw myself on your mercy!
Thank you,
Blair
My name is Blair and I'm a Californian living in East London. I've always loved cacti and have been around an abundance of wild growth my whole life in the desert where I grew up . I've always had 3-4 small potted cacti but last year I inherited 2 very large gorgeous plants, one of them is a dounle cactus nearly 8 feet tall! I've been caring for them ever since, but this week one of them got sick and it's sudden and drastic so I'm in a state of panic. I love this plant.
When I got it, the pot it came in was very small and it was incredibly topheavy, but balanced, and it's been fine sitting in the same place all throught the winter. Our loft is flooded with light but it's indirect, however this cactus has been seeming happy and is stronger and more plump than when I got it 8 months ago. There was always a little plae discolouing, crusty beige scarring at the base but the rest of the cactus was green and healthy. The corner where we have it is the safest place for it because of the size, and it's similar light to where it ws living before for the last 20 years. Then 2 weeks ago, I finally repotted it, the roots were in a compact square and I actually had to break the pot they were so tight, there was very little soil even left. I'm surprised it got any water at all!. I repotted it into a larger heavy terracotta pot and basically just packed new soil around all sides of the root square and make sure it was balanced again and stood straight on its own. I watered it, but not super soaking the new soil.
This morning I woke up and noticed that one of the shoots is under duress. It looks like it's rotting, but the soil is not really wet. I've not watered it since repotting.
I just used normal potting soil, is it reacting to the soil? What have I done wrong and what I can I do now? My instincts are to give it more light but the sun is too intense outside now, I don't want to shock it.
I've attached some pgotos of the problem and also of the cactus when it was in its old pot with no problems (new pot is black glazed). What is wrong and what can I do? I throw myself on your mercy!
Thank you,
Blair