What's wrong with my Melocactus?

[Cactusgirl]

Thank you for the advice which I'm going to adhere to and keep my fingers crossed the plant has still got the roots!

[IanW]

Even if it's lost its roots it's a complete myth that Melocactus can't regrow them once they have their cephalium, I've done it multiple times, so all is not lost either way.

You can repot it into Tesco non-clumping cat litter now and just ever so slightly wet the cat litter once a month or so. That gives it the best chance of getting it's roots back if they're gone. Adding a bit of rooting hormone around the old roots may potentially help but I've not used it enough to say one way or another how much, if at all.

If you have it inside I'd be inclined to disagree with not doing anything now, the longer you leave it if the roots have gone, the less chance it has of recovery because it's really just living on borrowed time. You need to act before that borrowed time runs out, not after.

It may well be a lost cause, Melocactus aren't always easy to keep, but it's also not a given that it's a gonner either, again, even if the roots are lost. Root recovery is definitely slow on Melocactus, compared to other species like, say, Trichocereus pachanoi which will root if you so much as forget to look at it for a minute but it's also not impossible.

[Aiko]

It's probably a bit dangerous to increase water now but after April during warm weather up the watering gradually. In the summer mine paddle in it

Do you keep them outside the greenhouse, so the rain of summer will water them throughout the months?
Anyout else out there have been doing that?

I have two Melocacti, which both lost their roots last year. One of the two was a M. azureus I had sown myself in 1999. It regrow its roots. The other is still without roots. I am wondering what I should do (now, and in the future).

[Herts Mike]

I have some big old Melos but never water in the winter!

Just goes to show.

[Kees]

I have some big old Melos but never water in the winter!

Just goes to show.

Does the soil dry out completely before you start watering in spring? What do you grow them in?

I have 9 baby melocacti smithii that I water once a week. I dare not let their roots dry out completely.

[Cactusgirl]

IanW tbank you so much for the advice. I don't think I've killed her completely and I'm confident that the plant will pick up now I know to be slightly more generous with the water as I am with the heat! I will update in due course hopefully with good news!

[Herts Mike]

Here are some of my Melos. I have no idea what they are growing in now as I haven't repotted them in as much as 10 years for the bigger ones. They will get watered in spring along with everything else. Maybe I will repot them!

[Tina]

They look good , no2 has no more space it will be walking out soon, that is a seriously large cephaleum do you know the age

[Herts Mike]

30 years?

[Cactusgirl]

They look amazing!