Question
Sick Cactus
My girlfriend bought me a cactus or succulent plant during the summer. It has a variety of plants, but I just noticed that one of the plants is turning black and spongey. I've watered it about once every two months. It has been inside and is kept away from direct sunlight on my desk. The other plants seem ok. Do you know what is going on and how to fix it?
Thanks!
AnswerYour cactus has rot and and beyond saving. The rot is coming from the bottom so the roots are involved. The problem with dish gardens is that there is no drainage at the bottom of the pot so water sits in the bottom of the pot. I would get the other cacti out of that container and look at their roots. Do they look healthy or are they black and soggy? Rot often often starts in the roots and it takes months before you can see it. Then you have a cactus that looks fine but it's dead. I just noticed that one of my favorite cactus was dead - empty in the inside. That rot probably started in the summer when it was outside and it took this long to die. It looked perfectly normal but I poked it and it just collapsed. Grrrr.
If every thing seems ok with the others repot in a pot/pots with cactus soil. Also, for further reference, cacti are dormant in the winter so don't require any water till Spring. I would put them in separate pots with an 1/2 to one inch around each. Moisten the soil till it crumbles when you squeeze it and no more than that and then don't water till Spring. You can occasionally mist it.
They also really need sun. Florescent lights at best only give about 1/3 of the light that they would get in a sunny window or outside.
If nothing else, get that dead plant away from the others. Rot is caused by bacteria or fungus and will spread.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks for the photo, it really helps.
