Question
Hello,
A friend gave me what I think is a Peruvian Apple cactus a month ago.  It was originally 10 ft. tall.  We moved it a 1/2 mile to my house over Thanksgiving weekend. The temp outside was about 45 Fahrenheit, so we wrapped it in plastic, but during the drive the top 6 inches got badly bent and the plastic came off. Hoping the cactus would heal itself, I propped up the bent part, but in a few weeks it had turned black and dried up so I cut it off.  Now a month later, another 12 inches of the top has turned black and is drying up and farther down the trunk the cactus is turning a light green with more blackish purple blotches appearing.  My friend said he watered the cactus 2 teacups full every two weeks.  I waited a month to water and then watered the cactus two teacups.  Then a week later another 2 teacups. I have also moved it away from my west facing window which seemed to be a bit cold, but he still gets light. What can I do to save this beautiful cactus? Should I cut off the black dried out portion again?
Thanks for any help you can give.


Answer
Leah,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. It sounds like it may have been exposed to some very cold air. If that is the case, let it heal before you try to cut off any more of it. The trick to watering is to let the soil dry out between waterings. If the spots continue to appear randomly on the plant, it may be too late for the plant. Do not over water, as this will make the problem worse.

If you can send me a photo, that would be very helpful. Please send to [email protected]

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Greg