I found this Easter cactus at an estate sale this weekend and thought it was really nice and needed rescuing. I was very drawn to it.
I took it straight to a plant/garden store and they repotted it for me. I know it has a mealy bug infection so it’s in my bathroom in isolation while I treat it. I’m not sure if the rest of it is healthy or not, and I’m not sure how old it is or if it needs any other help. The people at the shop were friendly and kind about repotting it but I didn’t get the impression they thought it was very worthwhile.
My main concern is how woody the part closest to the dirt looks. Is it supposed to look like that? Do you think this is an old cactus or a sick cactus or both? Or maybe neither! Please advise.
I haven’t watered it yet as I just brought it home on Saturday. It gets indirect light as my bathroom has western and northern facing windows. I previously had a Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus in this space that did really well but eventually grew too large so it moved to a different room.
by cds2014
4 Comments
Look up corking on cacti, it’s normal to a certain degree
I would not trust plant stores to repot plants. They probably just use the cheapest substrate they have, so peat or coco coir which sinks with every watering and eventually becomes compact and dense
These don’t grow in soil in the wild but bark, moss, dead leaves, etc. Compact soil smothers their roots. They do best in a mix of compost, lots of bark and pumice. Vermiculite is great if you have that because it prevents the soil from becoming too dense and it retains water but I doubt the plant store would use that
Also, this is a jungle cactus, not a desert one. It will want more frequent watering and less harsh light than a desert cactus
I’d suggest giving it a dramatic haircut. Cut back as much as you’re comfortable with. Take it out of the pot. Give it a good wash to get rid of any mealies. Pot it in fresh potting mix. I just use regular potting mix, but feel free to use chunkier mix. They are tropical epiphytic cacti. Need more water and less direct light than other cacti. But don’t be too afraid to give them some direct light in the day. They flower better that way. Once you have trimmed it back and new growth starts emerging, it will look less mangy than it currently is.