So, my husband received this … thing.. from someone at work today and handed it to me.
I think this (Peanut?) cactus is so cool already, but it also seems like life at the office has been bad for it. I am pretty novice at plant care, and have unalived a few cacti before, so I need all the help I can get.
Is this salvageable?
I have no prior knowledge of this creatures life so not sure what the water/light quality was. The strong, green tips have me thinking it’s still hanging on, and the curl upwards shows it’s seeking more sun, right?? What other things do I need to look at and assess? Soil, light/location, atmosphere, etc., I have no idea what it needs, I used google lens to a get some help, but honestly I think I want the opinions of strangers on the internet more.
Is this something that if all else fails, I could cut the top off, callous, and plant?
What would you do here?
by Recyclopslady
20 Comments
“I want the opinion of strangers on the internet more”
I felt that so hard lol
I think he dead. Sorry for your loss.
Also I could be wrong so maybe someone with more cacti experience can chime in, normally the green towards the base would indicate some life but because yours is yellow and then green and then yellow again I’m thinking dead.
Edit: on second thought I really don’t know, the ends look healthy still…I don’t know how to prop that thing but give it a Google with Google lens, maybe you could chop and prop those healthy ends? The mid section reminds me of when mine got root rot, so you could also start with inspection of roots and see what things look like below the soil
Geez. Does your husband’s coworker like him? Wtf “here’s the rotting husk of a cactus i killed, see you at the water cooler!” lol
Cut the tops off (keep moving up until you find healthy tissue) callous! And plant. Nothing is traveling up through the tumbleweed that used to be a cactus beneath them
I think this is a chop and prop.
You can see some spots have snapped off already and there is a lot of corking (the darker areas). The growth points look fine.
If I got this and had to make a decision, I would cut pretty low on the arms and let them scar over for a day or two. Then I would put the ends into a pot with extremely well draining soil and I would leave them in there for at least two weeks or a month before watering them and picking up standard cactus care, hoping they will root.
You are right they are pretty much alive.
I’d probably cut them off, wait until callous and plant them on the correct cactus soil mix. That one on the pot looks like just regular soil & suffocated the roots.
But instead of cutting the top off immediately, I might try to cut a few centimeters from the bottom, and check if there’s a rot on the stem, if yes then cut another cm (make sure to clean the knife/cutter with alcohol between each slice) until they’re rot free.
It’s not dead. It for sure needs more light, that’s why it’s elongated like that. You can repot it in a cactus soil mix but don’t overwater by soaking the soil.
Consider that it has been in a reduced light environment for a long time so don’t just move it into direct sunlight. Move it closer to increased light over a period of a few weeks.
You can dismantle him and try to grow each arm.
Just cut them with clean edges (no rot or damage). Let them dry in shade for about 1 week then try planting. You can try burying them in a pot like you would other plants but might get better results by laying them across a flat of shallow cactus soil and leave them in the shade without watering indefinitely. If you start to see new growth then you can water them.
I think the base may have dried up to a crisp, but you can likely cut up to the green part of the cactus arms and replant. Boom! New plants!
Wow , I have no luck with cactus plants.. I can grow about anything else but cactus and the two Venus fly traps I tried just didn’t like me so I give up! The lady that said to cut the tops off is probably right and she sounds like she knows a thing or two . I just gave up because it takes so long to grow a dang cactus and I have zero patience..
r/succshaming
I had a cactus (not sure his kind) but he traveled to Florida from Texas and was my first plant. I was so determined to have him forever and at some point he got all mushy in the middle and rotted..
So here’s my absolute uneducated advice — I’d chop and pray for the best as it’s already pretty unalived as is 🤭
It’s already regrowing itself in the same way it would have if you’d intentionally propagated it. That’s what those upward bright green growths are. Give it time, stop watering and give substantially more sun/direct light. Its dark corner and overwatering is why it stress-propagated itself.
He misses the office lighting so I would put him under a grow light.
I don’t know how to help, just want to give my condolences.
Keep an eye on possible white cottony spots. Mealybug can bother cactus.
Such a funny post
Someone call cps
https://youtube.com/shorts/7_nBS5aIacU?si=bBJr8DEdYqG39HYM
This may or may not help you! Good luck!
He’s gone to plant heaven 😭
Hard to kill a cactus but I’m from a hot dry climate.