Lady at the flowershop gave me this cactus for free with the condition that I save it! Apparently people dont buy houseplants during christmas season..
It was completely dry when i bought it (so it is freshly watered in this picture).
HELP ME SAVE THIS GUY!! What is the best course of action here? Repot? Chop n prop? Also.. WHAT exactly IS this guy?
by Villi_Vuohi
5 Comments
First thing I would do is take it out of that pot and inspect the roots/clean up anything dead.
Leave it out of the soil for a day just to let any torn roots heal to avoid rot.
Pot it back up in a more mineral heavy mix. Opuntia don’t like wet roots for a long period of time.
It doesn’t look in horrible shape tbh. Just thirsty and neglected.
It’s an opuntia. They need pretty extreme levels of sun to stay healthy. They also like sitting in dry soil for long stretches between waterings so don’t water too often and repot it in a grittier substrate
Many forms of opuntia (prickly pear) go dormant in the winter. This includes a redistribution of their water storage, which causes the plant to look wrinkly and dehydrated. They also lay themselves down on the ground, where it’s a bit warmer to help them stay insulated.
This plant looks totally normal for an Opuntia in December.
Think it’s the prickly pear
It is opuntia humifusa, it is supposed to look like this in winter. The wrinkling is normal