I’ve had this cactus for 4 years. Started out the size of a thumb. she was doing great in a medium sized pot and I literally did NOTHING for her. She started looking a bit deformed and all sudden she was almost completely curved over. So I repotted her into a much bigger pit attached. She seemed okay for about 2-3 months with that horrific DIY’d prop thing.. I know I know, it’s monstrous 😂 anyway she’s looking a lot straighter, BUT now she’s looking a bit dead? What can I do to help her?!?! Google suggested it may be spider mite??? I only water her once a fortnight and depending on the weather, She gets about 6-8hrs of sunlight per day 😭 TIA 😁
it’s currently heading into winter here in Melbourne Aus, but still getting majority sunny days
by ahsielaj
17 Comments
That pot is way too large and that will contribute to root rot- it’s too hard to manage moisture when that much soil doesn’t contain any roots.
I would repot it in a smaller pot- one just large enough to hold the root mass and not much more.
There is spider mite webbing visible so I would use insecticidal soap on it 2x a week for two weeks. Then as much natural light as possible.
>I only water her once a fortnight
That may be too much if your potting media is dense- be sure and use a cactus formulated mix. Then water it when the soil is dry rather than on a schedule. And during the cooler months you want even less water than usual, so beware overwatering.
Just so you know, that type of mammillaria is recumbent. They lean and crawl naturally. It’s not meant to stand up straight.
https://preview.redd.it/scp0vpbkec0f1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=825ecdd378cc4757aea523c5b94b51b41467275f
It looks a lot like a mammillaria pilcayensis, but there are several mammillaria that have a recumbent or reclining habit.
Those zip ties are going to choke it to death as it grows
Release the prisoner! Just let it do its thang.
Zip ties for its crimes
I m p r i s o n e d
They want to lean, tbf I think it looks better than crucifying them
u can buy small rotating plates that run off solar power.
jewlers use them for displays, theye are cheapish.
search jewlers rotating display.
I totally understand. I would have done the same lol
I didn’t see anyone else comment on it, but I see some fine webbing on your cactus that looks a lot like spider mite webbing. I highly highly recommend trying to remove as much webbing as you can (gently!) and spraying with insecticidal soap. I’m not sure if there is a different protocol to cacti than other houseplants, so hopefully someone else can chime in!
Why are you treating that cactus like Hannibal Lecter?! 😂
If not peen, why peen shaped?
These are some serious BDSM vibes.
NOT THE CACTUS STRAIGHT JACKET
Kinky
This whole thread made me laugh. Thanks for imprisoning your cactus, OP. 🤣