This 80 plus year old cactus was doing very well until my parents went on holiday in the end of July for 5 weeks. A neighbour was supposed to water it whilst they were away but unfortunately didn’t. It is obviously still in bad shape, with the branches very soft.
What would be the best action, repot or leave? Situated in south of Spain
Many thanks
Picture now and before.
Edit for dates of holiday
by Synodontisman
19 Comments
Don’t repot it, it’s already stressed.
If they didn’t water it for over a month…and it looks bad as a result….try watering it?
Water it and give it some fertilizer
Anyone else think this looks like over watering or frost damage? They look limp but not dehydrated and shriveled
I know this is a silly question but was it subjected to cold temps while you were gone?
Looks like they watered it for you, just prob every day so it’s rotting
Hard to tell if cold damage or underwatered, or even overwatered.
Either way, especially since it’s winter, don’t water or for a few weeks. I know that sounds long but these guys are tougher than you give em credit for. I have one i haven’t watered in months (because I’m lazy) and it’s fine.
Anyway, just wait and give it some time. You’ll have your answer after giving it some time
This looks over watered
I’d start propagating the green bits now just in case. The rotted parts aren’t coming back unfortunately. Best to start a ton of baby plants while you still can. It’s ok to start over with props in a situation like this.
Don’t water this plant. If anything, it looks like it needs to dry out. I wouldn’t repot it and let it just sit for a bit to dry out, heavily suggest putting it in front of the sunniest window and grow lights if possible to help dry the soil out (works for me personally) make sure there’s no water sitting in the bottom of the pot as well.
She’s gone 🙁
Looks more like they over watered. Thats some dark & organic looking soil, these are epiphytic cacti and do best with a chunky mix. 1-1-1 potting soil, bark fines, and perlite or pumice. Is a recipe that works well for schlumbergera
Does the pot have drainage? Personally I’d scratch around in there and get a look at the roots. If the soil is wet then I’d take at least some of it out and let it dry for a couple of days. The soil looks dense and organic; I think it would benefit from adding some grit. I hope it survives, it’s a gorgeous plant.
He’s dead Jim.
Looks like it was heavily over watered and then put outside “to dry” then subjected to a cold night. Now ded
I nearly killed all my mom’s beautiful christmas cactuses because I thought they were like other cactuses and liked to dry out completely and then have a good soak. Made props of them when they were nearly dead, I did a bunch expecting most to not make it – they all took, so now I have way too many haha. But anyway like others said, probably gonna need to make props.
I would dig it up and repot in new soil with better drainage. I think you will be surprised to find it has no roots because they have rotted away. It will hopefully bounce back if potted correctly I would recommend you do some you research online and find a super airy soil mix. My mix has pumice, black lava, perlite, pine bark, coco coir, worm castings,coarse sand, Turface and a couple handfuls of Ocean Forest. You can buy or make a good draining mix it does not have to be that complex to get good results. When i last repotted i threw in what i had on hand.
80 years old?
I would cut most of the dead leaves off and check the roots if you think it can tolerate it. The odds are not zero but not great.
At first I thought cold damage but think it just needs a good drink and it will be fine. drench it well.
Cut and Replant In smaller pots.
When replanting, make sure to cut the good branches and exclude rotten part.
If it is not too cold outside, place pots outside otherwise, near the window with sunshine.
One more thing, remove all flowers from the branches to ease up stress of almost dried leaves.
Totally agree! Propagation might be the best shot at saving this beauty. Fingers crossed for some healthy growt.