Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
Post Reply
rimbochteld
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 2:00 pm

Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by rimbochteld »

Hello,

This is my peruvian torch. Does anybody know what happenend? And most important, what can i do about it?
cactus5.jpg
cactus5.jpg (68.97 KiB) Viewed 1389 times
User avatar
greenknight
Posts: 4813
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by greenknight »

Eeew...don't know what caused that, but I think surgery is needed - it looks like there's some rot involved. Cut it back until it's clear of any discoloration, sterilizing the knife with rubbing alcohol before each cut. Slant the last cut so moisture will run off. It should then put out branches.
Spence :mrgreen:
iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by iann »

Probably froze. At least part of it is now dead.

Just out of interest, how cold did it get? These are pretty hardy.
--ian
rimbochteld
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 2:00 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by rimbochteld »

Thanks for your answers. I will cut the rotten part off the plant.

It didn't get really cold, previous winters it was colder. I am not sure how this happened.

So, i should just cut the sick part off and then it will grow again?
KittieKAT
Posts: 1246
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 6:49 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by KittieKAT »

Yup give it time it well re grow a neww offset. Id also recommend swiping the open cut with sulfur Powder to stop infection or anything happening to it while healing.
User avatar
greenknight
Posts: 4813
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by greenknight »

If the damage is limited to what you can see in that picture, it should grow. Dusting the cut with sulfur, as KittieKAT advises, couldn't hurt.

They are pretty frost hardy when dry and dormant - if the stem is plump with water it's vulnerable to damage from freezing. Could that be what happened?
Spence :mrgreen:
rimbochteld
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 2:00 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by rimbochteld »

Yes it could be that the stem is plump with water. Good to know that its not a disease. I'll cut it off and put it in a dry place. hope it will grow again.
rimbochteld
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 2:00 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by rimbochteld »

I cut the cactus open. I had two with the same problem. Now one looks normal inside with a white flesh color. The flesh of the other cactus is not white anymore but greyish color. Is it still good?

See the pic i added...

Hoping for your replies...
Attachments
2 cacti
2 cacti
cactus6.jpg (49.25 KiB) Viewed 1339 times
KittieKAT
Posts: 1246
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 6:49 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by KittieKAT »

Keep cutting the other one till it looks like the healthy one on the right
KittieKAT
Posts: 1246
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 6:49 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by KittieKAT »

It deff like like it was frozen id let it defrost a little too!
rimbochteld
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 2:00 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by rimbochteld »

Hi Kittiekat,

I cut it down to the root but its the same color through the whole cactus.

Do you think its still consumable?
KittieKAT
Posts: 1246
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 6:49 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by KittieKAT »

If u let it kinda D-frost and just swipe the pieces your gonna try to re-root with sulfur powder and let them dry for a few days then pot then up, swipe the end that's rooted in the pot with sulfur powder let it dry and itll prob make offsets if its not completly gone. I think it may be fine but u never kno, trt rooting the pieces you cut from it if they are big enough chunks and if/when they root they may have offsets. Be patient it takes a while sometimes a few months. If any thing starts going mushy brown and soft its prob not gonna live but at least try and root some. Don't water the ones yr rooting until they grow a reasonable amount of roots or they will rott. Goodluck
rimbochteld
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 2:00 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by rimbochteld »

Thanks Kittiekat for this advise. I will try this and hope it will help!
HP22B
Posts: 238
Joined: Tue Jul 29, 2014 2:43 pm

Re: Help! Disease or cold? What happenend?

Post by HP22B »

rimbochteld wrote:Hi Kittiekat,

I cut it down to the root but its the same color through the whole cactus.

Do you think its still consumable?
If consumption is your concern I'd bet it's still okay. As far as planting and rerooting, maybe not so much.
Post Reply