Hi I'm new the forum. I have a cactus garden and I live in Tucson. Cacti are hard for me to kill unlike other plants but I do have a Cereus cactus that is purple. I planted it outside from a pot last year and it has been doing well but I notice it is purple and some parts are trying to turn green but it's mostly purple.
Is this normal? I haven't watered it more than you're supposed to. In fact the stem is green and solid.
Not sure what to think? Is this natural with the somewhat cold morning weather we've had?
Thank you
Cereus Cactus is purple
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laranchera
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:09 pm
Cereus Cactus is purple
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- Cereus facing north.
- Cereus North.jpg (49.26 KiB) Viewed 751 times
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- Cereus facing south.
- Cereus South.jpg (56.55 KiB) Viewed 751 times
Re: Cereus Cactus is purple
A plant that changes its color from green to purple is suffering from some kind of stress. However, that does not necessarily mean, that the cactus will die, only that it would prefer a different location or climate.
I do have a small cactus, that I call my "purple pentalophus". It is an Echinocereus pentalophus. Members of that species tend to change their color from green to purple, when the stems are exposed to either strong sunlight or to frost. In order to keep the cactus stems green, I would need to plant it in severely filtered light. Then it might not flower, which would be a shame. During the cold months of the year (November through March) this plant would have to be dug up and placed indoors.
My cacti are in the ground and so I got used to seeing my E. pentalophus in the color purple almost every month of the year.
You can see a few images on this forum under the tab "Member Topics" with the headline "My Cacti 2015".
There are other cacti that will respond the same way.
What you can do is perhaps to dig the plant up, examine its root system, and then transplant it to a more shady location.
Also, if you do know the genus and species name of your cactus, find out, where it can be found in habitat and what the growing conditions are in that environment. For best success, it is always a good idea, to try to match the growing conditions that said plant has in its native habitat.
Harald
I do have a small cactus, that I call my "purple pentalophus". It is an Echinocereus pentalophus. Members of that species tend to change their color from green to purple, when the stems are exposed to either strong sunlight or to frost. In order to keep the cactus stems green, I would need to plant it in severely filtered light. Then it might not flower, which would be a shame. During the cold months of the year (November through March) this plant would have to be dug up and placed indoors.
My cacti are in the ground and so I got used to seeing my E. pentalophus in the color purple almost every month of the year.
You can see a few images on this forum under the tab "Member Topics" with the headline "My Cacti 2015".
There are other cacti that will respond the same way.
What you can do is perhaps to dig the plant up, examine its root system, and then transplant it to a more shady location.
Also, if you do know the genus and species name of your cactus, find out, where it can be found in habitat and what the growing conditions are in that environment. For best success, it is always a good idea, to try to match the growing conditions that said plant has in its native habitat.
Harald
Re: Cereus Cactus is purple
I forgot to mention one thing:
Most likely, you do live in a warm, sunny location. Otherwise, you would not have planted this cactus outdoors.
Did you purchase this plant from a nursery? If so, you have to be aware of the growing conditions encountered in a greenhouse.
Oftentimes, shade cloths are installed over the roofs of these structures. Plants that are grown there are used to filtered light.
Placing these cacti in full sunlight will damage the epidermis and can even kill the plant within a short time.
I was able to cause the demise of two nice, small cacti within two days by planting them between my prickly pear cacti, thinking, that those Opuntias would provide some shade. However, during the hottest part of the day the sun was mercilessly cooking the two new transplants. I should have provided a temporary shading structure, until the cacti had gotten used to the different environment and "hardened off".
You could and should go ahead and do this as soon as possible. Based on the digital images you sent, your plants are in full sun and protecting them from it - even if that kind of cactus can normally grow under these conditions - could be all the difference between keeping the plant alive or it dying.
Harald
Most likely, you do live in a warm, sunny location. Otherwise, you would not have planted this cactus outdoors.
Did you purchase this plant from a nursery? If so, you have to be aware of the growing conditions encountered in a greenhouse.
Oftentimes, shade cloths are installed over the roofs of these structures. Plants that are grown there are used to filtered light.
Placing these cacti in full sunlight will damage the epidermis and can even kill the plant within a short time.
I was able to cause the demise of two nice, small cacti within two days by planting them between my prickly pear cacti, thinking, that those Opuntias would provide some shade. However, during the hottest part of the day the sun was mercilessly cooking the two new transplants. I should have provided a temporary shading structure, until the cacti had gotten used to the different environment and "hardened off".
You could and should go ahead and do this as soon as possible. Based on the digital images you sent, your plants are in full sun and protecting them from it - even if that kind of cactus can normally grow under these conditions - could be all the difference between keeping the plant alive or it dying.
Harald