Hi all,
I've only had these cactuses for about a year, half of them seem to be doing well, growing, flowering etc, but the others do not seem to be going well at all.
They are in regular soil mixed with mulch, sand and pebbles, all in one large pot, it's quite deep and they 'should' have plenty of room for roots. I keep the flowerpot infront of a window that gets light all day and direct sunlight most of the afternoon. During the winter I didn't water them at all (as I'd planted them in the moist soil) and during the summer I have been watering them once a month, around 1 cup for the entire pot.
I'll post a few before and after pictures (sorry the before aren't great quality.) They are dis-colouring and shrinking, one of them has shrivelled up almost completely. I know they may be beyond rescuing, but I'd like to know where I'm going wrong.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Sarah
Advice on sick cactus
Advice on sick cactus
Last edited by sarnew88 on Sun Jan 31, 2016 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Advice on sick cactus
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Re: Advice on sick cactus
They may not all be lost, although a couple of them definitely are.
It is difficult to keep this group of plants in a communal pot, even more so combined with cacti. Providing a deep pot to give them room is exactly the wrong thing. Watering in small amounts is also not ideal. The crested plants are especially sensitive.
You should use a pot with a hole in the bottom, small enough that the plant (plants if you insist) can fill the pot. Soil without roots in will stay wet and your plants will rot. When you water a succulent you should water thoroughly, so that all parts of the pot become wet. Then you shouldn't water again until the pot has dried out. This may be difficult with some soil types, especially cheap peat-based soils, because they will repel water when they are thoroughly dry. In the one photo showing the soi, it looks much too rich. Hard to be sure, but it probably needs more grit, perlite, or other coarse material to reduce the amount of water it holds and maintain air within the soil. Lastly, most succulents need very little or no water in winter. Even indoors they might only want to be watered once or twice from October until about March.
If you really like the look of group planting, consider using individual pots sunk into a larger container. You'll be able to water plants individually only when they need it. Rule #1 of watering succulents: when in doubt, wait. Unless you live in Arizona, and probably not even then, not of your plants died from lack of water.
It is difficult to keep this group of plants in a communal pot, even more so combined with cacti. Providing a deep pot to give them room is exactly the wrong thing. Watering in small amounts is also not ideal. The crested plants are especially sensitive.
You should use a pot with a hole in the bottom, small enough that the plant (plants if you insist) can fill the pot. Soil without roots in will stay wet and your plants will rot. When you water a succulent you should water thoroughly, so that all parts of the pot become wet. Then you shouldn't water again until the pot has dried out. This may be difficult with some soil types, especially cheap peat-based soils, because they will repel water when they are thoroughly dry. In the one photo showing the soi, it looks much too rich. Hard to be sure, but it probably needs more grit, perlite, or other coarse material to reduce the amount of water it holds and maintain air within the soil. Lastly, most succulents need very little or no water in winter. Even indoors they might only want to be watered once or twice from October until about March.
If you really like the look of group planting, consider using individual pots sunk into a larger container. You'll be able to water plants individually only when they need it. Rule #1 of watering succulents: when in doubt, wait. Unless you live in Arizona, and probably not even then, not of your plants died from lack of water.
--ian
Re: Advice on sick cactus
Hi Ian,
Thank you so much for your advice. I took all of my cacti out, re-potted them separately in pots with holes in the base so excess water won't collect, and put those pots in my large planter so it still has the cactus garden look. After just one week, 3 of my 4 are looking so much healthier. The really tall one I cut off the price that had basically dried to a solid stick and the rest of it seems to be thriving.
Even my other cacti that I thought were doing fine have suddenly got fatter and greener over the week
Thanks again,
Sarah
Thank you so much for your advice. I took all of my cacti out, re-potted them separately in pots with holes in the base so excess water won't collect, and put those pots in my large planter so it still has the cactus garden look. After just one week, 3 of my 4 are looking so much healthier. The really tall one I cut off the price that had basically dried to a solid stick and the rest of it seems to be thriving.
Even my other cacti that I thought were doing fine have suddenly got fatter and greener over the week
Thanks again,
Sarah
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