little cacti turning dark? :(

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
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Zemie
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2012 8:01 pm
Location: Lakeridge, Virginia
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little cacti turning dark? :(

Post by Zemie »

Hi! I've been growing these cactuses from seeds and they're about 3 years old and I've just repotted them in a 50/50 mix of potting soil and perlite. Even before I repotted them I noticed they were much darker than they were months ago, I thought this was from being in my dorm room and not getting enough light, but even having moved them back home they're still dark. Whenever I googled this problem I just got stuff about rot but I definitely haven't watered them too much and they don't feel soft. Is it the opposite and they actually need water?
Here they are today: Image
Here they were last september: Image
Anyone know what's wrong and if they'll be okay? :(
iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Re: little cacti turning dark? :(

Post by iann »

They're definitely stressed. If anything I'd have said they got too much light, but it doesn't seem like the time of year for that. Could they have got a lot of sun late last summer? Or maybe they are just thirsty. If so they will perk up when summer arrives and you can water them regularly. Nothing changes fast in cacti and it might take months for them to change back again.
--ian
Zemie
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2012 8:01 pm
Location: Lakeridge, Virginia
Contact:

Re: little cacti turning dark? :(

Post by Zemie »

I think it's possible they could have gotten too much sun, they had been under a grow light for a while, would that have done it? I went back to college today but I'll get my mom to water them tomorrow, since it's basically spring and it's been a week since I repotted them I think they should be good for watering. Hopefully they'll perk up and flourish now that they're in much better containers
iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Re: little cacti turning dark? :(

Post by iann »

I noticed a tray of Eulychnia seedlings that looked a little stressed like yours. Turned out they were infested with mites. You need a magnifier to spot them, but they were making a mess of mine, likely already killed some of them. Could be worth having a close peer at yours. If you don't have a suitable magnifier, you can probably get a view with a very close digital camera shot.
--ian
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