*Update* Dysfunctional Cactus

[Gitona]

Hi everyone I would like for you guys to meet Bob. I've had him since 2008 and I believe he is a barrel cactus type. He used to be just a poofball on the dirt. *sniffle* Oh, how the years fly by!

Anyways, I was taking care of him up until about a year ago and then my mom let him stay with her and...just...things went wrong? I am assuming she overwatered or under watered etc.

I was thinking about cutting him in a way that gets rid of that middle part. I would repot his lower half and then pot his upper that looks so healthy.

Does this seem like a solid approach? I have some cactus soil in the mail and I was thinking about buying a rooting hormone as well.

I want to try whatever I can.

*UPDATE*

So here's Bob after the massacre. I am so surprised that he looks healthy even in the middle. I am wondering if I can even try to plant the middle or maybe I'm being too optimistic. I put them all in a room near a window that gets low light. I will watch their progress. Let's hope this all turns out well haha

[greenknight]

Sure, you could do that. If that is rot, cutting it out is the only way to save the plant. Is it mushy there? A rotten patch would be.

[Gitona]

Sure, you could do that. If that is rot, cutting it out is the only way to save the plant. Is it mushy there? A rotten patch would be.

I poked around a bit and it doesn't seem horribly mushy but it IS more soft and giving than the rest.

[greenknight]

Could it have gotten sunburned there?

In any case, it clearly went through a period when it was etiolated - making abnormally thin growth due to low light. It should look like this - http://www.cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus ... =magnifica . Cutting that section out is the only way to fix it.

I would leave the top of the stump cut at an angle so that water will run off, if you cut it straight across it will form a cup when it dries. It should grow into a nice clump, in a few years the original stump won't even be visible. Root the top as a cutting, a good big cutting like that should root easily, Here's a site that shows the technique - http://www.cactusinfo.net/propagation.htm . The cutting in their example is about the minimum size to be viable, bigger is better.