SOS cactus in distress

[Lisa]

does anyone know why my cactus looks like this? it feels kind of soft when I is squeeze it and I'm not sure what I schould do about it. maybe it's time to repot it...

ps. i also don't know which species it is.

[hegar]

Hello Lisa,
to me your cactus does look OK. However, you are correct when you say, that it is time to repot it. When it receives fresh growing medium and has a chance to grow more roots, it should also pep up a bit. Another thing I need to mention, because some people do not know, that plants need to be fed. Apply a water-soluble fertilizer like Miracle Grow, which does have a formula for Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K), where the second value (P) is the highest.
I am not sure, if your plant is some kind of Cereus. Those do have more pronounced ribs that are thinner than those of other cacti. I do have almost exclusively desert cacti and for those I only apply between 1/2 and 1/3 the amount of fertilizer stated on the package. I fertilize my plants two to three times a year while watering them.
You write, that your cactus is in distress. What makes you think that? Did it shrivel up during the winter months?
My outdoor plants do that all the time. However, when the weather gets warmer in the spring and there is some rainfall, they plump up pretty quickly. The roots of your plant do not seem to be discolored, which is a good sign. However, they have grown dense at the perimeter of the pot, which indicates to me, that they have outgrown the pot in which the cactus is now located.

Harald

[Lisa]

Hi Harald,

thanks for the tips! I think it was just thirsty tough. After I took the first picture I watered it and in the next day (second picture) it was already looking better. I live in Brazil so we don't really have a winter season, it just a less hot and dryer season for us, so I'm not sure a should stop watering my plant now that winter is around the corner and let them hibernate or just reduce the amount of water I usually give (which apparently was too little already).
I also don't know if I should wait to repot it after winter, what do you think?

Lisa

[Aiko]

so I'm not sure a should stop watering my plant now that winter is around the corner

It might help to mention your location when asking for help on cultivation of plants.

[Lisa]

I just said I'm from Brazil...

[Aiko]

I over read that, apparantly. But you might want to put that kind of information in your profile, so it shows below your name on the left.

[greenknight]

I would go ahead and repot it. While cacti should get an annual rest period, it varies with climate. In your climate, it won't be a long period of total dryness like growing in a temperate zone - more like 6 weeks to 2 months of reduced watering.

[Lisa]

I will try that, thanks!