](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
I have a little saguaro. I didn't treat it well for the first several years of its life with me (some zone 5b and 7b cold weather; some lack of sun; some overwatering; possibly even some underwatering) so it's stunted and weird-shaped, but it was my first cactus so I'm fond of it. Now, though, for the first time, it's showing signs of what might be rot... or mold or bugs?
We've had a lot of rain here in the past several weeks, and the saguaro is overpotted (I was going to downsize the pot and use smaller-grained pumice, per my post last week).
There's one black area forming near the callus that's softer than the surrounding tissue (but not as soft as the fungus-infected E. rigidissimus rubispinus), and a lighter brown spot nearby that may be related. There's also a webbing or a film stretched across the callus, though. I don't know if that's a spider web or some sort of mold. I haven't seen bugs on the plant or the pumice, but I also haven't been as attentive to this plant in the last few weeks. Here are some pictures:
So I've got a few questions for you generous folks:
- Is this rot? If not, then what might it be?
- If it's rot -- do I cut just the rotted part out (which might be a couple of scoops or a diagonal cut)? Would I need to make a horizontal cut instead? I've read around here that saguaros are notorious for not growing roots from cuttings, so that worries me.
- If it's moisture-related (and not clearly the result of the overpotting) -- what do folks in rainy climates do with their cacti if even pure pumice can't save it? I don't get enough light indoors to grow them inside, and it's not practical to move them inside with every rain shower. I'm totally willing to find some goofy way to provide an overhang.
