cacti newbie needs help with sick plant please!

[gmtodd]

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My neighbor moved and i now have a cactus. It may be a Cylndropuntia? What is the grey fuz on the tips? i do have a water meter and keep it between 500-2000 units. Any info on healing this plant will be greatly appreciated!

[Grimm]

I'm not sure what the stuff on the tips is, as the photo isn't clear. I would guess that its sun burnt (as the growth tips are more delicate), or damaged by pests. I would give the whole thing a spray of a good systemic insecticide just in case.

The cactus itself is seriously dehydrated though. There is probably a problem with either the roots or the base of the cactus (or both). Unfortunately I don't have enough experience to suggest what to do about it, as bigger cacti can be fussy.

[gmtodd]

a question: should i move this plant indoors as to better control the water intake? what is thought of artificial lighting? what lamps are recommended?

[Brontosaurus]

I would take it to an area that gets shade through part of the day, like on a porch or next to a tree. I don't think taking it indoors is necessary. What is the climate like where you live?

[gmtodd]

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Here are some pictures of the root system taken just today. The tissue surrounding the core of the root stem was flake like. like cardboard after it was left out in the rain. the core felt very solid. a few of the roots broke off while taking it out of the pot. Again, I am a newbie so any thoughts will be helpful! Thank you in advance.

[Grimm]

That root system is rather small, and many of them are certainly dead. A few might still be alive, its hard to tell from the photos. Live roots should be flexible and a light colour. Your description of the stem sounds like it is dead as well, as even the underground portion of a cactus should be succulent.

I would look into making cuttings off the cactus.

[hegar]

I would also go with cutting off the best and healthiest (greenest) stem and rooting it. Cylindropuntias will form roots readily and belong to the group of rather hardy and robust cacti. If you want to, you can leave the part with the roots in a pot and see what happens.
Where I live, this kind of cactus is considered an aggressive weed by many people. It does take full sun exposure and grows vigorously. One thing I would do though is to change the growing medium to almost completely inorganic. It should drain well and not hold moisture for too long a time.
You can buy or get some pea gravel or other coarse material and combine it with regular garden soil, which does not contain too much humus.
These plants grow after all in an, unimproved by man, desert environment with little nutrient content of the soil and low water availability.
In my opinion, it is quite easy to grow one of those cholla plants.
In case you did not know that yet, be very careful when handling this kind of cactus, because it is "armed" with barbed spines. They do easily get stuck in your finger or other body parts exposed to them, but are rather difficult and very painful to remove.

Harald

[gmtodd]

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Thank you so much for the replies! several weeks ago i cut off 2 little budding branches. they were full of good color and the tissues looked healthy. i am keeping them in a styro foam cup by the windowsill. is that enough sun? i put several slices in the cup at the bottom for draining. of the two, one of them has rooted and now has 2 little roots growing. as for the big one, should i just cut it into 2 plants minus the discolored tissue? is it ok to use the same soil again?

[gmtodd]

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Here are some pics of the cuttings. sorry for anything blurry. please pay paticular attention to the centers of the plants. Notice that each seem to have something different about them? what could that be from? is that various stages of dying? are there any here i should not replant? im supposed to leave these out of the dirt for a week or so then plant, is that correct? thank you in advance.

[hegar]

While I do not believe, that the soil your plant was growing in caused the blown lesions on the stem, it would still be a good idea, to replace it with a growing medium containing less organic matter, which allows for better drainage.
The stem pieces, that do not show a discolored vascular cylinder, like the ones shown on top and bottom of the center in image 1 would be the ones that I would plant. The brown rings shown on pictures 2 and 4 would make me hesitate to plant these stem pieces.
I would place the stem pieces that I want to keep lying on their side in a dry, shady location for a week or so, until a sturdy skin has formed at the cut.
Then you can go ahead and place them in a pot.

Harald

[gmtodd]

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after planting the cuttings, i have noticed that there is a slight yellowing at the base. what is this from? it does appear that the tissue are slowly becoming more and more firm. i did move these inside to help control the water intake.