Sick Fairy Castle!

[KiraDawn]

Hello!

I have a sick lil fairy castle and I'm very worried about him. There are two separate plants that were together when I bought them, so I left them together when I repotted them. One seems to be very healthy, but the other looks awful and I can't figure out why!

The plant did have a small mealybug problem, but I treated the plant with isopropyl alcohol and it was doing well. Then it started to bend, which I thought was really weird, but it wasn't too bad. I went away for a week for work, and when I returned the plant's condition had gotten much worse.

Any thoughts on how to save my lil buddy would be greatly appreciated!!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxv8Jz ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxv8Jz ... sp=sharing

[hegar]

I would suggest, that you literally get to the root of the problem. For some, still unknown reason, one of the plants has become flaccid. The loss of this turgor pressure will result in the plant falling over. It looks like either it does not have any root system left that is still functional, or perhaps there is a pest, e.g. root mealybugs, feeding on the root system and causing damage to it.
Mealybugs are very difficult to eradicate. I do have some on an orchid and despite a treatment with a systemic insecticide they are still alive almost one month later. So I am going to retreat
These critters hide out in the most inaccessible places like the areoles, underneath the spines or any scab on the plant.
There is one thing, however, that kind of baffles me: Why is the other cactus in close proximity, not affected the same way? Did only the plant that is almost lying down show the presence of mealybugs in the past?
Were both of these plants of the same color, when you purchased them or was the recumbent one always lighter colored than the upright one?

Harald

[KiraDawn]

Thank you for the suggestions!! I will take your advice and check out the roots when I return home in a few days. As for your questions, there has been no difference between the plants that could indicate why one would be sick and not the other. When I received them they were the same colour, and both had mealybugs present at the same time, with the same severity of infestation.

Would you suggest separating the plants to ensure the healthy one does not become sick?

[hegar]

The case of those two cactus plants side by side and their different appearance and state of health is a little puzzling. However, it may well be, that one of them is just genetically stronger than the other. That is true, if they were grown from seed and thus will be genetically different.
Another thing is, that one plant was more severely affected by the presence of the mealybugs. Either way, it is always a good idea, to separate a sick plant from a healthy one. If there is a pathogen responsible for the "sick looking" cactus, it would be even a good idea to thoroughly clean the root system of the seemingly uninfected plant and replant this one in a pot with fresh growing medium.

Harald

[KiraDawn]

So I went to repot and separate the fairy castle today, and I believe they are not two separate plants, but the same one, which is all the more confusing! By any means, this was as about as far as I could dislodge the soil from the roots. It was very root bound when I first got it, and I didn't know any better than to leave it be. How should I proceed from here?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6XC0S ... sp=sharing

[hegar]

Well, Kira, there are several things you can do. If you want to get rid of the part or plant that does not look super healthy, you can just cut its stem near the point where it is attached or seems to be attached to the healthy plant. Then you would need to wait about a week for the cut to heal and form a callus layer. However, you may be able to separate these two stems without having to make any cut, by carefully separating the growing medium (soil) from the roots. This should be done in a bucket filled with water. You are going to lose a few feeder roots, because you stated, that the plant(s) is (are) root bound. The benefit though is, that you will have perhaps two plants free from a soil, that is not a choice medium in which to grow cacti. You also will be able then, to thoroughly examine the plant(s) for the presence of nematode damage or root mealybugs.
Because some damage to the roots will occur, the plant(s) should not be placed back into the soil for once again about one week. It will form new roots after a while.

Harald

[KiraDawn]

Thank you so much!! I will do that ASAP!