When I installed a new custom-built plant bench in mid-July 2013, it was time for some shopping. One of the cacti I selected was a lovely Echinocereus pectinatus 'Coahuila' from CoronaCactus. Here's what it looked like with bare-nekked roots:
Next transplanting time with pumice-decomposed granite mix in a 3.25" waterproofed terracotta Azalea pot. Since this was the plant's first summer under my care, I figured that 2-3 months would be sufficient to get the roots established. The pectinatus lost a significant amount of water that winter, but nothing to worry about, right? This before-and-after shows you the situation going from 8/3 to 12/21/13:
![Image](https://nuv9fa.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2pItCa5Z0vr86GizPocNLXaYIn25ezBYX2n6J_OkborU0DI96sHB6ElhyZjA2KS_nMqX5xMDXcPvruGB_hBbFV5co3XTho_u3XwcCeO2JhLWaIw_VY2od1hlYFNqlSTJraEN-vWNmPWqwbEIFoVxsdoA/Echinocereus_pectinatus_%27Coahuila%270803-12212013.jpg?psid=1)
We'll give the plant another growing season, here on 3/16 and 9/20:
![Image](https://pp4wxq-bn1305.files.1drv.com/y2prGyTDFosi_7E52TosCIBTUyj2QnSlj6CWtVsQMS4B6DfGMZDXgT8RO48e9IneeGBzMLHLl2Iv1RBIb9p-2bPYJZioaJAdCdo4tN4-V8b1XZXqANJuwntCDuueoTGp3hJoVZTMmJWq0_ethpHHTRHpw/Echinocereus_pectinatus_%27Coahuila%2703162014-09202014.jpg?psid=1)
No plumping, and in fact the pectinatus lost a little more water. No signs of new apical growth that I could see either -- okay, now I'm worried. As I'm working on a project to replace my terracotta with glazed ceramic, I repotted it today precisely so I could have a look at the roots. Toward the end of summer I knew something was wrong, and this isn't good at all:
The pectinatus in its new glazed ceramic home:
Don't be deceived by the outside dimensions. The inside diameter and depth are 3.25" and 2.75" respectively -- should be fine if the roots were growing normally. However, that's a big "if", and the question is whether or not the pectinatus stands a chance for regrowing a healthy root system. And here's some irony for you -- E. rigidissimus rubispinus is the most difficult of the genus, and after losing the first 2 efforts I have one that's growing incredibly well. All other Echinocereus species are supposedly "easy", yet it's my pectinatus that's struggling. Exactly the same mix as the rubispinus (and for the vast majority of my other cacti):
The only possibility I can fall back on is my experience with Tephros. Basically I found out that their fine roots won't support a fairly coarse mineral aggregate (for example the pumice-DG mix). Once I added soil to make a 50/50 mineral-soil mix, my Tephros came alive and started pushing out new stems (the paper-spines I got in 2011 didn't do anything until I made the change almost 2 year later). Does the pectinatus want some soil in the mix too? If that's the answer, I'd be incredibly grateful to find out about it if we have any experienced Echinocereus people on the forum who can confirm. I haven't committed to putting top dressing on yet, so in case this is necessary I'm prepared to repot again with whatever change in the mix may be recommended.
One thing is certain -- regardless of how I proceed, I'll have to be patient about seeing signs of new activity before I give the pectinatus any water at all. In the meantime, I hope someone out there can help!