I know nothing of growing these, except light and not much water.
I cracked it near the base last week trying to move it around to see the bottom of it since it was laying over...I don't remember what made it lay over.
http://twitpic.com/33o
http://twitpic.com/33v
(Sorry for the crappy images, my digital camera is out of batteries)
All I did was hardly touch it and it fell apart, but one of the "babies" isn't hallow like the other parts of it. Is there a way to root it so it can still live??
And some of my others in the same pot have been dead for about a year or more, I haven't taken them out yet. They are dried out, still have there little stickerthings attached to them. Is this normal?
:[ it's dead, can I still root some of it somehow?
Not all is lost at this point. If the larger plants have been hollowed out by bacterial or fungal decay brought on by overwatering, you would need to see first how far this problem has spread. If it goes all the way to the top of the plants, things do indeed look grim. The only way to go then would be possibly to try a propagation by areole, the small bump on a cactus that does hold its spines. But, I would most likely not succeed in doing this, because it is not easy and I do not have a greenhouse and sterile growing conditions available. If the rot has spread only through part of the plant you could salvage the healthy top part, let it dry until a callous layer has formed and then plant this piece in sterile growing medium. It would also help to apply some rooting hormone to the cut end.
You should have at least a good chance of success with the pups (babies). Even if they are attached to the side of the mother plant and have no roots of their own, you can make them root. Once again, I do not have much experience with this procedure, because I place my cacti in the ground and it is "sink or swim" at that point. I am losing the really small ones, because our hot and dry conditions do lead to them drying out rather quickly, possibly before the small cactus can form roots. In a more controlled environment - greenhouse or other suitable indoor set - the chance for survival of the pup is greatly enhanced. I am certain, that someone who does raise cacti indoors will give you the correct method that you should employ in order to successfully root your small cactus.
Harald
P.S.: Welcome to the cactus forum! I hope, that you will get good advice here, and that in the future, growing cacti will be more successful and enjoyable.
You should have at least a good chance of success with the pups (babies). Even if they are attached to the side of the mother plant and have no roots of their own, you can make them root. Once again, I do not have much experience with this procedure, because I place my cacti in the ground and it is "sink or swim" at that point. I am losing the really small ones, because our hot and dry conditions do lead to them drying out rather quickly, possibly before the small cactus can form roots. In a more controlled environment - greenhouse or other suitable indoor set - the chance for survival of the pup is greatly enhanced. I am certain, that someone who does raise cacti indoors will give you the correct method that you should employ in order to successfully root your small cactus.
Harald
P.S.: Welcome to the cactus forum! I hope, that you will get good advice here, and that in the future, growing cacti will be more successful and enjoyable.
