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I just got this nice rooting from a friend of Peru Torch.Im trying to figure out what this is on the cactus and how I can fix it? Your help is appreciated.

Heres a link to the pic.

http://forums.mycotopia.net/attachment. ... entid=3753

Hi,

The marks could be a number of things.

1. Cacti sometimes do go corky at the bottom, but as this is a cutting that is unlikely.

2. Sometimes water splashes act as magnifying glasses and the epidermis gets burnt. This usually happens if the cactus is under glass i.e. greenhouse or windowsill.

3. Could be due to cold or frost damage?

I am sure that once the cutting becomes established and starts to grow it will look much healthier. Put a thick "collar" of gravel around the base to help hide the marks.

If not you could always make a cutting from the original cutting.

Hmmm. It looks like it got banged up a bit and has scarred over...

...otherwise I cannot think of any other problems that align with the symptoms beyond what John has said.

templegatejohn wrote:If not you could always make a cutting from the original cutting.

How would I be able to make a cutting from this small one its about 3 inches tall.The cactus looks like it is getting worse maybe trying to start over would work well.

This is some advice given to a previous query, but is also applicable to your problem. In the case of your plant I would slice straight across about 2in. down from the top of the plant with a very sharp knife and then follow the instructions below.

P.S. Leave the lower portion of the plant in its pot and with a bit of luck it may well throw some offsets of its own, but this may take some time. Just water and feed it as normal.

Yes it is true that when you take a cutting the cut part should be left in a warm (but not sunny spot) for the cut to heal. This could take anything from a week to several weeks depending on the area of the cut surface.

The reason for this is that if the cutting is put into the compost immediately it becomes susceptible to fungus spores that are usually present in the compost and this leads to the cutting rotting at the base.

Once the cutting has healed "scabbed over" it can be placed in dry sand or slightly moist compost. Check every week or so to see if roots have started to sprout from the base. When this happens begin to water, but not too much at first.

If the cutting is columnar rather than globular try to keep it upright while the cut is drying or it may end up looking like a banana or the cutting will start to root along its side from the areoles touching the sand or compost.
John

thx for the guidance.Ive taken your advice and Am hoping to save this lil cactus of mine.I cut out the rotton bottom parts and have a very small pice to work with.I placed the fresh cut piece in a warm place.