Cactus - base yellowish + sml orange dots

[ShannyK]

Hi everyone,
I've had this cactus for a bit over a year, it's been very happy for most of it but the past month or so I noticed the base has started turning slightly yellowish and soft but shrivelled, and the lower part of the cactus is also shrivelling and slightly more pale.

Occasionally it's gotten shrivelled a bit in the past but usually putting more water clears it up, although I've noticed in the past several months it's been looking slightly deflated and adding more water didn't do much.

That said, it hasn't stopped flowering and there are still small buds poking up ready go so it can't be that upset..? It's been flowering non-stop for almost a year now!

It used to be very plump and bright green though.

Recently I also noticed there are a few small, hard orange dots on the lower section where it's turning yellow, not sure what it is? Maybe some kind of infection?

The roots have started poking out the bottom, so what I'm thinking now is that maybe because it's outgrown the pot it's drying out and unable to get enough water, but at the same time by trying to overcompensate and increasing how often I water it, perhaps the roots that are in the soil are getting too water logged?

I know the pot I got it in looks a bit shallow and wide (to me anyway), I'm thinking of getting a narrower but deeper round pot that I can put a layer of gravel at the bottom of to help with drainage. I don't use the saucer to hold water, I always empty it out after I water the cactus. It's just there to stop the soil going all over the barbeque machine.

I haven't tried taking it out of the pot yet, I'll do that this weekend though.

Any help would be appreciated!! This is my first cactus...

Climate info - I'm in Northern Australia, so Monsoonal Wet-Dry tropics. Typical temperatures are 29-37oC. We're coming out of our Dry season (very low humidity - basically "arid") into our Monsoon Wet season, and humidity has gone up to 80-90%. It gets strong sun for a few hours every morning then indirect sun the rest of the day. I have to turn it every week or so otherwise it starts growing sideways in the direction of the sun. Every other location doesn't seem to be bright enough though, or it's too harsh and it gets burnt. I don't think it's having a problem with the increasing humidity heading into the Monsoon, it's been through this season before without problems. In fact it started flowering in the middle of the last Monsoon!

[imafan26]

Cacti do get scaly as they age on the bottom, but should not be squishy. Soft bottoms usually are a sign of rot. Constant blooming is also usually a sign of a plant in distress. The plant in your picture does have some yellowing on the bottom. I would take the plant out of the pot and check the roots and bottom for problems with rot. If there is rot, cut it off until you get to healthy tissue and then leave the remaining parts in the shade until the bottom callouses off. Replant. For myself, I prefer unglazed terra cotta not glazed which is prettier but does not breathe. My mix is mostly cinder or you can use turface or akadama. I do not add any peat moss to my cinders. I do add osmocote fertilizer since cinders do not have any nutrients. I don't have saucers on any plant. I live in Hawaii where it is hot, humid, and wet most of the time. I cannot grow cephalocereus cacti like the old man cactus which because it needs even less water especially on the top.

In general, all cacti are succulents, but all succulents are not cacti.

The cacti that have fuzzy white "hair" require less water than those that are waxy.

It is always better to underwater and under pot than to over anything.

Soft bases usually mean that the plant is rotting. Rarely is it caused by underwatering. Some cacti can go a long time without water because they are so good at storing every drop. Lithops cannot be watered for about 3 months while it is shedding its leaves.

The base of cacti can get scaly or shriveled looking as it ages. That is o.k. as long as it is not soft and squishy.

Cacti make good window sill plants but are not good if you have a dark space, they need a lot of light. Indoor cacti will need less water than those kept outside.

Where rain is a common occurence, like monsoon season, sometimes I have to bring the cacti into the lanai or under the eaves to keep the rain off them. Especially if it rains for days or weeks at a time.

Choose succulents wisely. Some will do better than others. The ones that do well for me are sansevieria, crassula, barrel cacti, adenium (needs to be kept sheltered in the rainy season), rat tail cacti, dragon fruit (needs more water than you think, likes it high or on a slope), mammillaria, echinocacti, Opuntia, Haworthia,and Hens and Chicks. I get an average of 60 inches of rain a year and it rains, mostly at night for 128 days of the year. Most of the time it is 0.01 inches, but there are days and sometimes weeks of continuous rain. When rain goes on for weeks (like it did in 2003 when it rained for 42 days and nights), I had to bring all the succulents into the lanai for cover. It also killed a lot of orchids.

If you have the time, you can try to id your cactus on cactiguide and then look up the requirements of the species.

https://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Cephalocereus
https://altmanplants.com/cacti-succulents/