Are my Cacti dying and if so, can I save them?

[Zouaoua]

Hello,

I have bought these cacti about 3-4 weeks ago.
I am not completely sure if they are all 'cacti' as such, or what they are actually called either and so it would be nice if anybody knows.

I have never had cacti before and so I thought I'd try some.
The one with the pink top was going slightly brown and so I gave it a bit of water, as the soil was stone dry, but it kept on going brown and it is now almost completely brown and slightly soggy.
The yellow topped one has started to do the same thing now too.
The last one which I believe is a 'Jade', although I am not completely sure, is starting to shrivel up, and several 'leaves', if thats what you call them for this plant, have come off, some by me accidentally while I was carrying it, and some on its own. (They came off very easily)
I thought it could be the cold as, here in England, it is cold and I do not have the heating on long at all; it probably is around 12-15 oC in the day, but I do not know what it may be at night. There has also not been much Sun since I have bought them.

What should I do?
Thanks

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[Kisal]

I'm sorry that I don't have time right now to help ID your cacti. Another member may stop by to help, though. What you have, are grafted cacti. The description you give of the mushy brownness indicates that they might be being overwatered.

With cacti, you need to allow the soil to dry thoroughly between waterings. Also, if you transplanted the cacti into new pots after you brought them home, it's important that you used a good potting mix specifically designed for succulent plants. It must be rocky and gritty and drain very quickly. It should also be somewhat on the alkaline side.

They also need very bright light, but don't move them from your windowsill indoors into direct sun outdoors without allowing them to slowly acclimate over a couple of weeks time. Start them in shade, and increase the time spent in direct sunlight by a little each day.

HTH!

[Zouaoua]

Thank you very much for the reply and advice. I have just re-potted them but, as I don't have a 'cacti soil' as such, I put gravel, soil and sand in a mixture. Do you think this would be okay?

Thanks again for the advice and I hope they will become healthy again.

[Kisal]

Your cacti need an alkaline soil, consisting primarily of sand and grit. Very little organic material is necessary ... hardly any, in fact. It's certainly possible for you to make your own potting mixture at home, but it's important to properly balance the proportions of the ingredients. It may be that the mixture you created doesn't drain rapidly enough.

I no longer mix my own potting soils, so I don't have a recipe I can offer you.

Unfortunately, the rotten areas are not likely to "heal" or "go away."

[Zouaoua]

Okay thank you.

Just one last thing; do you know if the last plant (which I believe is a 'Jade', but not entirely sure) need to be watered/cared for the same as the other cacti?

Thank you for all the help so far

[catasetum-ian]

yeap, the first two are grafted cactus. the one with the yellow top I believe is from the echinocereus genus and the pink top are from gymnocalycium genus. collectively known as 'neon cactus'. I had planted those neon cactus on soil before after the stock plant died off, those with green specs usually thrive better because of some chlorophyll pigment, while those mainly pink gymnocactus usually die off eventually.
the bottom stock plant are from the hylocerues genus, some of the species produces the sweet pittaya fruit aka dragon fruit
in places where climates are cold, I would recommend longer intervals between watering. basically its easier to kill a cactus by over watering.

[Ozark Lady]

This is a large cactus in a tub.
It was beside my house, and during a storm the porch roof blew off and landed right on top of it.
Some pads were broken directly off, and I am sure roots are damaged. It struggles on. I moved it to the garden, wouldn't you know, the top was broken out of my walnut tree, and of course, it hit the cactus, not so direct this time, like the roof, but hit still.

I will show you the big cactus, and I have taken really damaged pads off, and simply set them on the ground, they are rooting and sending up tiny pads.
What I need to know is... is there anyway to prune and help this plant? Or should I remove all the pads I can and restart them, I think I have 3-4 growing already. Or should I just wait it out, let it live or die as it sees fit?
All photos except the last is really the same plant... just different views. This was last summer, it is dormant right now, and looks pale.

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