Synthetic
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Help! The top of my cactus broke off!

Hello there!

So, this cactus pictures below is about 30 years old! About three years ago the cactus started to grow with a mystical offshoot from the top. I was advised that this was a good sign! Well all seemed well then today the new growth snapped off! Then looking at the original cactus it looks very dull coloured - even moldy and, well, dead!

So two questions!

1) is there anything I can do for the original plant?
2) this bit that snapped off... can I plant it? Is there anything that I can do?

Thank for your help!

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thanrose
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Location: Jacksonville, FLZone 9A

Dude, that's a zombie cactus! Run for your life!

Okay. Not actually a zombie cactus, but the lower part looks beyond dead. Yeah the brown and crispy stuff in the ancient soil with the salt crust on it? Dead. Not sleeping.

The new growth that broke off was no longer getting anything from that lower brown stuff. There was probably enough life left in the lower part to send up the new shoot, but that's all over with now.

Good news is that you can probably pot this green bit up in fresh cactus mix in a well draining pot. Maybe sprinkle it with water, especially rain water if you have it. Don't soak it, but the soil mix should not be powdery dry either. If you buy a bag of mix from a place that sells a lot of plants and planters, it should be just right. Maybe you can prop up the green stuff with light weight shells or figurines until it forms roots months from now. Once it starts to grow more green, then you can consider watering it again. I can't even tell what sort of cactus it is right now.

Good luck!

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Gary350
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Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Do you know the real name of your cactus? If you know the real name you can do Google search to find out where your cactus naturally grows. If your cactus is a low elevation desert cactus it will be sensitive to too much water. If it is a higher elevation cactus that grows where it rains and snows it will not be sensitive to too much water. Your original cactus died for some reason do you know why?

Mix about 80% child play sand with 20% potting soil. When you water your cactus the water needs to run right through the pot and out the bottom. Cactus is a very interesting plant it does not care if you plant it, right side up, upside down, or on its side. If you plant your cactus upright it will grow 1 new top. If you plant it on its side it will probably grow 3 new plants. Either way I would plant it so the whole cactus is under the soil with the top surface of your cactus being even with the top surface of the soil so you can barely see it.

Cactus can grow in the worse conditions in the world but if you give it better growing conditions plus fertilizer and the correct amount of water it will grow as fast as weeds. Keep away from direct sunlight, keep it in the house where it is 72+ degrees. It will probably grow roots in 1 month. Rooting powder improves the chances of growing roots. About 30 days after your cactus grows roots it will start growing a new top or several new tops. Mix some of your yard soil in a bucket of water stir well use the water to water your cactus.

If your don't know if your cactus is sensitive to too much water then water it every day for 7 days then water it once a week after that. If your cactus is a high elevation cactus you can water it more often play it safe water it every other day. Cactus does not like soil with uneven moisture in the soil and too much water. Only give your cactus about 2 tablespoons of water when you water it.

Once your cactus starts growing a new top when the top is 1" tall let it have 2 hours of early morning direct sunlight every day then indirect sunlight the rest of the day. After 1 month let your cactus have 4 hours of early morning direct sunlight make sure cactus is in the shade but still gets indirect sunlight. Cactus needs no more than 4 hours of direct sunlight per day make sure it get shade the rest of the day not total darkness.

If your cactus ever gets a gray color spot, brown color spot or black color spot, cut it off with a knife it will spread like cancer. Keep the cut cactus in the shade inside the house until the cutting dries. Once the cut surface dries it is safe to plant.

I got rid of all my pots, my cactus grows best in the yard. I had about 400 cactus for a few years. I like the uncommon hard to find cactus. I gave away about 100 plants then sold the house.

Synthetic
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Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 4:09 pm

Guys, thank you so much for your generous help! The little cactus has led a very exciting, if somewhat neglected, life. Over her 30 years she’s gone through several universities, lived on a boat for a few years and then moved with me from crummy house to crummy house until I could afford to buy. So I do really want to keep her going if at all possible!

The original plant seemed to be doing well - I noticed a week ago that it was off colour but it has deteriorated dramatically in just a week. The new growth is now considerably bigger than the original cactus. My theory is that the new growth was just too much for the original cactus and it was putting everything into it at the cost of itself.

I’ve bought supplies which will be delivered tomorrow and then I will replant following your suggestions. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Synthetic
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One more question - the bit that broke off which I am now going to plant; it is around 14cm or 5.5 inches. Should I really bury it all in the soil?

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ElizabethB
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Location: Lafayette, LA

No - do not bury it. Use a good cactus mix. Set your cactus on top of the mix and give it a twist. Just enough to set the base 1/4" to 1/2" in the mix. Prop it up with stones or shells if it will not stand on it's own. Just enough water to barely moisten the soil. Use a well drained, shallow container with NO pot saucer. Very high light. No drafts from A/C or heater vents.

Good luck.

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Gary350
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Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Cactus has the ability to grow roots any place soil toughs it. If you lay cactus on the soil surface you have a 10% chance it will grow roots. If you bury the whole cactus under the soil you have a much higher change it will grow roots. If you bury cactus upright with 50% below the soil you get new growth on the top end 1 or 2 new segments. Bury cactus on its side you get 2 to 3 new segments. Good thing about having the whole cactus under the soil surface what ever grows looks like a brand new cactus. If you lay the cactus on the surface what every grows will look like a dead cactus with new plant growing out of it. If you can buy a cactus potting mix that may be good just remember if you pour 1 cup of water on the soil almost all of that should come out the bottom of the pot. At the moment you only need a small amount of water for your cactus every day while it grows roots.

Synthetic
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Thanks again to everyone who offered advice and help. I’ve reported the little fellow and am keeping my fingers crossed!
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ElizabethB
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Good luck - keep us posted on progress.

Synthetic
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Hello! So, since repotting the cactus, I’m a little concerned that a patch of colour is beginning to fade as seen in the picture. Should I be worried? It also seems to have grown a few mm... is that possible or soil settling? If the former then it doesn’t seem to be sprouting from the top but continuing to grow as if it was still attached to the original stem... any thoughts, reassurance, or advice greatly appreciated...
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