What is happening here!?
Oscar the Grouch has seen some trauma in his life. More trauma than a plant should go through, I thought we were on the road to recovery. He’s been growing, filling back in and now this… what is happening to him? He’s my oldest plant, but it’s not his time yet! What do we do!?
Little back story if it helps:
In the early days he was shaped like a hot air balloon and was a beauty to gaze upon. But he was placed in a too big pot and lost all his roots from root rot. He very slowly regained some roots while in a smaller pot, but was watered very sparingly in fear of overwatering. He then began to feel hollow and like a dry loofa sponge and again, I feared for him. But he’s a fighter! We just continued hoping for improvement. Then disaster struck when he was dropped and came out of the pot, knocked over and stepped on by a dog, and then dropped again, falling out of the pot. Again. All three of those within about a months time. When you look at Oscar you can see the trauma timeline in the spines and needles he wears. It’s like a badge of honor, of the fighter he is, what’s he’s made it through. And he’s still here!
He’s seemed to be getting over the trauma, the hollow dry sponge sections had started to seem like they’re filling in, still a bit wrinkly, but more solid than previously. He has additional spines that have started to grow in a few places. His needles are stronger and more pokey. And he’s just had an explosion of growth over the last 2 months. I was really thinking he was getting past all that, well on the road of recovery and was starting to look quite happy.
But now… This… What is happening to him?
#CactusClique #GreggersSupportingGreggers #GregGang #NotSoHappyPlants #help #BalloonCactus #PlantAddict #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #SucculentLove #VerdantFlora
Little back story if it helps:
In the early days he was shaped like a hot air balloon and was a beauty to gaze upon. But he was placed in a too big pot and lost all his roots from root rot. He very slowly regained some roots while in a smaller pot, but was watered very sparingly in fear of overwatering. He then began to feel hollow and like a dry loofa sponge and again, I feared for him. But he’s a fighter! We just continued hoping for improvement. Then disaster struck when he was dropped and came out of the pot, knocked over and stepped on by a dog, and then dropped again, falling out of the pot. Again. All three of those within about a months time. When you look at Oscar you can see the trauma timeline in the spines and needles he wears. It’s like a badge of honor, of the fighter he is, what’s he’s made it through. And he’s still here!
He’s seemed to be getting over the trauma, the hollow dry sponge sections had started to seem like they’re filling in, still a bit wrinkly, but more solid than previously. He has additional spines that have started to grow in a few places. His needles are stronger and more pokey. And he’s just had an explosion of growth over the last 2 months. I was really thinking he was getting past all that, well on the road of recovery and was starting to look quite happy.
But now… This… What is happening to him?
#CactusClique #GreggersSupportingGreggers #GregGang #NotSoHappyPlants #help #BalloonCactus #PlantAddict #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #SucculentLove #VerdantFlora
10ft to light, indirect
3” pot with drainage
Last watered 10 months ago
9
@VerdantFlora Hi Sami you got one heck of a trooper there ! I’m wondering if these might not be battle scars ?
I’m no cactus expert, however, this looks like scabs, & could be from his history with the falls & dog. According to google, its the same type of thing we sometimes see on produce like &
cucumbers. tomatoes & not to be too worried about…
Bloomscape.com says: “While it may look worrisome, scabbing is nothing to be afraid of. Cactus scabbing is a form of edema, or patch of abnormal cell growth. Scabbing almost always occurs on the oldest part of the plant”
Good luck!!! #CactusClique #GreggersSupportingGreggers #GregGang #NotSoHappyPlants #PlantAddict #BalloonCactus #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #SucculentLove #VerdantFlora
cucumbers. tomatoes & not to be too worried about…
Bloomscape.com says: “While it may look worrisome, scabbing is nothing to be afraid of. Cactus scabbing is a form of edema, or patch of abnormal cell growth. Scabbing almost always occurs on the oldest part of the plant”
Good luck!!! #CactusClique #GreggersSupportingGreggers #GregGang #NotSoHappyPlants #PlantAddict #BalloonCactus #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #SucculentLove #VerdantFlora
@ILoveMyPlants @BP1973 it’s been almost 2 weeks since I watered him last and I don’t recall these spots being there at that time. He has an obvious scar further down from where the dog stepped on him, and he got kinda droopy in that same area when he was feeling super dry sponge. But these look different. I just saw something on Google about cacti corking, but I’ve never heard of it before so I dunno. 🤷♀️
WOW! This guy embodies #SurvivalOfTheFittest!! Well, from the story, it won't be as pretty as the instagram cacti, but it has a better history! (I hope your dog was okay!!)
It can take a few weeks to see physical marks on a cactus. Think of it as bruising. When my sister decked me when we were younger, it wasn't easy to tell right away... but over time, I had the bruise for proof.
Cacti might not show their battle wounds right away. But in time, they appear.
It sounds like your doing everything you can for it. The tops pictures just look like scaring.
HOWEVER, when a cactus gets scale, it can look awfully similar to this spot in the last picture you posted - so just keep an eye out. (: I'm not saying it is scale, I'm just saying that's what it can look like.
It can take a few weeks to see physical marks on a cactus. Think of it as bruising. When my sister decked me when we were younger, it wasn't easy to tell right away... but over time, I had the bruise for proof.
Cacti might not show their battle wounds right away. But in time, they appear.
It sounds like your doing everything you can for it. The tops pictures just look like scaring.
HOWEVER, when a cactus gets scale, it can look awfully similar to this spot in the last picture you posted - so just keep an eye out. (: I'm not saying it is scale, I'm just saying that's what it can look like.
Wow! What a trooper! He’s definitely been through a lot! 👏🏼😎 @VerdantFlora
Have you noticed the soil staying moist for longer? The darker greenish gray wrinkly portion at the bottom is what I would try and check first. Could just be the shadow, but it might be the onset of possible root rot. If you can, maybe carefully dig out the soil a little further to see if it looks healthy or if it’s starting to get mushy. I just had to chop one of mine due to root rot.
Also, I know a ton of cactus and succulents have a protective waxy/powder coating, but another thing to check out is the creases of your cactus. I see a little faint coating of white in certain spots. I have been dealing with powdery mildew issues with my plants due to lack of air flow… 🤦🏻♀️ so that’s probably why I even notice it. Not sure if it’s normal for your cactus or not.
The black spot on the bottom of the plant does look like some sort of fungus to me and might be starting to rot, but then again it could possibly be the start of black sooty mold. I hope you’re able to determine whether to treat or not! Let us know!
Have you noticed the soil staying moist for longer? The darker greenish gray wrinkly portion at the bottom is what I would try and check first. Could just be the shadow, but it might be the onset of possible root rot. If you can, maybe carefully dig out the soil a little further to see if it looks healthy or if it’s starting to get mushy. I just had to chop one of mine due to root rot.
Also, I know a ton of cactus and succulents have a protective waxy/powder coating, but another thing to check out is the creases of your cactus. I see a little faint coating of white in certain spots. I have been dealing with powdery mildew issues with my plants due to lack of air flow… 🤦🏻♀️ so that’s probably why I even notice it. Not sure if it’s normal for your cactus or not.
The black spot on the bottom of the plant does look like some sort of fungus to me and might be starting to rot, but then again it could possibly be the start of black sooty mold. I hope you’re able to determine whether to treat or not! Let us know!
@sarah10orio I had been dog sitting and she had separation anxiety. She knocked over a whole shelf of plants and many were lost that day. The spot at the bottom is actually a chunk that's missing, or was pushed in. That was the physical damage caused by the dog when she knocked it over. But it has been about 6 months since all that. Something might be hiding inside that I can't see. I’ll keep an eye out for scale.
@S.ham13 I have not noticed the soil staying wetter for longer. He’s in a plastic pot inside a terra cotta pot and he kinda takes the whole top of the pot. I use a succulent bottle to water him every couple weeks when Greg tells me too and he feels light/top heavy (the top being the cactus). I do this to keep from overwatering, that’s the hope. Once every 4-5 months I’ll bottom water him instead, which I did do two weeks ago. I can see about checking his roots just to be sure though. Would it be beneficial to treat for powdery mildew or mold without being sure of that’s what it is? Would it hurt? I did start using a concoction with peppermint oil castile soap, tea tree oil castile soap, rubbing alcohol, peroxide, and water as a pest spray/spa day. I used warm tap water 2 weeks ago as I didn’t have enough distilled/purified water. It may have left water spots. I now have a distiller and use that water and was planning on spraying everything again this next weekend. Is there a certain treatment for mildew/mold?
@S.ham13 I have not noticed the soil staying wetter for longer. He’s in a plastic pot inside a terra cotta pot and he kinda takes the whole top of the pot. I use a succulent bottle to water him every couple weeks when Greg tells me too and he feels light/top heavy (the top being the cactus). I do this to keep from overwatering, that’s the hope. Once every 4-5 months I’ll bottom water him instead, which I did do two weeks ago. I can see about checking his roots just to be sure though. Would it be beneficial to treat for powdery mildew or mold without being sure of that’s what it is? Would it hurt? I did start using a concoction with peppermint oil castile soap, tea tree oil castile soap, rubbing alcohol, peroxide, and water as a pest spray/spa day. I used warm tap water 2 weeks ago as I didn’t have enough distilled/purified water. It may have left water spots. I now have a distiller and use that water and was planning on spraying everything again this next weekend. Is there a certain treatment for mildew/mold?
@VerdantFlora Sounds to me like you’re an awesome plant parent! Since our A/C has kicked on, I’ve noticed that most of my succulents/cactus are being snoozed because the soil hasn’t dried out like it normally does with the heat. The powdery look might just be residual buildup from your spa spray.
I recently sprayed mine with diluted hydrogen peroxide and then mixed 1 table spoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap into a gallon of water and filled up a spray bottle- drenched everything from the leaves to the stems -‘s let it air dry. It does leave a residue-which I don’t like. If I had a cactus like yours, I would try the hydrogen peroxide and just drench some q-tips and wipe the crevices that way:)
I recently sprayed mine with diluted hydrogen peroxide and then mixed 1 table spoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap into a gallon of water and filled up a spray bottle- drenched everything from the leaves to the stems -‘s let it air dry. It does leave a residue-which I don’t like. If I had a cactus like yours, I would try the hydrogen peroxide and just drench some q-tips and wipe the crevices that way:)