Cactus Help Pt. 2 💔
I was wondering a couple weeks ago what I should do with my squishy cactus. I have taken it out of previously infected soil and let it “dry out” with no soil in hopes to have it firm up but it is still pretty bad. I completely detached it from the old soil to leave just the roots and to inspect the bottom of it. It is all yellow and so are the roots. I’m wondering if I should just cut the bottom off and hope new roots take hold or if there isn’t something else to be done before that 💀 I really want to keep this guy alive 😔
3” pot with drainage
Last watered 7 months ago
1
Yellow roots don't necessarily mean rotten roots. Rotted roots will be darker in color, mushy, and easily disintegrate and fall apart when you touch them. These look ok, so I wouldn't cut them off. Is it just the one side of the cactus that's squishy? If so, just cut away the squishy part with a sharp, sterilized knife. Then let it callous over for several days before repotting in all new soil. I'd highly recommend a terracotta pot instead of plastic. Terracotta is porous and allows the soil to dry out faster, whereas plastic is non-porous and keeps the soil moist. Also, the soil in your plant card pic looks like it has a lot of bark in it, which isn't the right choice for cactus. You want something very gritty that both drains and dries out quickly. Succulent soil with extra perlite or pumice is ideal. Mix 3 parts soil with 1 part perlite or pumice. And of course only water it when the soil has completely dried out. Better to underwater than overwater 😉