Cactus/cactus is rotting and soft
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Question
Hello. I have a cactus that my wife bought from Ikea about 6 years ago. Now its over 5 feet tall. It was mostly an indoor cactus until this past summer and did really well once it adapted. I didn't bring it inside in time and was out during a really cold spell about a week ago. It rained really hard about a month ago and it wasn't under our patio umbrella so it got a ton of water. I put a little water in the pot thinking that may help. Its really soft and mushy and some of the branches were flopped over. I trimmed those off. Some of the flaps are starting to fold and some are starting to shrivel and smell. As you can see in the picture some of the branches are flopped over. The base is firm and still green. Is there anything that I can do to save it. Would a grow plant bulb work? I have closer pics if you need them. The pic is pretty large as well. Thanks for any help! Alex
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Dear Alex,
What you have is a Euphorbia trigona and a large part of it is dead. The right side of it may be salvageable and I am wondering if you can send me some close up photos of the base? In the mean time take a sharp, sterilized knife and cut off all the brown branches. They have rot and it spreads rapidly. Sterilize the knife after each cut. You need to cut back to healthy tissue and from what I can see is all of the left and part of the right part of the plant is dead. Dust the wounds with a powdered fungicide and if you don't have that, with Rootone, a rooting powder that has antifungal properties.
If the base is healthy, you need to get rid of the old soil and repot in a well draining soilless mix in a smaller pot (your plant is going to be a lot smaller). Look carefully at the roots and cut off any dead ones. Rot normally travels up and this started probably with a combination of heavy rain and weather that was too cold for it.
Do not water it!
I think part of it is salvageable, photos would help , and in the meantime get rid of the diseased part of the plant, including roots, letting the healthy part callous over.
Send the photos to my home e-mail - moken_33@yahoo.com. You can only send one photo at a time to All Experts and I'd like to see a few views.
Maureen
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Maureen
Expertise
I can answer questions regarding the care and propagation of cactus and succulents and would actually group these together as folks often mistake one for the other and often their care is quite different. I also have a cold hardy cactus and succulent garden that has been quite successful. The subject in regard to classification of type is enormous and I wouldn't be able to answer all questions by any means. It is really IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE A PHOTO if at all possible and LET ME KNOW WHERE YOU ARE FROM, especially in terms of climate.
Experience
I have learned by reading books, by trial and error and by consulting with folks with much more knowledge. I have primarily grown C&S for the last 20 years.
Organizations
Cactus and Succulent Society of Massachusetts.
Education/Credentials
No formal training. See experience.
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