Expert: Maureen - 4/30/2010

Question
I have a cactus that belonged to my mother in law before she passed it is growing tall and wants to lean.... how can I keep it from leaning... I have tried tying it up and it just keeps coming loose... I want to save it but I am running out of ideas

Answer
Dear Rita,

I suspect you've been unable to get a photo, so let me give you some information. For a columnar cactus, the size of the pot should be 1/3 the side of the plant to keep it more stable.  If it looks like there are arms or extra branches pulling the plant to one side, remove them.  It sounds like it hasn't been repotted in awhile so I would go ahead and do that in well draining soil.  After you repot, you may have to stake it initially as it settles in and don't water it for a few days, then water gradually.

The other possibility of it falling over is that there is rot at the base.  If so, you'll see it when you unpot the plant and see the base and the roots.  It's hard to tell you what to do in  that case without knowing what plant you have.

But start with the trimming (if possible) and repotting.

Maureen