Expert: Maureen - 6/1/2011

Question
My cactus is small and squat. Occasionally it will sprout on the top of another sprout. And sometimes the limbs fall off and take root.  I recently put it outside on my deck and its been turning red. It also has little white dots on it. Please help! I love my cactus!

Answer
Dear Katie,

In this case it's really hard to help with out a picture.  I can tell you that cacti do develop arms at the ends of established arms and the arms can fall off and root.  It is most likely turning red because you've put it in the sun.  Too much sun, too fast can cause it to burn, so be careful.  I don't know what the little white dots are but they could be mealie bugs or sun related.  Are they sticky? I would see if you can dab them off with a quetip and rubbing alcohol and see if they come off. If you do have mealies you need to look at the plant's roots as they are often in the soil and you would need to repot.

I'd really love to see a picture so I could see the plant and look at the spots and the spines on it. I'd put it in partial shade till we figure out what the white spots are so the plant isn't overstressed. You can write me and send me pictures to my e-mail address - moken_33@yahoo.com.   It sounds like you have manageable problems, but without a photo, I really am working in the dark.  In the mean time go to the CactusGuide.com and then to the site map there.  There is a section on diseases and critters and in there are pictures of mealies as well as sunburn.  It's a great site. You may even be able to find a photo of of plant there.  Let me know.

Maureen