Did I Kill This Beautiful Indoor Cactus?

August 4, 2015 3:24 PM

This cactus has been with me since he was a tiny 1-foot tot, and now is now almost 4-feet tall. But have I killed it or is he in need of _______?

My cactus got so tall it toppled over last month, taking the planter with it -- off of the shelf, crashing to the floor.

Here he is in this pic.

I got him put back in place, he had just a minor ding on the outside skin, but afterwards I may have overwatered him. So I drained all of that water out, getting the soil dry again, but now he just droops like this and won't straighten up. Has been like this for weeks.

Any suggestions from plant doctors in the hive here?

posted by zenpop to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

Best answer: Succulents in general can take a hot minute to rebound from injury. They don't have the same rapid phototropic response that fleshier, more metabollicaly sped-up plants have. The bend may even be permanent, with the plant spending some time making the bend rigid and sending the new, apical growth back up toward the light.

Suggestions:
Stabilize that container! And/or repot once you're convinced there's new growth happening for a sustained period. This may include staking to truss up the top of the cactus. Remember, they grow and break in natural environments as a matter of routine. Don't sweat it; the base will recover, probably send out new growth, as will the broken top piece.
If this was previously an indoor plant, I hope you haven't transferred it to direct sun in the outdoors. Avoid sunburn and keep the plant in the same lighting/temperature conditions its used to.
Be patient: you clearly know how long it took to get to this scale, so you know that recovery and regrowth will be slow coming. That said, it looks like there's healthy new growth at the top, regardless of the curve. You probably now have a bendy cactus instead of a straight one.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 3:49 PM on August 4, 2015 [4 favorites]

I would just refrain from watering for a while and hope for the best. In my experience cacti can survive for years while severely dehydrated but get killed by overwatering very quickly, I would try and make sure it isn't being fried by the sun and keep supporting it, it should perk back up over time. Cacti don't do anything quickly (except flower!) so I wouldn't be worried by the fact it's taking its time!
posted by Peetree at 3:52 PM on August 4, 2015

You can cut these kinds of plants into sections and grow new plants from the cuttings. Just let them dry out for a week or two and then repot them (beware if it is a euphorbia, which i think it might be, it will have very irritating milky sap). You can cut it low to the base and new branches will grow from the sides of the stump. Then you can grow a new plant from the cut parts (you only need a few inches to use a cutting so you could grow 10 new plants if you wanted)

Also if you ever repot again - get a deeper and more stable pot that can counterbalance the height of the plant and put a stake in it to tie the cactus to. You pot absolutely must have drainage holes - no holes means you will definitely kill your plant at some point. Clay pots are best. Every couple of years change out the soil. Make a potting mix that is mostly sharp sand (not builder's sand!) and grit with about a third soil at most.
posted by srboisvert at 5:01 PM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

Any suggestions from plant doctors in the hive here?

Rename him Willy.
posted by flabdablet at 4:29 AM on August 5, 2015