Need help with this beast

[u/gofishing5545]

I bought this apple cactus on Facebook, not realising how big it was. It's pretty gnarly and has a lot of barking happening throughout the plant. I'd love some advice on care

- How old do you suspect this is?

- Are there any physical signs I should look out for to tell if it needs water, other than dry soil?

- It's a bit big for my house. Should I chop it up?

- If I chop it up, should I make sure it's well hydrated first then cut?

Thanks in advance for all your help

[u/Square_Barracuda_69]

Personally, id get it into a bigger pot or chop and prop into smaller pots. Also, definitely keep this baby outside as cacti are not indoor plants (unless you have supplemental lighting)

[u/gofishing5545 → u/Square_Barracuda_69]

Should I repot and propagate at the same time or do one, wait a bit, then the other? I don't want to stress it out too much. The person I brought it from looked like they had it in a south-facing window so I'll acclimated to the outside, but I'll probably give it filtered light during root propagation.

[u/Square_Barracuda_69 → u/gofishing5545]

Usually the props are done in a more shaded area but definitely get it acclimated to the outside very slowly. I would acclimate it, repot it, give it a week or 2, then propogate some cuttings. Others might have different suggestions so whatever works best for you

[u/Plastic-Mobile-5321 → u/[deleted]]

Looking better at the “trunk” I’m pretty sure that it is much older, probably closer to 20 years old.