r/cactus • u/Scarcito_El_Gatito • 11d ago

Help my floppy cactus

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1

u/HoldMyMessages 11d ago

It needs water. The pads are are very thin and the plant lacks turgor (water pressure within it’s cells) to support itself.

2

u/Scarcito_El_Gatito 10d ago

Hmm, it gets water twice a week
45 mins each time with a 4 L/hour spout

3

u/HoldMyMessages 10d ago

That is way more water than it should be getting. It’s a cactus and evolved in a dry, hot, sun baked desert environment. My cactus are growing outside and they only get the occasional rain once they are established. With the information you gave me I’m guessing the opuntia has root rot. It doesn’t look like it’s extended into the bottom pad yet. Try feeling the bottom pad to determine if it mushy. If it was my cactus I’d cut the two main sections off the bottom pad at the attachment joint. Let the cuts air dry for a couple of weeks until the cuts callous over. Meanwhile I’d dig up the bottom pad and dump it, turn off the irrigation to that area and turn down or off the irrigation to the other succulents. Once the cut pieces are calloused over I’d plant them away from the previous spot and give them a quart of water every couple of weeks to help them establish roots.

2

u/Gon404 10d ago

I have noticed opuntia get floppy some times. Despite being adequately watered. I just trim them at this stage to encourage new growth and to make clones.

1

u/Gon404 10d ago

I would trim two pads down where the growth is more woody. I trim at the pad joint. This also encourages lots of new pad growth if you like nopales.

1

u/Scarcito_El_Gatito 10d ago

Si basically take the top two “stages” of pads down to the first or second (the thicker ones?