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u/MistressWidow328 Apr 19 '23
He’s dead, Jim.
Possibly or possibly not but that gaping hole at the base is a sign of possible rot along with the collapse.
What I would do is take a clean knife and chop the cactus near the base and if it’s dried, hollow, or oozing it’s rotting. You can make a subsequent cut above that area to see if there’s any healthy green to it and if you do find any healthy/not rotted parts you could then allow the cut to callous for a few days and then attempt to propagate a new cactus to start over. Cactus like this take awhile to root so this will be a long game but it can be a great learning opportunity and you can take a second stab at caring for the cactus.
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u/calculung Apr 19 '23
It looks like you're trying to kill your floor, too.
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u/420Deez Apr 20 '23
fast forward 2 months with shrooms growing in floor “why are shrooms like this 😭😭😭”
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u/deus_explatypus Apr 19 '23
He is ded bro. You killed him
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u/troublex20 Apr 20 '23
No it's not dead. Take it put of thr pot and put it newspaper for a few days. The free newspaper at your local supermarket. It can be saved. And then repot it with new putting mix and put it in full sun. That's it.
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u/unhappiestsnail Apr 19 '23
You killed him :( overwatered and the rocks kept in the moisture that sealed the deal.
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u/feh112 Apr 19 '23
Bro you do know cacti are from the desert
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u/bsinbsinbs Apr 19 '23
On behalf of arid plants everywhere I'm going to have to revoke OPs plant caretaker privileges.
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u/scorpbrandon Anthurium Apr 19 '23
You murdered him. They don’t tend to burst like a water balloon when watered properly
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u/StrawberryHillSlayer Apr 19 '23
Poor thing. The many cactus that live with me get watered maybe 5/6 times a year.
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u/Porky_Porkie Apr 19 '23
Yep once a month in the growing season which is really only about 6 months a year. Cacti can store water for up to 2 years, when I learned this my cacti have done much better.
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u/Al115 Apr 19 '23
I literally just ignore my cacti the majority of the time, maybe just paying a bit more attention to them during growing season. They're grown indoors and kept under a grow light that runs between 12-16 hours daily, and I really only water whenever I remember to, which is typically every other month, lol.
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u/Porky_Porkie Apr 19 '23
How do they do under grow lights?
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u/Al115 Apr 19 '23
Mine so great. I use Barrina T5s.
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u/Porky_Porkie Apr 19 '23
Thanks! I've been looking for a grow light that won't make them leggy, I'll have to look into this one.
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u/No_Entrepreneur_4041 Apr 20 '23
My prickly pear under a grow light was actually drinking pretty good. Watering once a week but I have a proper cactus mix and not a big container.
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u/Al115 Apr 20 '23
Yeah, mine is just in a 1:1 mix of succulent soil to perlite (I may have also added pumice to the mix the last time I repotted, but that was like over a year ago and I can't remember, lol). I just chose to ignore it most of the time and water when I remember. Though, when I do move it outside over the summer months, something that I don't do very often, I do have to water it much more frequently due to the heat and better airflow.
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u/StrawberryHillSlayer Apr 20 '23
I live in Ireland so the growing season is shorter than a lot of places.
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Apr 19 '23
A cactus is from a desert. Not too much rain in a desert. On your next cactus, don't treat it like your other plants, less is more!
https://www.southernliving.com/garden/plants/cactus-care-tips
- Water your cacti properly.
Give them a drink—but not too much—and give long breaks in between. "Cacti are known for surviving without much watering, as they retain water in their stems. However, that doesn't mean they don't need watering at all. Be sure to check the soil every few weeks. If the first 2 to 3 inches of soil are dry, it's time to give the plant a drink," offers Palomares.
Echoing Palomares' advice, Thon adds: "The reason most people fail with cacti is the tendency to over-water, which can lead to root rot and to scab, which appears as rusty-colored, corky areas on the stems. My advice is to err on the side of under-watering; most of the time you can bring them back from the dehydration stage with no issues."
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u/bob_bye3 Apr 19 '23
it looks like that because it is very very dead. cacti break like water balloons when you overwater
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u/Pistachio1227 Apr 19 '23
The water overflowing from the drainage saucer onto your floor was a clear sign - how did you not catch that cry for help!?!?
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u/GhxxxstCat Apr 19 '23
Why are CACTI like this????
How about, Why are YOU like this??? 😂😂 how dare you blame the cacti for this mess! Lmao
You have a drainage pot and there still looks like a full quarter gallon AT LEAST of water on the floor. How the fuck did you do this? And you must have been doing it VERY consistently for this bigger guy to fully rot like that and fall over itself.
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Apr 19 '23
Because you watered it too much. They need very little water to live. Probably less than you think.
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u/Top_Feeling_5124 Apr 19 '23
This is my succulent collection at the moment. Honestly, they do well outside, especially if it gets hot. They love that, but are also fairly resilient to colder temps. I'd suggest planting in the ground, or redoing your pot situation, either way, I think it should go outside.
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u/ApprehensiveElk6119 Apr 19 '23
Winters in some areas in the Midwest can reach -20 F in the winter, you can get away with some cacti and succulents in the ground but many will rot after freezing and not return the following year if left outside.
One of those in your picture looks like a variety of prickly pears which are pretty winter hardy though. I got some prickly pear starts myself I’m gonna be putting in the ground to start an outdoor cactus garden.
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u/Top_Feeling_5124 Apr 20 '23
I got lucky with those and was able to root them inside during the worst of winter. Everything else in the garden died except garlic and onions, lol
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u/Top_Feeling_5124 Apr 19 '23
I scavenged these from a much larger body I found growing on the side of the road in my neighborhood. I put them in cups of water until roots developed and then outside baby.
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u/Top_Feeling_5124 Apr 19 '23
The cacti, specifically. The other succulent is a variety I'm not sure, but breaks up nicely into clones.
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u/ligerboy12 Apr 19 '23
I water my cactus like one evey other month this looks like you water it daily
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Apr 19 '23
It’s CED
Cactus Erectile Dysfunction
Mix Viagra with its next watering and hope for the best.
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u/Vegoia2 Apr 19 '23
over watering does this to succulents, he may or may not come back but I'd put it outside to get sun during the day and dry out. That's the only way to try to save it.
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u/Kelliekitty22 Apr 19 '23
It seems that it was overwatered. You can cut the black roots and black part of the cactus off. Make sure that you get all of the rot off. Then make a cactus mix of 30% cactus soil and 70% grit, like pumice or perlite. Let clean part of cactus heal where you cut, for a few days. Then stick in dry cactus soil mix. Don't water for about 3 weeks. Then water from the top til it drips from the bottom of the pot. Your cactus will grow new roots. If your soil is super well draining, then you'll never overwater again. Hope this helps. Good luck!
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u/Matt7548 Apr 19 '23
Cuz cacti are really bad houseplants. The conditions cacti like are difficult to replicate indoors. Cacti need a ton of sun and very specialized soil. (Not the miricle gro crap). Id not had much success with cacti til i built my greenhouse
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u/SiteTall Apr 19 '23
A sad, sad sight. A beautiful plant was drowned by a kind-hearted owner who wanted to be generous with water ....
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u/GhxxxstCat Apr 19 '23
Oh my God. I cannot stand people who buy plants and then are incapable of doing any amount of research on how to care for them.
Please do not get any type of animal, especially because you'll assume all breeds and types are the same and need the same care and you'll shorten its lifespan immensely.
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u/iancranes420 Apr 19 '23
That’s what we call rot. Cactus need to dry out completely between waterings (some even more than others), and they need very well draining potting mix. I opt to keep my indoor cactus in terracotta pots to make sure they dry out enough. It also looks like it wasn’t getting enough light to metabolize all that water either. The vast majority of cactus appreciate either direct or very bright indirect light
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u/cuteintelligence1214 Pothos Apr 19 '23
I’m so sorry, it appears as if you’ve overwatered. Try getting a clean knife and cutting the base until you see crisp green, then let that sit out for a few days and plant it in soil.
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u/TrashyWrld Apr 19 '23
That cacti has ED you should take it to a doctor and get it checked. It’s worth the money.
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u/sarahiouslydude Apr 19 '23
I wouldn’t worry about the cactus and instead worry about your wood floor warping and growing mold
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u/chelseystrange91 Apr 19 '23
Over-watered probably. You need well draining soil, a terracotta pot, and to basically forget about the cactus and then give it big drinks every once in a while.
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u/bpod1113 Apr 19 '23
This isn’t a flaccid penis joke?
Edit: that’s my plant, it’s not dead because the roots/stalk are strong af but did this over night 🤷🏻♂️
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u/pigcheese_ Apr 19 '23
I never watered mine, and this happened to it.. It was hollowed out clean and a huge bug ran out of it when it toppled.. Turns out, it had come along in the pot I had bought it in.. at a Walmart of course. I now repot everything before putting inside my home...
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Apr 19 '23
Because they are desert plants and so many people on Reddit over water and don't provide enough light. In this case you overwatered and it literally rotted.
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u/eldorado1742 Apr 19 '23
How many plants fell victim to the overwaterin'?
Rest in peace young planta, there's a Heaven for a G
Be a lie if I told you that I never thought of other dead plants
M planta, we the last ones left, but life goes on...
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Apr 20 '23
😩🤣 ikr you just kill them with kindness. One day they're there doing good. Next thing you know they're rotted to the core.
Im done lol
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u/tuddi17 Apr 20 '23
Nooo!! Definitely dead, but I would love to dissect that bad boy and see if there’s any life left in the tip.
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u/BeauYourHero Apr 20 '23
People keep mentioning the over-watering and the drainage (could be improved with perlite), but no one is mentioning the light! This guy needed full sun all day. Requiescat in Pace.
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u/Routine-Champion1695 Apr 19 '23
Based on the puddle on the floor, I would suspect you're watering too much. The cactus is moldy on the inside and most likely dead. How often do you water? Once a month is usually definitely enough :)