Post your picture at Photobucket or the like, and then cut and paste the HTML code ('a href.............................') in the reply you'll make to my post. Your picture (which is indeed worth a thousand words) should appear in the preview. If not, search here for how to post pics. A discounted coral cactus is something we pay attention to around these parts.

Finally got it on here I hope.

Here is a link that might be useful: brown spot

I love me some discounted plants. I think just about every house plant I have was on sale. Except for the ones I've gotten starts of.

You see what I did here - copied and pasted the HTML code of your picture (available as a choice on the RH-side of the page where this photo's located) and put it into my message.

{{gwi:492232}}

I personally would like to see a picture of the whole plant, as well as the wounded section, in pictures a little clearer, but it looks like you need to do some surgery to remove that. Use a clean knife (spray with alcohol / cheap vodka) only each time until you're into healthy tissue. It could also be a localized injury, but clearer pictures would help determine that.

I have a similar spot on my plant that turned out to be corking. It is a hard discoloration. I was advised on this forum to get it out of direct sun and pretty much ignore it. So far, all is well.

I did not have the powdery patch you mention, so it may not be the same problem at all.

The linked thread discusses that problem and solutions - and has a picture of my plant, as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Coral Plant Discussion

Crenda,

Corking, as it is usually known, happens normally at the base of a plant, usually a globular to semi-globular cactus, but not always.

Oh - I certainly did mean to disagree with your assessment of susang84's plant. I remembered the other discussion and you gave some great advice on that thread, too. You always do! :)

BTW - when I repotted I put them in a gritty mix. The old soil with perlite came off easily enough, but there were only meager roots - an indication that all was not well. I've rotted my fair share of plants with the heavy soil.

{{gwi:492233}}

This is the side with all the brown. Stinks trying to do this from a phone :P.

I hope this picture helps. This little guy has got all kinds of waves going on up top.

Crenda,

That's nice of you to say. Yes, it sounds like you need(ed) to reroot.

Susan,

At first I thought it was sunburn, but it now looks like rot. I can't tell for sure if it's a cactus or a Euphorbia (which can have toxic-to-the-touch sap), but that active rot needs to be cut out completely and the wound cauterized / powdered with flowers of sulfur (available at your local compounding pharmacy) or cinnamon and kept dry. Puncture an area near the rot - if it bleeds white latex, we got us a Euphorbia, and hazmat procedures are called for.

It oozes a white sap. I accidentally scraped it when breaking the rocks off. I think the tag said it was a grafted euphorbia. Anyways I washed my hands even though I didn't get any on me. I don't know if any stores near me carry sulfur, but I do have cinnamon. Would a razor like you find in a box cutter or an exacto knife work? Should I cut the other brown patch off too? Do I just cut back till I see good tissue?

It looks like you could excise the portions with two direct cuts each, but I'd certainly get rid of the one on the left for sure. Since it is a Euphorbia, stand by with lukewarm water to throw / spray onto the cut, as this staunches the flow.

As to your cutting instrument, neither. Since you're relatively inexperienced, I'd try to stay as far away from the sap as I could, and neither of those tools would work best (an old bread knife is what I use), but if you're careful, I guess the Xacto knife would work. Just do it over dirt / newspaper that you can carefully wrap up and throw away. Euphorbia sap can be extremely painful, especially on the mucous membranes.

Since the cuts will bleed out and eventually coagulate, you don't need any powder to seal the cut - the latex has that as a built-in.

Unless the sore on the right becomes like the sore on the left, I'd leave the RH one alone.

Will definitely have paper and gloves. Should I uproot the plant while cutting?

I removed all the bad this morning after work and powdered the wounds with cinnamon. It's now on the opposite side of the room with a south window. The sun is filtered through sheers. I thought that might be a good place to recoup for right now.

An excellent choice - when it's dry, give it some water. As long as the last cut was done hygienically, your rot problem should be over.

So far so good I guess. The tissue at the edge of the cuts is shriveling and drying up but nothing is rotting anymore.

Never mind I came home last night and the whole top is shriveling up.

This was a Euphorbia lactea crest grafted onto another Euphorbia, most likely Euphorbia neriifolia. If the crest is dead, you can still try to grow the rootstock on its own, just cut slightly below the graft, and the rootstock should send out a branch.

Christopher.

Cool. I'll try that.