Caring for cactus / frozen sprout

9 years ago

My father found a cactus on the side of the road in 1972 and that is the one you are looking at in the photo. This cactus spawned 3 others which all grew to over 7 feet tall. We live in NH and they were kept indoors during the winter and outdoors the other 3 seasons. After my fathers passing in 2011, and in my haste to want to save this cactus and bring it to my home I cut it way down without knowing how to properly trim a cactus of that size, as you can see in the photo. Since 2011 it sprouted off and that is the 2 foot sprout seen in the photo. It is about 3.5 feet tall currently. I think I left this out too long in the cold this season and the sprout looks to be dying. I keep the cactus outside 3 seasons and indoors in a semi-sunny area. I never water the cactus while it is outdoors and lightly water once per week (or every other week) in the winter.

Ideally I'd like the cactus to go straight up and not sprout off at a narrow point as it does now because eventually it would not be able to support the weight. Is there anyway I can salvage this cactus so it can recover and grow fully as it did before, or is it too late? Can I trim it again and transplant a sprout into a new pot potentially? Sorry for any great lack of understanding I have here. My father had the green thumb and I do not. I do want to keep this cactus alive in his memory, so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

kaktuskris
9 years ago
You have a Cereus, probably what used to be known as C. peruvianus. The arm looks like it might not be salvageable, but you can try cutting to where there is healthy tissue, probably no higher that one quarter the length of that arm. If the whole arm is soft or mushy, you should remove it completely, before the rot spreads and kills the entire plant. If it were mine, I would not water it until Spring, when I see signs of growth. In Spring, I would repot it in a less water retentive potting medium and give it as much light as possible. For the present time, you just want to keep the plant alive, so beyond cutting dead or rotting sections, do nothing. Do not even water until Spring.

Christopher
cooperdr_gw
9 years ago
I wouldn't worry about it supporting it's own weight when it sprouts. If you cut it that is. There are some pretty woody fibers that connect those sections together.
Related Professionals
Glen Ellyn Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Franklin Landscape Contractors · Huntley Landscape Contractors · West Covina Landscape Contractors · Bensenville Landscape Contractors · Bowling Green General Contractors · Fort Pierce General Contractors · Hillsboro General Contractors · Merrimack General Contractors · Mountain View General Contractors · Palatine General Contractors · Plano General Contractors · Riverdale General Contractors · Annapolis Carpenters · Southampton Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures
jrigby
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you both for the information. I cut the rotting section down and left 6 inches or so. I'm guessing a new section will come out of one of the tips like it did before.

How would I go about eventually trimming this and transplanting to create a second cactus from it? Is that possible? I assume since my father did it with this cactus unless he was just kidding with me. Would I cut right where it is thinnest where the new section starts and just plant that? I remember when I originally cut this I tried to replant the cut-off section but it quickly died.
jrigby
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you both for the information. I cut the rotting section down and left 6 inches or so. I'm guessing a new section will come out of one of the tips like it did before.

How would I go about eventually trimming this and transplanting to create a second cactus from it? Is that possible? I assume since my father did it with this cactus unless he was just kidding with me. Would I cut right where it is thinnest where the new section starts and just plant that? I remember when I originally cut this I tried to replant the cut-off section but it quickly died.
cooperdr_gw
9 years ago
Yeah you can eventually get another cutting to start a new plant. It'll probably take years though. I think you'd want at least six inches of healthy growth.