Petting cactus... Going 'bald'

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by ChloeeeNicoleee, Aug 18, 2014.

  1. ChloeeeNicoleee

    ChloeeeNicoleee New Member

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    I'm worried my Petting Cactus is dying. It is loosing its fuzzy spikes on top to make it look bald( thorns look a little brown), also its little arm shriveled up and rotted. I keep it in the sun, water it like it says on the directions ( once a month ) but I've noticed its getting a little too damp so I held off on watering it for a bit. I've never replanted it, and I got it a few months ago. ( never been fed... I don't know if they have food or not)
     

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  2. mandarin

    mandarin Active Member 10 Years

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    The dead offset is a bad sign. It could mean that the main body is infected with something. Keep it under observation, there is not much you can do about it anyway.

    There are several possible causes for the lack of spines (or rather, whole areoles):
    • A rotting body causes the areoles to become loose (but yours does not look rotten, and it would have affected the lower parts first).
    • The areoles on some cactus species naturally come off easily on completely healthy plants, but yours looks like a Rebutia, and they don't behave like that AFAIK.
    • Something else. It has happened to a few of my plants, but I don't know why. It does not seem to hurt them, it is just unsightly. The areoles don't develop as they should during a limited time period, and then they start to grow normally again.
     
  3. ChloeeeNicoleee

    ChloeeeNicoleee New Member

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    Root rot?

    This is my petting cactus, I posted somthing about it last night and I wanted to know if this is root rot, then what procedures should I take to save it?
     

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