Q. My succulent plant / cactus has gone soft and grey, or is dying. What do I do ?
This may well be a symptom of over-watering. See: Cultural Problems.
If the plant has gone soft, yellow, grey or mouldy it is probably too late to save it. However, if part of the plant is still healthy, it may be possible to save it as a cutting or graft.
See Propagation methods.
Q. My cactus / succulent has little balls of white fluffy stuff on it, particularly around the spine clusters or growing points. What do I do ?
A. The white material is produced by female mealy bugs nesting up to produce young.
See Mealy Bugs for information and control measures.
Q. Why is my plant is going brown on top, especially around the growing point ?
A. This may indicate damage from pests such as red spider mite or a cultivation problem such as scorching.
See Red Spider Mites for information and control measures.
Also review Cultural Problems.
Q. How do I re-pot my very spiny cactus ?
A. See cultivation hints: Repotting a Prickly Customer
Q. I have a very tall cactus that may fall over. What do I do ?
A. A top-heavy plant can be stabilised by providing a larger or heavier pot or by putting its pot into a larger one as a support and packing the gap with grit or pebbles. It is also possible to cast concrete blocks with a pot-sized hole in them as supports.
Q. My very tall cactus fell over and the stem broke in two. What do I do ?
A. The bottom half will almost certainly offset to produce side-shoots in a few months, or at the start of the next growing season. You can grow this part on as normal, but if you want to trim the broken surface, use a very sharp knife that has been sterilised by dipping in methylated spirits/industrial alcohol. The top half can be allowed to dry and the raw end callus over for a couple of weeks before potting up in a gritty potting mixture. You may wish to treat the broken end with some hormone rooting powder, particularly as this usually also contains a fungicide. Water sparingly until new growth indicates root formation has started.
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