I think I killed my cactus?

Question

I have a weird cactus it is a green prickley stalk with a large orange prickley ball top and the top turned mushy and fell apart. is the whole plant going to die or just the top? Wil the top regrow? I have searched for cactus id but cant find a picture of my plant.

Answer 1

Quick, go to google and type in :

Cactus ''Orange Top''

exactly as I have it with quotation marks. Once of the first things to pop up is "www.gardeningexpress.co.uk" site, see if that is a pick of your cactus

Anyhoo, if it is, it is probably the fruit of the cactus, and they will eventually die off anyway.  Make sure the soil is correct for a cactus (you can use 1/2 regular potting soil, 1/2 builders sand mixture, not sea sand), do not overwater, and make sure there is plenty of sun. Most cacti are tough, like to be ignored, but the one thing they can't handle is too much water and not enough natural light.   I found this info about watering that someone posted:

"I follow this schedule: In late February I step up watering to once a week. As spring goes on and the plants show signs of new growth, I water more frequently. Watch the plants. In August I find that new growth has slowed or stopped on most plants, so the water ration is cut. I extend the time between watering from 3 to 5 days, By early fall the growing season is over, and the plants get water once a week. The next stage is the hardest for it seems cruel. My plants get a good drink at the beginning of November. They get another one around Thanksgiving. That's it. They won't see another drop until about mid-January. Then in Late-February they get another drink, and the cycle begins again."

Hope this helped!

Answer 2

don't water it!

do what the first answer said.

put it out in the sun, direct sun would be best.

Answer 3

What you had was a grafted Cactus. (Moon Cactus)

The tops that are grafted on usually have no chlorophyll which means they will not grow independently. The bottom however, will continue to grow into a vine-like cactus if left alone.

Once the top gets mushy and brown it is dead.

Keep the base in a well drained soil in a mostly sunny area.

it is very rare for a cactus to die from lack of water... leave it alone and it will probably be ok.