MORE LIGHT!!!!!

Dave
Milwaukee

Your biggest plant is a Mammillaria elongata. This plant has been desperately short on light for a very long time. It is also in much too big of a pot - it is really important that the soil in cactus pots can dry out quickly, so the soil needs to be highly draining and the pot small - this means smaller than you would think.

I can't tell if the plant is rotting in the center, which is possible. If it is, you need to check for any soft or squishy pieces, and cut them off with a knife. Fresh-cut healthy pieces can be dried out of soil and then rooted by putting into mostly dry soil.

Otherwise, the plant needs to go in a smaller pot, and given more light. It's not a great idea to stick it directly into full sun, but gradually work it up so that it is on a sunny windowsill in winter and outside in the summer.

Thanks for the replies. Respectfully, are you sure they're "Mammillaria elongata" ? I can't imagine they're that skinny because of the light I've given them - they've always been at least 6' from the main window which gets the most light during the day. I've since moved houses and now the cactus has been sitting right next to a new main window which gets a LOT of sunlight for over 8 hours (it has been in this spot for 2 months, until the past few days where I put it further away). Are you telling me it needs more than 8 hours of sunlight ? I know I'm guilty of over watering or under watering, but I never would have thought I was starving it of light.

Anyway, I'll get some artificial lights - I'm assuming the ones you find in Wal Mart or Home Depot are adequate ? They're labeled 'plant & aquarium' at 750 lumens a piece - I figured I'd get two or 1500 lumens.

When I repot AGAIN, should I leave the cactus out of the soil for a while in order for it to dry out some ?

Doesn't look like Mammillaria elongata to me either...way too skinny. This is my sister's boyfriend's elongata:
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Josh

I'd agree it's EXTREMELY thin for M. elongata. But what ever it is it's etoliate and needs MUCH more light. It's summer... Stick it outside somewhere where it will get filtered sun for a few weeks and gradually allow it to some direct sun in the early morning or late afternoon. Allow it to get direct sun for longer and longer periods.

AS for the thin spots... Is that scale near those joints? It is a favorite hiding spot for scale insects. The top spot has a white mark on the smaller branch that grows down that looks like it could be scale. The Lowest red mark points to a joint, but if you look on the main stem that joint connects too and look opposite the joint, it looks like two scales. If you can, with a tooth pick or something, pick those off, then you're plant is suffering from an infestation of scale insects. Get yourself some malathion or if you're against insecticides, you could use a cotton swab and some alcohol on each one.. Or try some diluted dishwashing soap in a spray bottle and spray the whole plant... Not as affective as a few doses of malathion.
And I'd leave it in the pot it's in... The size of the pot won't be a problem... Got a ShotGlass? Use about 1.5-2 shot glasses full of water once a week during the summer and gradually taper off to almost nothing from January to March or April.
A normal shot glass holds 1 fluid ounce.

But All your plants need more light

Hi Paulzie, thanks for the response ! I like your idea of sticking it outside but I don't think it's possible - I'm in Northern Ontario, Canada - everyone that I've spoken to around here tell me to keep inside plants, inside. As you can imagine, Northern Ontario is pretty bad for bugs. I'm afraid that if I don't have bugs now, I will if I start leaving it out for an extended period.

As for your question about 'scale insects', I tried picking at the scales - I would have to dig pretty hard to get anything off. I don't think insects are doing this.

I went ahead and bought a contraption that holds two 24" fluorescent light bulbs, for those bulbs, I got two that states "aquarium & plant" on the packaging ... each has 750 lumens or 1500 lumens for both. Do you think this will be sufficient or should I try for something bigger ?

Hi,

It looks like a stressed Rhipsalis baccifera. It is often difficult to id a plant without holding it and inspecting it, so this is a best guest. I have one that looks very similar and it used to stand up like you describe and then started to hang as it got bigger and older.

It doesn't look like it is dying though, maybe too much water at one point? It also looks ok on light. I would cut off the problem stems so that whatever it is (rot, disease or insect damage) won't spread. I would not repot it as it needs to adjust and the stress of another repot may cause it die. The size of the pot looks good too.

If it is a Rhipsalis, they are one of the many "jungle cacti" and are often grown in part shade (from trees) so it should not need artificial lights if you give it the 8 hours you describe.

Good luck!

a note about the "drainage layer" of pebbles at the bottom of the container...it doesn't aid in drainage. Moisture won't cross from the small pore space of compost to the wider space of the drainage area once you stop adding water at the top, so this just shortens your useable soil column.
The small green cactus on the left side needs sun terribly; it won't recover the correct form even if you give it more light but I understand (haven't done this myself) that you can cut off the top and the base will produce offsets that will hide the cut AND you can replant the top after it's calloused over and it will grow roots, so you could get 2 plants with good form. Both will need lots more light to stay that way. Good luck with them.

My guess would be Peanut Cactus (Echinopsis chamaecereus). It looks a lot like one I have which was deprived of proper lighting for some time.

Christopher

its not a Rhipsalis baccifera, baccifera don't have stickers on them, but should drain well no matter what kind of cactus it is, plus plenty of bright light.

Bear

The plant on the left in your last picture is a horribly etioliated Parodia (subgroup Eriocactus), probably a Parodia magnifica (also known as Notocactus magnificus).

The big plant with all the "arms" looks like it may be some sort of epiphytic cactus, which should be treated more like an orchid: planted in a mix that includes chunks of bark, with high humidity, more water and less direct sun than the "standard" cactus.

The one on the left is not worth saving, it will never look good. I suppose you can use it for practice.

Thanks for the responses guys, especially the last two with your very encouraging sarcasm - I knew there was a problem, that's why I'm here. And no, I'm not going to throw one away or use it for practice.

Try not to take it personally Bryan. Eventually every serious succulent grower gets enough plants in their collection that they stop having a sentimental attachment to each one. At that point, common species and misshapen plants become a waste of precious bench space and are either given away or trashed. It also becomes easy to apply that same attitude towards other people's plants (something I'm guilty of too).

You obviously have some attachment to your plants, since you took the time and effort to get advice on how to care for them. Given that, you might as well continue to do your best getting them happy and keeping them alive. If your sole purpose was to grow show-quality specimens, then yeah, you should probably toss the Parodia since it will never recover its "correct" shape. If you were just looking to try a new hobby out, then by all means, keep growing them! Just because a plant is etiolated, doesn't mean it still can't be your friend...

Finally, don't be discouraged. Even in SoCal where I can easily provide my plants with adequate warmth and light, I've totally ruined (but still kept) a few plants by not providing optimal conditions. I'd venture a guess that every other member of this forum has done the same at some point.

joscience is right... I've got a few plants that are etoliate and still end up with plants with plenty of bug problems. But I'll never get rid of them.. I'll find room ;-)

As for the spots I was talking about, I've circled what I'm seeing and inset a magnified image of the bugs I'm talking about. If the spots I've circled resemble them in anyway... You've got bugs. The bottom circle actually looks like at least 3 that may even be overlapping each other.
They don't always have such dark centers as in the magnified image. In Fact, I had some plants plagued by a mystery ailment for some time and it was only after several detailed inspections that I finally spotted them hiding in the wool under the spines at each areole! The blended in so well, I didn't know they were there! Some don't just pop off either. But that's why suggested a toothpick as the flat ones are usually not sharp enough to 'dig' into the plant but stiff enough to push the scale loose.
Oh... And yes... after looking at your picture closer, it appears to have also been over watered... the tan areas on the skin are from over watering. I've got it on some of my plants too.

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Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:579394}}

Well said 'joscience', I see your point. To the last two users, I'm sorry for coming across harsh.

For the past two days, I've had the plants under some artificial light for at least 12 hours straight. I've set up my camera in a stationary position in order to capture images at different intervals and the largest one (with the arms) is curling upwards. I guess this is a positive sign.

If I don't kill it completely, I'll be sure to post more images of the progress.

I did not mean to be sarcastic, I just described what I saw. Some people believe that their plants should look like that, since they have never seen the "real" version.

About the plant in the middle: does the whole plant look like that, or are there any thicker stems in the oldest parts, close to the soil surface?

I doubt that it is an epiphyte, I have never seen spines like that on an epiphytic cactus, and I suggest that you do not treat the whole plant as an orchid, it will probably rot. You could try root a cutting under humid conditions, however, to see if it likes it.