Give it to me straight, Doc...

[singult]

Do I need to cut?

(Fucking ikea! They've grown it in a tiny pot and it has gotten root bound, then pulled it and repotted it with soil and stone at the bottom, and heaps of soil around the top which they've grown moss in. Because moss and cacti go SO WELL together. ikea is where cacti go to die.)

I noticed a tear in the whitened skin, so I pulled it back and there was a hole with... Well, here 'tis.

[Evil Genius]

This is really critical. Infections like these are among the hardest to treat. I would absolutely use Fungicide, and Antibiotics plus sulfur. Not really sure if cutting is the best option because I don´t see what´s under the infection. If this goes deep, even cutting might not save it. This type of Plant is hard to cut without causing holes that cause infections again.

a.) Remove the soil. It needs a Minerlic soil with good drainage. The humous makes it hard to get rid of moss and fungus.

b.) and check what Antibiotics and Fungicides you can get fast. And if you get some really powerful ones, try to bring it in the crack. And do that everytime the solution is has been absorbed.

Cutting would be an option but i really fear it would just come back after a while. Inspect the Infection very closely and please report back what´s in there. Even if you cut, i think you will need Chemicals to get rid of the infection

Edited May 3, 2014 by Evil Genius

[zelly]

kiss your plant goodbye

[singult]

This is really critical. Infections like these are among the hardest to treat. I would absolutely use Fungicide, and Antibiotics plus sulfur. Not really sure if cutting is the best option because I don´t see what´s under the infection. If this goes deep, even cutting might not save it. This type of Plant is hard to cut without causing holes that cause infections again.

a.) Remove the soil. It needs a Minerlic soil with good drainage. The humous makes it hard to get rid of moss and fungus.

b.) and check what Antibiotics and Fungicides you can get fast. And if you get some really powerful ones, try to bring it in the crack. And do that everytime the solution is has been absorbed.

Cutting would be an option but i really fear it would just come back after a while. Inspect the Infection very closely and please report back what´s in there. Even if you cut, i think you will need Chemicals to get rid of the infection

Hey EvilGenius,

excuse my noobage, but what antibiotics would I treat cacti with? Didn't even know this was a thing!

Also, can you explain 'hard to cut without causing holes'? Where would holes from from?

Fucking, two days in a row I'll be going to nurseries. No time for other projects now!

[Halcyon Daze]

Graft it onto a pedro. Good practise.

And punch a wall to relieve stress.

[Dreamwalker.]

grafting is good but even the slightest infection in the top can continue on to rot.............if you do cut and graft look for a faint yellow tell tale sign...............

[singult]

Reporting back.

Decided to cut because:
1. I don't really care if the plant dies, seeing it cost me nothing.
2. Cutting seemed like it would be fun.
3. I wanted to see its insides.
4. Reasons.

Here's what was going on internally. Note the weird yellow discolouration where it looks like maybe a spine or something had pierced the flesh. You'll also see the site of infection, and is that bruising or was it starting to spread?

It looks like the kernel, the... middle thing, was turning black. Is this rot, or typical as it leads to roots?

Lastly, a cross-section of the in-fection. Shits nasty.

Anyway, whether it lives or dies, I cut a cactus open and then licked it, because idiot.
What you see above is all discards.