Bridgesii Help

[shadowthecastle]

I arrived home yesterday for the first time in about a month only to find that two of my T.Bridgesii cuttings look to be having some trouble. I have noticed considerable growth but the original part of the cuts are looking rather skinny and very soft to touch. I was hoping someone here might be able to help me get these guys get back to good health? There position is currently in only a small bit of direct sun in the morning then turning into shade by the hottest part of the day & afternoon. They are water once a week to keep the soil moist, is this maybe too much?

In the last two months they have grown up to 4cm taller.

Any help would be great as I would hate to see these guys perish.

Regards

[nothinghead]

They are getting soft from too much water. The soil should be let to dry out completely between watering each time, not kept moist. Cut watering out altogether until they recover. If you have a heat mat get them onto it to evaporate the water from the pots more quickly. If you don't have one, try to put them in a position where the pot is in the sun but the cactus isn't (you don't want to stress them anymore by introducing them to a lot of light quickly). Watch for black or orange spots (rot) and cut them out, dust where you cut with copper oxy.

[incognito]

is the soil retaining mositure? looks likethey aernt getting enough moisture.

[mac]

I agree with incog, they look like they need more moisture not less, i water my potted trichs every few days in the warmer months as the soil is free draining & tends to dry out faster than if they were in the ground

[nothinghead]

To me it looks like growth has stalled (whether from too little water/light, too cold, or whatever) so I think keeping the soil moist is a bad idea. But I agree with yas that the shriveling looks like a sign of not enough water, but that probably isn't the problem now if the soil is kept moist...

[s4L]

I'd say too little water probably, because they look like unglazed terracotta pots that dry out pretty fast.   And because of the warmer weather in the past month they've started to put on new growth, which you can see at the top where the glaucous sheen stops and the bright green growth is.  I'd move them gradually into more sun and only water after the soil has dried out, maybe remove a small area of the pebbles on the pot to monitor the moisture. 

[shadowthecastle]

Thanks guys, some mixed results there but at least I have got some direction now.

I might start to water abit more as I checked the soil and its definately dry. There is defintately new growth so im assuming that there must be some sort of root system no matter how small.

Again thanks for the help all and ill let you know how there doing in a few weeks.

[mac]

How long have the cuttings been potted for ?

If they dont have much of a root system this will explain why they cant take up enough water to cope with new growth as cacti will still grow without a root system

It wouldnt hurt to check one to see if they have roots, if they do have some root system give them a good watering & as said slowly move them out into full sun over the next few weeks

You can check for roots simply by pulling or slightly lifting the cactus to see if it has anchored itself in the soil

[shadowthecastle]

How long have the cuttings been potted for ?

If they dont have much of a root system this will explain why they cant take up enough water to cope with new growth as cacti will still grow without a root system

It wouldnt hurt to check one to see if they have roots, if they do have some root system give them a good watering & as said slowly move them out into full sun over the next few weeks

You can check for roots simply by pulling or slightly lifting the cactus to see if it has anchored itself in the soil

 

I have given both a fair pull and both seem to be anchored. They have been potted maybe around 4 or more months. I'll give them a good water this afternoon and keep a close eye on them through the week. I'll put some pictures up once I notice a change in either direction.

Thanks

[Pacha]

I wouldn't worry so much, by the photos the look perfectly fine. It is normal for cacti to go soft on the middle, the new growth look healthy and firm and there are no spots of rot of any type.

Bridgesiis are tough plants, you should trust your plants more. In fact I would cut on watering and give them once every two weeks a decent amount and put them in a sunnier spot gradually introducing them to more and more sun, they can take full tropical sun all day long and will grow faster and thicker.