Transplanted cactii now going soft (updated with pics)

[OPP]

A month ago I bought 3 cactus from amember on here ranging from 2m tall to 1m tall.

They came out of the ground and were transported to their new home where they sat under cover for 3 weeks until they were transplanted.

I potted them in big pots with a mixture of 50% washed river sand to remove the sand so only big pieces were left for good drainage and 50% commercial cactus mix.

The mix was damp when it went into the pots and I gave them a small amount of water after repotting

My sister (where the cactii are) called me to say that they feel soft to the touch.

A search on the internet says that soft cactii can be from over watering or underwatering.

Another cactus I potted recently in similar circumstances (same mix and water) is doing very well and had 6 pups.

Should I pull the 3 new ones out of the pots and let the roots dry out and then try again in a few weeks or should I water them more? Or is it simply shock?

I would be very upset if these lovely specimens didn't survive.

Will be going over tomorrow to check them out for myself and get pics.

Edited October 20, 2013 by OPP

[Evil Genius]

Check the roots for Rot. If its not Root Rot, i think it could be underwatering. If it would be too much, Roots would simply Rot. Also, make sure to use mineralistic Soil. No Humous or stuff like that.

[OPP]

Its only been a week since tranbsplanting. I didn't think root rot developed that quickly????

[DiscoStu]

i think you need to get more info from your sis,

does she know the difference between rot soft and underwartered soft?

was she feeling the base, middle or top?

[OPP]

I'll check it out tomorrow.

How do I tell the difference between rot soft and underwater soft??

[trucha]

Remove one from the soil and inspect its base and roots.

[zelly]

I bought 3 cactus from a member on here ranging from 2m tall to 1m tall.

They came out of the ground and were transported to their new home where they sat under cover for 3 weeks until they were transplanted.

I potted them in big pots

Any cactus plant 1-2 meters tall should have had a well developed root system. When they were uprooted out of the ground, how much root ball came with them, or were they bare rooted? How much of the original roots were cut off?

After they sat around under cover for three weeks, I'd venture a guess the roots were fairly well dried out, and most likely are dead.

It sounds to me like your plants need to grow new root systems before they can begin to absorb any water from the potting soil.

Myself, i would have potted them up in slightly moistened potting soil, and maybe give them a drink in 8-10 weeks, but certainly not enough to saturate the soil.

Once you start seeing new growth at the tips, then & only then is the time to start watering the pots.

[trucha]

Zelly makes a really important point.

If a plant lacks living & healthy roots it has no need to be watered.

[OPP]

Zelly - They were bare rooted. Not many roots came with each plant.

I was suprised at how few roots there were. There were a few finger thick roots about 10cm long and then only a few thin roots for each cactus.

[OPP]

Forgot to say we dug the cactus out of the ground when I arrived and then they sat for three weeks undercover.

Just got back from my sisters place.

There is dark discolouration on the stems from about 1/3 of the plant upwards.

The wierd thing is that the bottom 1/3 of the cactus is putting out new spines and is hard to the touch.

I pulled one out of the soil and the roots seemed hard and some of them even looked like they were fresh and healthy (a greeny/yellow colour).

Edited October 20, 2013 by OPP

[M S Smith]

Plants look totally fine to me. Just give them time to adjust to their new home. Did you acclimatize them into the sunlight?

~Michael~

[OPP]

I didn't introduce them to sunlight slowly. Totally forgot about that.

Fingers crossed that's all it is.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Yeh looks fine, biggest problem is there back in pots :-p

Most of my transplants look a bit funny for a whole like this

[.dg]

Check the roots for Rot. If its not Root Rot, i think it could be underwatering. If it would be too much, Roots would simply Rot. Also, make sure to use mineralistic Soil. No Humous or stuff like that.

i've grown trichs for a decade in soil with lots of decaying plant matter/compost/humus etc, and not had issues.

typically i see the mineral based soil advice for slow growing cacti, no?