Help me rescue this cactus!

[apothecary]

I do a lot of walking around my suburb, enjoying the various plants that people grow. My walk home from work takes me past about 6 gardens that have T. Pachanoi's in them.

A route down to the local bush also leads past an old decrepit house with a giant San Pedro out the front. I never really stopped to examine it closely because it was so large and I could see it quite happily from the other side of the street (the side I tend to walk on).

However, today I stopped and examined it closely. The two main branches were quite large and vigorous, with some damage but otherwise ok. Then this pup caught my eye. At first it looked like it only had 4 spines, so I climbed up onto the rock it was on, and shock horror, this is what I saw.

This pup needed rescuing. I knocked on the door of the house, and nobody answered. I went down and took the pup. I seriously doubt they'll care, or even notice.

Here are more photos. As you can see, there are mold spots, the top is severely damaged. All the spines are "dead" i.e. dark black/grey as opposed to white.

What is the best way to save this cactus do you think? Cut off the bottom and dry, then plant? Cut off top and bottom and dry, then plant?

[ 14. February 2005, 17:09: Message edited by: apothecary ]

[mr b.caapi]

hmmm well its not a trichocereus , its a cereus i think . it looks , going buy the soil or ash dumpings? around it waterlogged. saving it in its current state would be easily possible, but it would always retain the scarring etc.

for better looks of health and happiness a cutting would be the way to go.

[ 14. February 2005, 18:37: Message edited by: mr b.caapi ]

[apothecary]

mr b. caapi, I do believe you're right, it isnt a Trichocereus at all, I always had assumed it was because I never looked at it up close. The species wasn't my motivation for attempting to save it though, it looked like it needed help.

Anyway, I just performed "surgery" on it...as crude as it may look, it's the best I could do with my small knowledge.

I cut off the bottom and most infected moldy bit, and also scraped off some of the mold spots.

I'll let the bottom dry off, then stick it in a nice pot full of nice cactus soil.

Do you think the top will stay the same and simply pup, or what? Any help appreciated.

EDIT: The soil around it isn't from the other persons garden mr. b, it's a "dead" part of the garden in my house. There used to be a huge tree there, and then father had it cut down, but the roots and stump remain, so not even weeds will grow there.

EDIT2: Can anyone identify this poor cacti a bit more definitively? I'm fine with the Cereus genus, but I'm curious as to the species.

[ 14. February 2005, 19:06: Message edited by: apothecary ]

[Skulking Lurker]

Yeah, try lopping off the bad bits, and re-rootng.

[zee_werp]

It looks like a Cereus peruvianus to me...couldn't be 100% sure on that though.

[Guest electro]

yea its definatley cerus not tric..... if it is flowering atm (or only just finished) with pretty white nocternal flowers then its what ive been calling peru for years ..

id also cut ALL mould off (and then some) ..

actually, id slice it into lots of small (5cm high) disks (or more tubes - like thickly sliced pineapple - making cuttings galore !)

discard any pieces that have mould or look like the mould was getting too close to

let it callous over winter

bury the bits in spring when they sprout roots & wait for the nice fresh growth to poke its head above soil

[ 14. February 2005, 20:06: Message edited by: electro ]

[smogs]

of if u wanted to keep it in tact and 1 bit... get some elemental sulfur and give it a light dusting

let it harden off for a few weeks then stick it in dirt and water very infrequently

it SHOULD keep on growing as is because it still has the growth tip, but if its really damage (doesnt look like it is) then it will pup

[mescalito]

Cereus peruvianus pretty common around here.

[apothecary]

Does anyone know how long it will be before I should pot this?

I checked this morning, and the bottom is quite dry, similar texture to that of bark, except you can feel softness when you poke it.

[Salvi]

I mostly have experience with Trichocereus sp. but generally a couple weeks is good. Wait until there is a nice, thick white covering. I think a good rule of thumb is, when you think it's ready wait a couple more days.

Also, you don't have to pot/plant it for roots to form. Just set it upright somewhere that's not too bright and once roots form, pot it up. This way there's little chance of rot.

cheers