Deflated Cactus

by Brandon Moss
(Tiverton, RI, USA)

Golden Barrel Cactus and friends

My golden barrel cactus looks as if it's deflated, I tried looking into this but I got varying answers, too much water, not enough water, not engough sunlight, root rot, etc. The best way to describe the cactus is it looks like a deflated balloon, please help. Also, I couldn't send a picture because the site wouldn't let me.

P.S.: There's also a white "bald spot" on the top of the cactus that I don't think was there before.

Comments for Deflated Cactus

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Mar 15, 2017

Too Late
by: Jacki

There is no hope for your cactus - sorry! The outside skin of the plant is all that's left, the inside must be completely rotten.

I'm going to say that this took a long time to happen, and if you could have stopped watering it a long time ago, there may have been some hope for it.

The white bald spot is probably where it's completely rotted through, and if you cut it open you'll see that it's either empty or just a mesh of fibers inside, depending on what type of cactus it is.

Learn from your mistakes, and move on. Next time, make sure you give your cactus the right conditions, that they have evolved for - drought.

They actually prefer to be dried out, sometimes for years, then given a good drink over a week or so. After this, they'll flower, and that will give you a hint that this is the care they need.

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