Finding Roof Repair Assistance for Seniors. www.thriftyfun.com/Saving-a-Broken-Cactus.html, www.thriftyfun.com/Rooting-a-Cactus-Pad-1.html, I have a 3 foot tall cactus that broke off two large shoots. Reference: gardening.stackexchange.com/.../how-to-fix-a-broken-cactus. A dying cactus is shaky in its potting mix and may appear as though it’s about to fall off – well, it will definitely fall off if you moved it, for a severe case. Help anyone? Native to Brazil, Christmas cacti are epiphytes that grow in tree branches in rain forests. Dig a small hole in the potting medium and bury one-third to one-half of the pad or stem, bottom end down, in the mix. Once the arm is cut or falls off the cactus, let it dry at room temperature in a shady area for two to seven days. In a few days you will see that the hitch-hiker becomes lively. It’s hot in Tucson now so I only needed to heal mine over for 1 day. Most cactus fanciers have one of those four or six sided column cacti sitting in a corner. Many gardeners dip the cutting in rooting compound before planting it. This may be a very naive question, but can I attach the two broken shoots with duck tape (haha) and will it heal itself and grown roots back to the base. I will let my daughter read this and follow your suggestions. My rule of thumb with any cactus or succulent plants is that if it has a secretion (pencil cactus has a milky white substance) or it's fleshy when cut to always let it dry out or callus over before planting.I don't know if you have any Sanseveria (mother-in-law tongue plants) or kalanchoes, but I've taken the blades of the Sanseveria and put them long ways half way in dirt and you will have plants spring up on the side of the blade and you can cut and pot them. The cut end needs to callus over. The bottom half may well offset to produce side-shoots in a few months, or at the start of the next growing season. These are archives of older discussions. This will help from rot setting in. Barrel cacti have a shallow root system that may extend 2 … The plant is native to the Sonoron and Chihuahuan deserts. Cover the pot with plastic to keep the humidity high and water lightly when the soil is dry. Cactus plants need a lot of sun and not a lot of water. Make a clean level cut on your delicate cactus, and set it on the freshly cut base. Place in a warm location in bright, filtered light. Wrap the cactus gently but firmly with cotton string, your common classroom white string is perfect for this. If your plant is starting to drop off it is easy to plant them again. Thanks. Monitor the room temperature. If the wounded end on the broken piece and the stub were cut evenly with a sharp knife and you bind the broken piece into place on the stub, the chances of the cactus healing are much greater. The biggest problem I have is keeping appropriate cactus soil on hand as I have never had good luck with a homemade mixture (I'm sure others have).ThriftyFun has some very good articles on "fixing" broken cactus and I have used these solutions many times. The barrel cactus is another prominent plant of the Sonoran Desert. She enthusiastically pursues creative and community interests, including gardening, home improvement and social issues. I have had a cactus for a little over a year now. Not bent – just the whole plant leaning to a particular side. Please help as I don't know much about cactus other than they need little water. For fastest growth in new dirt you can cut the bottom into a point, let it dry 3-4 days, and then jam the point into the dirt. Hi, I want to repot this cactus that I assume has been deformed because of the small pot I left it in. A. Since their stems hang down, they are perfect plants for hanging baskets. Keep the soil slightly damp, not wet, while waiting and hoping for the pieces to root. If it's a large piece, you can cut it into smaller pieces at the nodes. i love cactus and no matter how gentle I am, I frequently break off a piece and have to decide what to do with it. Allow the stems to heal off so the cut ends callus over for up to 5 days. Wind the string around the cactus avoiding the spines, and criss-crossing the wound several times covering an inch above and below the … Make a clean level cut on your delicate cactus, and set it on the freshly cut base. So, the killer cactus story is not an urban legend. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension recommends a mix of equal parts perlite and well-decomposed compost or peat moss. I just came home today to find out my cactus had been knocked over and broken. Where ever you cut let it dry out before planting. I replanted the top part it in a different pot, but I'm not sure what else I should do, and if it will die. I've got several cactus plants just like yours and when they get too top heavy I cut them off and repot and like the person in one of the other posts said pups will appear on the base plant at the cut, which has happened on mine and then I cut those off. Q. Since I filmed the video, 1 stem fell out of the pot & snapped at the base (propagation post coming soon!). Best Answer. It is often called the ocotillo cactus, but it is not truly a cactus, although it grows in similar conditions. It didn't completely get severed. Can the leaf regrow from the spot it broke off or could I grow the leaf? The second shot broke off a large, heavy, spiny arm of the cactus, which fell on Grundman, crushing him to death. By pixieduster. Can I prevent this from happening? If the cactus is otherwise healthy, this is not a danger.