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Sunburned and Potential Root Rot Salvage

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Voidmatrix

Voidmatrix

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Greetings all,

I'm a novice in trichocereous cactus care.

A few weeks ago, I put my darling San Pedro outside since the weather was warmer. I live in a relatively arid climate. About a day after placing it outside, I noticed heavy yellowing and decay at the base and several inches up. I brought it back into my room, assessing and realizing that the lil guy was severely sunburned. Since that time, it has not recovered, but gotten progressively worse. One side of the sunburnt area is recession inwards and there is some black coloring coming along with that.

I would like to do my best to save it, as 1. I want it, and 2. it's a great opportunity for learning.

Present research states that I should cut from the first salvageable point, allow that section to form a callous in a few weeks time, then replant. Is this sounding right? Am I missing anything. I appreciate the assistance everyone.

One love
 
You should probably follow the conventional wisdom, although I have successfully treated black rot with a combination of nutmeg tincture and essential oils. The exact blend is noted in a thread somewhere in this subforum. If you want to try and can't find it I'll try and dig it out for you.
 
downwardsfromzero said:
You should probably follow the conventional wisdom, although I have successfully treated black rot with a combination of nutmeg tincture and essential oils. The exact blend is noted in a thread somewhere in this subforum. If you want to try and can't find it I'll try and dig it out for you.
Click to expand...

Thank you my friend. I'll hunt around for that thread and let you know if I find it.

Now, is this traditional wisdom you speak of what I stated above, or are there some deep dark esoteric sink holes I have to fall into to find it :lol:

One love
 
Do you have a photo? That would help.

It sounds like the area that was damaged by sunburn is now starting to rot. But its hard to say how bad it is without a photo. Sometimes the plant can heal itself if you keep it dry. It just depends on how far the rot has spread. Once it gets into the vascular bundle it can kill the whole plant. If the base is rotted deeply then you are probably best off cutting above the rot to try to salvage a tip cutting out of it (that sounds like the conventional approach you first described). If you end up going that route then cut well above the visible rot line. And hold onto the base, but keep it bone dry. You never know, that base might surprise you and live. All the best.
 
If you have information about species/strain, soil type, and watering and fertilizing patterns prior to the point the problem arose that would also be more broadly instructive. It seems strange to me that it should get root rot if you're in an arid environment.

My black rot outbreak seemed to be associated with use of a fertilizer containing seaweed extract. It's a shame I don't know the exact species or origins of that cactus, but it has the looks of something between bridgesii and long-spined pach (although my ID skills are pretty rudimentary). Anyhow, I stopped watering and sprayed it several times a day with the tincture. It's happy now and the spots have healed up - but the roots seemed to be fine all along.

I've had a dig around for my spray formula but so far to no avail :( Now it's a case of racking my brains and looking for a scrap of paper in my fractal piling system.
 
Oof! Yuck! Chop it quick! Make sure the top cut has no discoloration left inside. Then trim the base as best you can and dust with cinnamon powder. You'll need to scoop some of the soil off to sort out the stump, maybe dig it out completely. It's a gamble whether the stump will survive anyhow. Just make sure you don't get any dirt on the fresh cuts.

Keep the rotten bit, it's probably worth extracting.

Poor thing looks a bit etiolated, no wonder it got sunburn. :(
Next time it goes outside, start with bright but shaded before it gets any direct sun - and keep it out of the midday sun in general.
 
downwardsfromzero said:
Oof! Yuck! Chop it quick! Make sure the top cut has no discoloration left inside. Then trim the base as best you can and dust with cinnamon powder. You'll need to scoop some of the soil off to sort out the stump, maybe dig it out completely. It's a gamble whether the stump will survive anyhow. Just make sure you don't get any dirt on the fresh cuts.

Keep the rotten bit, it's probably worth extracting.

Poor thing looks a bit etiolated, no wonder it got sunburn. :(
Next time it goes outside, start with bright but shaded before it gets any direct sun - and keep it out of the midday sun in general.
Click to expand...

I know... it's making me really sad, but I'm going to go ahead and and cut it tonight in that case.

Guess I'll now open my door to mesc extractions... seems like a sad way to begin.

Just for my clarity, after chopping and dusting with cinnamon powder, it's best to allow it to scab over in a cool dry place before replanting, correct.

Thank you again. This was a huge bummer. But it's taught me to be patient before getting any other Trichocereus cacti.

This one (and others in the future) may stay in my room before going outside until they become hardier. I also need to put an umbrella or something up to keep direct midday sun off of them.

One love
 
put an umbrella or something up to keep direct midday sun off of them.
Click to expand...
That's all you need when acclimatising them to the outdoors :thumb_up:

Don't let this put you off, Trichocereus are really easy for the most part - especially once you get to know them a bit better.

Let's face it - even a hopeless goof-off like me can manage :lol:

Once you've made the cuts the key is good ventilation until they've fully callused over. The cinnamon might be more crucial for the base, that looks a bit more touch-and-go to me. I'd have to see it IRL to really know what I'd do with it. I think I'd try to go as gentle as possible and try to get the rot to dry up by itself but, as already noted, it's hard to say.

How big will the tip cutting be? Looks like it could take a while for it to pick up steam after this.

Look on the bright side - the only way forward is to get moar cactus whether this unfortunate incident had happened or not!
 
downwardsfromzero said:
put an umbrella or something up to keep direct midday sun off of them.
Click to expand...
That's all you need when acclimatising them to the outdoors :thumb_up:

Don't let this put you off, Trichocereus are really easy for the most part - especially once you get to know them a bit better.

Let's face it - even a hopeless goof-off like me can manage :lol:

Once you've made the cuts the key is good ventilation until they've fully callused over. The cinnamon might be more crucial for the base, that looks a bit more touch-and-go to me. I'd have to see it IRL to really know what I'd do with it. I think I'd try to go as gentle as possible and try to get the rot to dry up by itself but, as already noted, it's hard to say.

How big will the tip cutting be? Looks like it could take a while for it to pick up steam after this.

Look on the bright side - the only way forward is to get moar cactus whether this unfortunate incident had happened or not!
Click to expand...

Oh! I'm not put off, just saddened. I love this cactus and am beginning to miss it.

I cut about an inch or a little more above where the sunburn line was. Now have this future one drying. I sprinkled some cinnamon on the base, but kept it in the pot for now. Am tired and would like to be more clear headed while I decide on what I want to do. Will probably just end up doing an extraction. Cutting is about 10 inches.

You're right. I was going to get moar either way. And with this extraction, I may get my first full fledged mescaline experience. I have never had enough at a time for a full journey, only enough for a couple microdoses (which were highly enjoyable). And that was powdered cactus.

Thank you again for your greatly valued insight. :love:

Bedtime for me.

One love
 
Hey, how has this turned out? Has the cutting survived? You should be able to start it off in grit and coarse sand in a couple of days.
 
It looks good Voidmatrix! Hopefully it had a very good callus before you planted it. Dont water it for awhile, a few weeks at least. After that, once you know for sure that it is rooting without any rot issues, then you can start to introduce it to more light. It definitely wants more light. All the best with it!
 
Grey Fox said:
It looks good Voidmatrix! Hopefully it had a very good callus before you planted it. Dont water it for awhile, a few weeks at least. After that, once you know for sure that it is rooting without any rot issues, then you can start to introduce it to more light. It definitely wants more light. All the best with it!
Click to expand...

Thank you Grey Fox (which, BTW, your name makes me think of Metal Gear Solid lol). I let it sit and callous for about 5 days. I only added a tiny amount of water, and am going to monitor it for a couple weeks before giving more light and whatnot. Thank you for the feedback and reassurance :love:

One love
 

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