san pedro looking funky

[fuzz]

hey there,

can anyone help this sad looking san pedro cut...



its been slowy loosing its color, growing sideways, and not growing much at all besides some skiny and spiky top. also, it seems that its getting some whitish looking strike on the side.
its not being over watered, and only got fertilized once so far. dirt is half sand half dirt mix.
what should i do to give this puppy some life back?

[TroutMask]

Give it a lot of direct sunlight if possible. But I guess you'd be doing that already if you could.

-TM

[fuzz]

actually no, i wasnt giving it plenty of sunlight. me new to succulents.
it was in the back of the room, with the other cutting, which is doing great.
thanx, i'll move it by the window

[Cassie]

Hey there Fuzz ... its your summer now and if you could put it outside it would be even better than a window of similar aspect to the sun, imho.  What TM said is right, they are sun-lovers (but will also handle quite cold temperatures as long as they dont get wet). Plants in pots can be moved around through the day and through the seasons;  i used to chase the sunshine around the house each day with some of my important plants.

[visionarybear]

could even be an option to cut it in the fatter region and allow to pup as that thin tip maynot be able to hold up new fat growth..

[DrYRHead]

The poor thing is starved for sunlight.

[EA-1306]

The poor thing is starved for sunlight.

And water and food and rootspace.

[fuzz]

ok..well taking advice, mister Pedro has been outside, and will be spending the summer in the sun.

we will see how it went after the summer. it is for now at least standing up straight and not looking like  a drunk falling on its ass!

also...during hot summer days, how often should i water it?

thanx to all planters for your green thumbs helps

[Bushpig]

In hot weather like we are getting in the uk you can water every day with pedro's.  If the soil is dry give it some water, it will love it.  It looks like its thoroughly been starved og light, hence the wat it has elongated/gone thin at the top.  

Dont worry though, over a few summers it may recover fromthat, you may even get some good pups grow out from the bottom.


BOoosh

[EA-1306]

In hot weather I water often, I feed fairly often as well using very low dilutions that allow me to feed every time I water with great results, should I so desire. I often use these low dilutions now and then though and suppliment with organic fertilizer. With some of my hybrid Trichocereus plants I get what i consider very awesome results but of course they are very vigorous growers.

[RifeHeretic]

And water and food and rootspace.

Do Pedros need alot of rootspace?

[visionarybear]

the more root space they have, the faster they can grow.its why when you ground them, you can get some really fat growth goin, if the climate lets you leave them year round in the ground

[fuzz]

thanx to all for help. it appears that mister pedro is doing lots better.
its slowly getting all plumped up and happy:)
other one is doing great as well since i started watering it more often. its now fat and juicy

the thing is that reading through cactis texts, it usually says how forgivable they are, and how they can handle heat and dryness. so, i was sort of letting them do their thing. yeah yeah, so i am new at cactis growing!!
i have a question:
how do cactis in the desert do it, since sometimes they get no water for months on end?

i'll post pic of cactis to show how nice it is soon:)

[EA-1306]

how do cactis in the desert do it, since sometimes they get no water for months on end?

I'd check out Environmental Biology of Agaves and Cacti by
Park S. Nobel. He has a bunch of papers and some other bopoks on cactus biology too and has been a valuable source of information for my own efforts.

 I should point out that the healthiest cacti, of Trichocereus, are almost never found outside of cultivation.

Cacti store water and often create their own microclimates through growth habit and or spine traits, they screen PAR, deal with heat through position related surface to mass ratios, deal with water presence and or lack thereof through emphemeral roots, deal with heat and light often through location specific prefferences (such as growing on the side of cliff) accessory pigments and other means.

Keep in mind though that cacti can be found in the jungle and temperate grasslands too, they are not just desert plants. They are a family with some amazing biodiversity.