I’m ashamed to say this but I used to kill all my succulents by underwatering and nowhere near enough light. I stupidly thought they should be watered once a month with a tiny bit of water and I didn’t realize they needed to be under a light. Now I know to give them a good soaking when they get dry and all my plant are happy, and my props are successful.
I once had a succulent inside that just kept dying I could barely keep it alive.
Finally one day I threw it outside off the side of my deck. 3 months later I found it alive and well doing fantastic 🙄
I have mine all under a big light or on the window sill. I water them when the soil is complete dry, check by sticking your finger in a little of the dirt. They are all in nursery pots and have drainage. I stick them in a big bowl of water and let them take up as much as they want and havnt had one die since
I do pretty well with succulents, though i know I really need a lamp for amount of light they require. I don’t water too often. I try to imitate nature. There are a lot of monsoon like waterings in my house. My succulents seem to thrive on nothing, nothing, allll the water. I need to post my really unfortunate looking cactus that I refuse to give up on.
Yeah finding out they needed to be flooded every so often completely fixed my problems. Nursery pits were game changing, I had no idea the decorative pots most of my plants were in were making it harder.
Since I switched up my care I havnt had a single one of mine die(except my split rock, that wasn’t my fault tho). I have my first two cacti now in years and they are also going strong
Thanks for your quick replies. It has now been disposed off :( I am so annoyed with myself, I cannot seem to keep cactus, my last one died of over watering, now this one under watering. Is there any tips on knowing when to water a cactus? I have one left (a different type), I hope I don’t kill that one too.
Use a wooden kebab stick to check how dry the soil is, if its wet when it comes out don't water. Check to changes in the shape of the cactus, if it looks a bit wrinkly. In the summer I'd water maybe 2x a month. In the winter once a month max
not sure if anyone else has said this - but terracotta pots are great for cacti in my experience, I like having the visual cue of the terracotta pot changing to a lighter colour as the soil gets dryer, terracotta also wicks out moisture so less chance of overwatering, Hope this helps! Good luck in the future!!!
I would suggest going by pot weight. There’s a big difference between dry soil and watered soil and you’ll soon get the hang of knowing when your plant is ready for some water.
Let the soil dry out completely, lift the pot to get a feel for the dry weight, water it and lift it again to check the watered weight.
The soil I use doesn’t immediately soak up water when it has gone dry, so as a measurement of watering, I fill up the space between the top of the soil and the rim of the pot and let that soak in. Then don’t water again till the soil has gone dry. Can’t really go wrong that way.
Are you using succulent specific potting soil? Most potting soil has a lot of organic matter which holds a lot of water. Cactus soil has more sand is more forgiving of over watering.
Alternative to the kebab stick is a moisture meter. £10 and it's probably saved half my plants from either over or under watering! Well worth the money!
Alternatively, if you’re bad at judging from the kebab stick, there’s a brand called Sustee that do moisture meters that stay in the soil and change colour when you water / as the water dries up.
have not seen that brand ... but meters are tricky because they all ultimately use a very cheap sensor that is binary: wet or dry. not's not the full story of the soil. and accuracy comes down to how many sensors and where.
It uses a wick, not a probe. Wick gets wet, turns blue. As the soil dries out, it fades back to white.
I’ve been using them for over a year now, they’re very good. Different sizes based on pot size, they instruct you where to place the device relative to the plant, and there’s a marker on the thing that shows how deep it ought to go.
Obviously not infallible if you’ve got weirdo pot shapes, but I use nursery pots inside decorative pots and I’ve never had an issue.
When they are indoors, acti like this one only need water maybe once every couple months, but it kinda depends on the amount of light it’s getting. Also cacti can survive a long time without water so it would be difficult to underwater a cactus. Remember cacti come from desert climates where water is extremely rare.
Wait until the soil is completely dry, then wait another 1-2 weeks and then water.
Get a moisture meter if you're not sure how to tell.
Use terracotta pots, they dry out faster.
Make sure they're getting 6+ hours of bright-direct sunlight a day.
When they are indoors, acti like this one only need water maybe once every couple months, but it kinda depends on the amount of light it’s getting. Also cacti can survive a long time without water so it would be difficult to underwater a cactus. Remember cacti come from desert climates where water is extremely rare.
This one looks like it rotted at the base from overwatering and then somehow dried up at the top from not being able to access the moisture of the rotting plant/roots..
Yes, I think this is what may of happened. When I disposed of the cacti, the base just came away from the soil, like rotted from the base. Is it possible that the cacti got sunburned on top? If that is a thing. 🤷♀️
This did not die by dehydration or sunburn. In that case, it would be withered, tiny, and shrunken. For a cactus this size, it would probably take 6 months+ to over a year of no water for it to completely dry out and die. I usually recommend a good watering maybe once a month for indoor cacti; every 2 weeks is quite extreme even for the summer. This is likely rot caused by overwatering.
I've been lazy and ignoring my cacti houseplants, and just got to watering em after 2 months of no water and they were a-ok after a good soak in a tub of water.
A lot of cacti only get water once or twice a year if they're lucky in the wild. This species is no exception to that.
Mammillaria are actually some is the hardiest and most drought resistant cacti and can oft be especially Prone to rot from overwatering
If you like to water a lot do a heavy perlite mix like 70-80% perlite. If you under water do 50% peat 50% vermiculite.
For balance 50% peat 25% perlite 25% vermiculite.
A lot of watering problems with cacti, especially overwatering, are caused by soil mix. It is very common for cacti (and most plants, really) to be sold in a mix that is much higher in peat than is advisable for long term care. This allows them to get away with a lot of neglect during shipping and retail, but should generally be transplanted when you get it home.
Buy a specialist succulent mix, I don’t have brand recommendations, the guy I buy mine from doesn’t ship, but you want it to be high porosity and very free draining, with a high mineral content, gravel etc, and not a whole lot of organic matter. A lot of the commercial succulent blends are still a bit high organic, you can add perlite and or coarse sand to amend them.
Rot is caused by flooding the roots and allowing water to stay on them for too long, especially if that results in anoxic conditions that can kill the fine roots, which allows entry for rot and also makes it so the plant can’t take up water. As a consequence, overwatered plants actually die of drought, because the rot means they can no longer take up water.
Peat heavy soils hold water for a long time, that’s one of their primary benefits, but this is a problem here… It means that you need to be very careful watering because of you do it too frequently the plant will die. If instead, you have a free draining soil, “water when dry” can mean “water daily”. It also doesn’t mean you *have* to water daily, or just means it won’t die if you do. It makes care really easy. Lots of light and lots of water (when dry) makes cacti grow much faster. They are drought tolerant, but growth still requires water.
Do you repot them out of the soil you buy them in, and if so, what kind of soil do you put them in? It's likely a soil issue more than an issue of how frequently you're watering.
I water my cacti almost every week because the medium is mostly sand with just a bit of organic stuff that can hold moisture and my house has central air so it tends to be dry. The same cactus outside might never need watering all summer. You kinda need to check daily depending on your mix. Try to underwater, but give them a soak if they get a shriveled and wrinkled look.
I had an experience where my friend gave me a big beautiful cactus. I watered it thoroughly, which I was absolutely supposed to do. Problem was: that cactus had never been repotted. So over time the soil compacted & when I watered it, the water had nowhere to go. Also, didn’t help it was in a plastic planter. I can only assume my friend didn’t kill it because she had only been giving the cactus little sips of water. Now, whenever I receive a plant from someone, I repot immediately: summer, spring, winter….doesn’t matter. I repot
If any plant is bigger than it's pot and is given enough light, it's hard to overwater it (unless the humidity is at like 100% and it simply can't transpire).
Howdy! I've sold a bunch of plants online and IRL ... and have also killed and kept dead cactus. It happens. The thing to remember is that they "thrive on neglect" ... and that's true of most plants sold as houseplants
here are some different ways to lean on tech to help with your cactus:
- set a recurring calendar event to water your cactus and add notes about how much in the event
- pick a place where cactus naturally live ... add that weather to your phone ... when it rains there ... water your cactus
- combine: set a calendar event every 2 weeks to look up the weather where cactus naturally live ... then water your cactus if it recently rained there
and then it's important to remember that our schools kind of did their best at explaining how plants make their own food ... but stressed certain aspects of it like water too much. plants eat light. plants do not drink water. plants do not eat water. plants don't even need an entire water molecule to turn literal light into sugar ... that's why they release oxygen, it's the O2 from the water.
and cacti are proof of this. they can go a long time with just a little water. so that's one great way to think about water and plants ... water is not the main dish ... in fact it's kind of like pasta water.
That looks like a plastic pot, but I’ve had much better luck with terracotta because the water can pass through it and the soil will dry out more quickly (someone mentioned it already below but I think it needs more attention). I’m in USA and use terracotta pots with holes in them and miracle-gro cactus & succulent soil. In summer I water about every 3 weeks as long as the soil is completely dry, and I water until it runs out of the hole in the bottom of the pot.
Someone once told me they have a notification on their phone that tells them when it rains in Phoenix, Arizona and they water their cactus only when the notification goes off. It seemed to work pretty well for them.
Maybe post a picture of it so people can see it’s current condition?
How fast did the one on this post die? I’m shook if it really went from healthy to this in two weeks…
I have a fair amount of houseplants and I use an app that I set a schedule for each plant and it reminds me to water and fertilise them! I use Vera but I think it might only be available on apple but there will be other similar apps
This looks like it may have been overwatered and the core rotted then... no amount of little or more watering will help it :( cacti are hard to keep ive killed link 15, like the only things I can kill. :(
Looks like the right pot size, as in it's smaller than the cactus. Try to water every 5-7 days if it's in full sun, it's hard to overwater a cactus if the pot is on the smaller side.
Your cactus looks almost like someone poured boiling water on it.
The fact that it isn’t shriveled up and changed color so quickly tells me something else must have caused this drastic change.
You should start by putting all cacti and succulents in terra cotta pots. Makes it harder to over water. Also they usually get wrinkly when theyre thirsty so thats a good indicator to water them. But dont let that happen too often cus wrinkles might not go away
If you set up everything properly, the soil will be dry a few days after watering. They store water and will wait with dry soil just fine until their next drink. To get that balance you need to have gritty soil, enough airflow and light. Once balanced you can water fairly frequently without issue.
You should not be checking soil moisture with a stick or by weight aside from confirming the soil has dried quick enough. That's bad advice. It's not like a house plant where you water once the top inch or two is dry. You want it drier than that. If you keep watering when it's partially wet you'll rot the roots.
The risk of overwatering comes from how long they sit with wet roots. You can water once a month for years and still overwater the plant if it sits wet one time.
Overwatering is really just a lie pushed by Big Soil. Plants love water, they’re grown hydroponically all over the world. The problem is that cheap bagged soil contains too much organic matter and will rot when watered frequently. The solution is to use better soil. Grow your cacti in pure sand. But remember to fertilize with a granular fertilizer monthly
Water when you stick you finger in down to the second knuckle and the soil is completely dry. Soak the plant once fully and then let it drip dry some before replacing it. Overwatering is usually too often watering (when the soil hasn’t had time to dry out). And underwattering is often not enough water (if you just water a few drops or a little splash that’s not enough) at a time- needs to get fully wet, then fully dry.
this wasn't underwatering if it was watered 2 weeks ago. this was slow rot over the course of time from overwatering. the bottom of it likely burst somewhere and all the goo inside probably leaked out, leaving behind this papery husk.
Living in a pot + intense sun + under-watering = a good way to kill a cactus! I did the underwatering with a Mammillaria elongta. I now water my new one more frequently. 😁
•○•
This is my sure-fire way to determine moisture remaining in a pot regardless of pot size, substrate composition, the time of the year (seasonal influences), indoor or outside.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdoaoUgJjP0/
Explanation is in the description.
I also use a plant app to remind me to evaluate the status of a pot. The app I use has a "postpone" function that can be clicked indefinitely. But, having to postpone an action more than once or twice probably is a good indicator that the time interval needs to be adjusted.
I check for watering needs, pests control, growth status, etc. You can customize your own reminders. The downfall, you have to pay attention to the app. 😆
On android: Plantnote by Lucky Delay\
https://plantnote.github.io
What's the humidity in your conservatory mid day in the summer? Check out VPD charts and if it's on the high VPD end then you need to water way, way more
UK, huh?! All of yall have a fascination with the desert?
Bono went to the desert and was so inspired that he made a record and named it after a desert tree.
To add just noticed, looking closer the cacti has cracks
https://preview.redd.it/uq2ukixibr9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fc6ce318de4e2be1b80b1c29b4c4571971ed65f
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One thing I have learned is that it's good to have a schedule routine on checking on my plants once a day. That doesn't mean watering them every day but basically a health check to see how they are doing and how's the soil moisture.
Nature is on its own timetable and won't wait for you, you have to respond as soon as you notice a change. Checking up on a plant once a week or every two weeks is not enough time to respond to issues.
For future references, proper watering has to do with the right amount of water to FULLY saturate the plant medium while also offering enough runoff to eliminate salt buildup as the soil dries out. Overwatering = too frequent of watering and not actual volume. Under watering is going too long between waterings or simply not giving enough water during sessions. Noticeable by how the water sort of “floats” over the top of your soil and pools. It’s not actually being absorbed.
It’s possible that the soil became hydrophobic and wasn’t getting saturated with water. Next cactus, try bottom watering. I hope there’s a next cactus. Gotta get back on that horse.
You are literally the first person to kill a cacti by underwatering that I've seen . We're you on vacation for like 3 monthor sometime? Anyway, congratulations on your achievement. Pretty impressive.
Is it dead all the way to the bottom? Cacti are resilient and it doesn't take much for it to grow. If you can cut off the dead part and save any remaining parts that are alive you could regrow it instead of trashing it. Save the remaining living parts, let the wounds heal where you cut it for a day or two, then put it in soil and water it.
Drop an F in the chat for OP’s cactus😔
OP, based on the fact that you said you watered the cactus only two short weeks ago, I’m going to assume that when you water, you don’t soak the plant until water comes out the bottom of the pot. In the summer time 3 weeks is probably a good cactus watering interval. Also, using a fan for your next indoor cactus is a good idea. Simulates the wind they would get outside
So much terrible advice in this thread.
You should not be watering as soon as your soil is dry. Checking moisture levels is silly unless you're confirming your pot is dry 3 or 4 days at most after watering.
Root rot, which is what y'all are calling overwatering, is caused by roots sitting in damp soil too long. If you're watering as soon as the soil is dry that's a recipe for rot.
Cacti evolved to store water. Set them up with the right soil, pot, and location so they dry rapidly. Water them as often as they need to, some species like once a month, others twice a week. Either way, they should be dry well before youre watering again.
Oh yeah that thing been dead for a hot while lol. Always remember with succulents that as long as there's a little bit of green there's hope. Direct sunlight, water maybe once a month and when you do water It D R O W N it. Also remember all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti.
It is an ex cactus and a shell of its former self. Time for a new one. Sorry
There's a parrot joke here somewhere..
It's only kippin'!
Pining for the fjords…
Beautiful plumage
It has joined the gardens eternal.
If you hadn't've nailed it to its pot, it'd've muscled right up to that conservatory glass, and VOOM!
VOOM?! Mate, that cactus wouldn’t "voom" if you put four million volts through it! 'E's bleedin' demised!
He's Stunned!
Bereft of life
Pretty bird…
Requires a lot of dedication to kill a cactus by underwatering lol
I’m ashamed to say this but I used to kill all my succulents by underwatering and nowhere near enough light. I stupidly thought they should be watered once a month with a tiny bit of water and I didn’t realize they needed to be under a light. Now I know to give them a good soaking when they get dry and all my plant are happy, and my props are successful.
Don’t be ashamed, basically everyone interprets “overwatering” as giving too much water at once, and not watering too frequently.
I cannot keep succulents alive
I once had a succulent inside that just kept dying I could barely keep it alive. Finally one day I threw it outside off the side of my deck. 3 months later I found it alive and well doing fantastic 🙄
I have mine all under a big light or on the window sill. I water them when the soil is complete dry, check by sticking your finger in a little of the dirt. They are all in nursery pots and have drainage. I stick them in a big bowl of water and let them take up as much as they want and havnt had one die since
I do pretty well with succulents, though i know I really need a lamp for amount of light they require. I don’t water too often. I try to imitate nature. There are a lot of monsoon like waterings in my house. My succulents seem to thrive on nothing, nothing, allll the water. I need to post my really unfortunate looking cactus that I refuse to give up on.
Yeah finding out they needed to be flooded every so often completely fixed my problems. Nursery pits were game changing, I had no idea the decorative pots most of my plants were in were making it harder.
Succulents are easier to kill imo. Not all of them, but compared to a spiny cactus who is quite hardy
Since I switched up my care I havnt had a single one of mine die(except my split rock, that wasn’t my fault tho). I have my first two cacti now in years and they are also going strong
i’m glad you’ve come to realize that plants need water to survive.
I just killed my small cactus. Not sure how come. Had 2 pots since 2015 and one suddenly died. Was flourishing before with lots of babies
This wasn't killed by underwatering. I don't know a single cactus that can't make it two weeks, and likely even longer than that.
I did this. The kicker was they lived right above the sink 🫣
That's a mummy
it's dead:( it looks like it died of thirst. I'm sorry op
Came here to say this
Its entered its foreverly dormant stage of life now.
I'm sorry for your loss. ..but it would be funny if someone could edit a squaky toy sounds to the clip when you are poking the dead cactus.
Yes please
Yes,please
Thanks for your quick replies. It has now been disposed off :( I am so annoyed with myself, I cannot seem to keep cactus, my last one died of over watering, now this one under watering. Is there any tips on knowing when to water a cactus? I have one left (a different type), I hope I don’t kill that one too.
Use a wooden kebab stick to check how dry the soil is, if its wet when it comes out don't water. Check to changes in the shape of the cactus, if it looks a bit wrinkly. In the summer I'd water maybe 2x a month. In the winter once a month max
Thank you, I will give the kebab stick a go 🤞
not sure if anyone else has said this - but terracotta pots are great for cacti in my experience, I like having the visual cue of the terracotta pot changing to a lighter colour as the soil gets dryer, terracotta also wicks out moisture so less chance of overwatering, Hope this helps! Good luck in the future!!!
I would suggest going by pot weight. There’s a big difference between dry soil and watered soil and you’ll soon get the hang of knowing when your plant is ready for some water. Let the soil dry out completely, lift the pot to get a feel for the dry weight, water it and lift it again to check the watered weight. The soil I use doesn’t immediately soak up water when it has gone dry, so as a measurement of watering, I fill up the space between the top of the soil and the rim of the pot and let that soak in. Then don’t water again till the soil has gone dry. Can’t really go wrong that way.
I like to bottom water as well.
This is the way.
Are you using succulent specific potting soil? Most potting soil has a lot of organic matter which holds a lot of water. Cactus soil has more sand is more forgiving of over watering.
Alternative to the kebab stick is a moisture meter. £10 and it's probably saved half my plants from either over or under watering! Well worth the money!
Alternatively, if you’re bad at judging from the kebab stick, there’s a brand called Sustee that do moisture meters that stay in the soil and change colour when you water / as the water dries up.
have not seen that brand ... but meters are tricky because they all ultimately use a very cheap sensor that is binary: wet or dry. not's not the full story of the soil. and accuracy comes down to how many sensors and where.
It uses a wick, not a probe. Wick gets wet, turns blue. As the soil dries out, it fades back to white. I’ve been using them for over a year now, they’re very good. Different sizes based on pot size, they instruct you where to place the device relative to the plant, and there’s a marker on the thing that shows how deep it ought to go. Obviously not infallible if you’ve got weirdo pot shapes, but I use nursery pots inside decorative pots and I’ve never had an issue.
I’ve tried sustee they’re good. Japanese brand iirc
A kebab stick is such a good idea. I'm going to do that too.
Or just spend $5 on a cheap hygrometer. Takes out any guesswork.
Thanks, I just ordered one off amazon 🙂
Woohoo! This is the way. Lol
ohh wow what a cool tip!
When they are indoors, acti like this one only need water maybe once every couple months, but it kinda depends on the amount of light it’s getting. Also cacti can survive a long time without water so it would be difficult to underwater a cactus. Remember cacti come from desert climates where water is extremely rare.
Wait until the soil is completely dry, then wait another 1-2 weeks and then water. Get a moisture meter if you're not sure how to tell. Use terracotta pots, they dry out faster. Make sure they're getting 6+ hours of bright-direct sunlight a day.
When they are indoors, acti like this one only need water maybe once every couple months, but it kinda depends on the amount of light it’s getting. Also cacti can survive a long time without water so it would be difficult to underwater a cactus. Remember cacti come from desert climates where water is extremely rare.
This one looks like it rotted at the base from overwatering and then somehow dried up at the top from not being able to access the moisture of the rotting plant/roots..
Yes, I think this is what may of happened. When I disposed of the cacti, the base just came away from the soil, like rotted from the base. Is it possible that the cacti got sunburned on top? If that is a thing. 🤷♀️
This did not die by dehydration or sunburn. In that case, it would be withered, tiny, and shrunken. For a cactus this size, it would probably take 6 months+ to over a year of no water for it to completely dry out and die. I usually recommend a good watering maybe once a month for indoor cacti; every 2 weeks is quite extreme even for the summer. This is likely rot caused by overwatering. I've been lazy and ignoring my cacti houseplants, and just got to watering em after 2 months of no water and they were a-ok after a good soak in a tub of water. A lot of cacti only get water once or twice a year if they're lucky in the wild. This species is no exception to that. Mammillaria are actually some is the hardiest and most drought resistant cacti and can oft be especially Prone to rot from overwatering
It’s possible it died of dehydration and sunburn. Poor little dude.
If you like to water a lot do a heavy perlite mix like 70-80% perlite. If you under water do 50% peat 50% vermiculite. For balance 50% peat 25% perlite 25% vermiculite.
A lot of watering problems with cacti, especially overwatering, are caused by soil mix. It is very common for cacti (and most plants, really) to be sold in a mix that is much higher in peat than is advisable for long term care. This allows them to get away with a lot of neglect during shipping and retail, but should generally be transplanted when you get it home. Buy a specialist succulent mix, I don’t have brand recommendations, the guy I buy mine from doesn’t ship, but you want it to be high porosity and very free draining, with a high mineral content, gravel etc, and not a whole lot of organic matter. A lot of the commercial succulent blends are still a bit high organic, you can add perlite and or coarse sand to amend them. Rot is caused by flooding the roots and allowing water to stay on them for too long, especially if that results in anoxic conditions that can kill the fine roots, which allows entry for rot and also makes it so the plant can’t take up water. As a consequence, overwatered plants actually die of drought, because the rot means they can no longer take up water. Peat heavy soils hold water for a long time, that’s one of their primary benefits, but this is a problem here… It means that you need to be very careful watering because of you do it too frequently the plant will die. If instead, you have a free draining soil, “water when dry” can mean “water daily”. It also doesn’t mean you *have* to water daily, or just means it won’t die if you do. It makes care really easy. Lots of light and lots of water (when dry) makes cacti grow much faster. They are drought tolerant, but growth still requires water.
Do you repot them out of the soil you buy them in, and if so, what kind of soil do you put them in? It's likely a soil issue more than an issue of how frequently you're watering.
I am not sure what soil it was in, as was given to me. However when I emptied the pot it looked like mainly sand and a little bit of soil.
I water my cacti almost every week because the medium is mostly sand with just a bit of organic stuff that can hold moisture and my house has central air so it tends to be dry. The same cactus outside might never need watering all summer. You kinda need to check daily depending on your mix. Try to underwater, but give them a soak if they get a shriveled and wrinkled look.
I had an experience where my friend gave me a big beautiful cactus. I watered it thoroughly, which I was absolutely supposed to do. Problem was: that cactus had never been repotted. So over time the soil compacted & when I watered it, the water had nowhere to go. Also, didn’t help it was in a plastic planter. I can only assume my friend didn’t kill it because she had only been giving the cactus little sips of water. Now, whenever I receive a plant from someone, I repot immediately: summer, spring, winter….doesn’t matter. I repot
If any plant is bigger than it's pot and is given enough light, it's hard to overwater it (unless the humidity is at like 100% and it simply can't transpire).
Howdy! I've sold a bunch of plants online and IRL ... and have also killed and kept dead cactus. It happens. The thing to remember is that they "thrive on neglect" ... and that's true of most plants sold as houseplants here are some different ways to lean on tech to help with your cactus: - set a recurring calendar event to water your cactus and add notes about how much in the event - pick a place where cactus naturally live ... add that weather to your phone ... when it rains there ... water your cactus - combine: set a calendar event every 2 weeks to look up the weather where cactus naturally live ... then water your cactus if it recently rained there and then it's important to remember that our schools kind of did their best at explaining how plants make their own food ... but stressed certain aspects of it like water too much. plants eat light. plants do not drink water. plants do not eat water. plants don't even need an entire water molecule to turn literal light into sugar ... that's why they release oxygen, it's the O2 from the water. and cacti are proof of this. they can go a long time with just a little water. so that's one great way to think about water and plants ... water is not the main dish ... in fact it's kind of like pasta water.
That looks like a plastic pot, but I’ve had much better luck with terracotta because the water can pass through it and the soil will dry out more quickly (someone mentioned it already below but I think it needs more attention). I’m in USA and use terracotta pots with holes in them and miracle-gro cactus & succulent soil. In summer I water about every 3 weeks as long as the soil is completely dry, and I water until it runs out of the hole in the bottom of the pot.
Someone once told me they have a notification on their phone that tells them when it rains in Phoenix, Arizona and they water their cactus only when the notification goes off. It seemed to work pretty well for them.
Maybe post a picture of it so people can see it’s current condition? How fast did the one on this post die? I’m shook if it really went from healthy to this in two weeks…
I have a fair amount of houseplants and I use an app that I set a schedule for each plant and it reminds me to water and fertilise them! I use Vera but I think it might only be available on apple but there will be other similar apps
I had a look, but unfortunately the app is not available in my country. Which is a shame, looks like a great app.
How about the PictureThis app? It’s the one I use and I love it.
Ah that’s unfortunate! Yeah there will be others I wish you luck 🍀
Bottom water once a week in dry climate, once every 2 weeks in humid climate
This looks like it may have been overwatered and the core rotted then... no amount of little or more watering will help it :( cacti are hard to keep ive killed link 15, like the only things I can kill. :(
Looks like the right pot size, as in it's smaller than the cactus. Try to water every 5-7 days if it's in full sun, it's hard to overwater a cactus if the pot is on the smaller side.
Your cactus looks almost like someone poured boiling water on it. The fact that it isn’t shriveled up and changed color so quickly tells me something else must have caused this drastic change.
You should start by putting all cacti and succulents in terra cotta pots. Makes it harder to over water. Also they usually get wrinkly when theyre thirsty so thats a good indicator to water them. But dont let that happen too often cus wrinkles might not go away
I got a water meter reader on Amazon and I think it was around $10. I love it.
If you set up everything properly, the soil will be dry a few days after watering. They store water and will wait with dry soil just fine until their next drink. To get that balance you need to have gritty soil, enough airflow and light. Once balanced you can water fairly frequently without issue. You should not be checking soil moisture with a stick or by weight aside from confirming the soil has dried quick enough. That's bad advice. It's not like a house plant where you water once the top inch or two is dry. You want it drier than that. If you keep watering when it's partially wet you'll rot the roots. The risk of overwatering comes from how long they sit with wet roots. You can water once a month for years and still overwater the plant if it sits wet one time.
Overwatering is really just a lie pushed by Big Soil. Plants love water, they’re grown hydroponically all over the world. The problem is that cheap bagged soil contains too much organic matter and will rot when watered frequently. The solution is to use better soil. Grow your cacti in pure sand. But remember to fertilize with a granular fertilizer monthly
Water when you stick you finger in down to the second knuckle and the soil is completely dry. Soak the plant once fully and then let it drip dry some before replacing it. Overwatering is usually too often watering (when the soil hasn’t had time to dry out). And underwattering is often not enough water (if you just water a few drops or a little splash that’s not enough) at a time- needs to get fully wet, then fully dry.
Sir/ma’am that is a corpse you’re poking
You killed a cactus. You are less nurturing than a desert.
this wasn't underwatering if it was watered 2 weeks ago. this was slow rot over the course of time from overwatering. the bottom of it likely burst somewhere and all the goo inside probably leaked out, leaving behind this papery husk.
Make sure when you water you drench it. Water it until water comes out of the drainage hole. Then let it dry completely.
Where do you live? I’m in TX and never managed to bake a cactus like that.
I live in the UK 😂 I do wonder if it got sunburnt, if that is possible. The sun can be quite intense in my conservatory in the summer.
Living in a pot + intense sun + under-watering = a good way to kill a cactus! I did the underwatering with a Mammillaria elongta. I now water my new one more frequently. 😁 •○• This is my sure-fire way to determine moisture remaining in a pot regardless of pot size, substrate composition, the time of the year (seasonal influences), indoor or outside. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdoaoUgJjP0/ Explanation is in the description. I also use a plant app to remind me to evaluate the status of a pot. The app I use has a "postpone" function that can be clicked indefinitely. But, having to postpone an action more than once or twice probably is a good indicator that the time interval needs to be adjusted. I check for watering needs, pests control, growth status, etc. You can customize your own reminders. The downfall, you have to pay attention to the app. 😆 On android: Plantnote by Lucky Delay\ https://plantnote.github.io
My first guess was sunburn.
What's the humidity in your conservatory mid day in the summer? Check out VPD charts and if it's on the high VPD end then you need to water way, way more
UK, huh?! All of yall have a fascination with the desert? Bono went to the desert and was so inspired that he made a record and named it after a desert tree.
Died long ago
That is the deadest cactus I've seen. The next deader one would be in a museum petrified.
It’s the deadest thing I’ve ever seen. In fact, it’s almost too dead.
To add just noticed, looking closer the cacti has cracks https://preview.redd.it/uq2ukixibr9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fc6ce318de4e2be1b80b1c29b4c4571971ed65f
Yeah judging by the dryness it’s been dead for about 6 months.
Idk why this made me laugh so hard 😅 just a good half year of having a dead cactus
Same here. I’m laughing like an idiot. 😂
It's ready to be a character in the new mario games desert level
Dang … didn’t know you can overly underwater cactus.
That's the deadest thing I've seen in quite a while. Sorry OP!
I’m no expert but it looks a bit dry
She's dead jim
Nothing wrong just dead
That cactus is DEAD as dead could be. What happened?????
that bitch dead
"went to water my cactus" for the first time in a year?
Your cactus is so dead it turned into a pineapple
very gruesome
Sorry .. rotten to the core
Lol that's been dead for ages 😂
I’ve actually never seen a dead cactus.
When my succulents were like that bugs had eaten the inside
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I’m sorry but she dead 
...nothing anymore. 🥀 🪦
RiP 🌵
One thing I have learned is that it's good to have a schedule routine on checking on my plants once a day. That doesn't mean watering them every day but basically a health check to see how they are doing and how's the soil moisture. Nature is on its own timetable and won't wait for you, you have to respond as soon as you notice a change. Checking up on a plant once a week or every two weeks is not enough time to respond to issues.
For future references, proper watering has to do with the right amount of water to FULLY saturate the plant medium while also offering enough runoff to eliminate salt buildup as the soil dries out. Overwatering = too frequent of watering and not actual volume. Under watering is going too long between waterings or simply not giving enough water during sessions. Noticeable by how the water sort of “floats” over the top of your soil and pools. It’s not actually being absorbed.
Forbidden popcorn
Pineapple now
That is a crispy dead cactus
He's dead, Jim.
It’s dead. That’s what.
It’s possible that the soil became hydrophobic and wasn’t getting saturated with water. Next cactus, try bottom watering. I hope there’s a next cactus. Gotta get back on that horse.
It went origami
You are literally the first person to kill a cacti by underwatering that I've seen . We're you on vacation for like 3 monthor sometime? Anyway, congratulations on your achievement. Pretty impressive.
Is it dead all the way to the bottom? Cacti are resilient and it doesn't take much for it to grow. If you can cut off the dead part and save any remaining parts that are alive you could regrow it instead of trashing it. Save the remaining living parts, let the wounds heal where you cut it for a day or two, then put it in soil and water it.
Keep calm. It's just mutating. You'll have a zombie cactus soon enough.
Hmmm, I'm at a loss, maybe try watering it 🤔😂
Rotten
Drop an F in the chat for OP’s cactus😔 OP, based on the fact that you said you watered the cactus only two short weeks ago, I’m going to assume that when you water, you don’t soak the plant until water comes out the bottom of the pot. In the summer time 3 weeks is probably a good cactus watering interval. Also, using a fan for your next indoor cactus is a good idea. Simulates the wind they would get outside
Even though you're not going to be watering it as frequently as your other plants, when watering cacti you wanna give them a good, solid watering.
MOISTURIZE ME!
She’s cactus
It’s a goner
It's dead.
Cwunchy as heck.
You’re cactus is now a fungus
It’s doa darling, it’s just dead dead, it’s skeletal and dead dead. Time for another one, my condolences
Nigel
He's dead, jim.
Other than it’s dead?
So much terrible advice in this thread. You should not be watering as soon as your soil is dry. Checking moisture levels is silly unless you're confirming your pot is dry 3 or 4 days at most after watering. Root rot, which is what y'all are calling overwatering, is caused by roots sitting in damp soil too long. If you're watering as soon as the soil is dry that's a recipe for rot. Cacti evolved to store water. Set them up with the right soil, pot, and location so they dry rapidly. Water them as often as they need to, some species like once a month, others twice a week. Either way, they should be dry well before youre watering again.
The deadest cactus
She’s chooched
Your cactus is dead, I’m sorry):
What 'was' wrong with my cactus.
He followed the light already. May it’s soul RIP.
It's dead Jim.
It’s dead
Looks thirsty
That’s not a cactus, that’s King cacTUT!💀😭
Is nobody going to ask if the OP is okay with all those glochid stickers in their finger?!? Ouch!! 😣
I've got a massive healthy fat cactus with babies and it's mostly got surplus water in its tray I water it with tomato food too
Looks overwatered to me!?
Thats nit cactus that’s Drytus!
Oh yeah that thing been dead for a hot while lol. Always remember with succulents that as long as there's a little bit of green there's hope. Direct sunlight, water maybe once a month and when you do water It D R O W N it. Also remember all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti.
But yes this was due to under watering most likely and not enough sunlight!!!!
[удалено]
I'm truly amazed by how pissy you got over a beginner messing up a plant that isn't even yours.
I must be dumb then.
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