Help! My Cactus Has Fallen and Can't Get Up!
Q: We have two large cactus – both approx 5 feet tall – 18 years old. Not sure their type but they grow tall and straight with many 8-15 inch offshoots. We live in Georgia – left them outside all summer and they flourished. We left them outside one night too many though and we had an early frost. They used to bleed a milky white, now they are bleeding a redish brown sap, they have turned a sickly army green color and the tips are black. Most of the prickles are gone and several branches have fallen over and gone limp. Our beautiful plants are dying. Please if you have any advice on how we can save these plants, let us know immediately. We will do anything.
CHADPS
A: It sounds like they really froze hard. Keep them warm and dry and see if they perk up. If the black starts spreading, they are rotting and you need to cut it off to clean tissue to stop the infection. Clean the knife between cuts with rubbing alcohol. After a week or two of dry warmth you could give it some liquid kelp to try and perk it up. Kelp works like a multi-vitamin and growth stimulant.
Good luck,
Hap
