got a cutting online a while ago, tried to plant it. got some rot issues so i took it out. rot started to travel i thought it was going to die. months down the road i get this little guy. not sure if i can cut it off or what. how do i save this?

Make sure it has a full Rot-ectomy, let the cut parts dry and scar over for a week or so then see if what's left will root. You can remove the pup and try to get it to root by itself, separately but I'd leave the pup on and try and root the whole thing.

I'm questioning your soil, it looks like you just plunked it in the ground. I have this one cactus that was supposedly "hand picked from a shaman's garden" or whatever and it is the most sensitive thing to water I've ever seen. It is worse than the brown paper you dry your hands off with in the gas station bathroom. Anyways, it still grows.

My point, if the top is still growing, the flow is getting through the base. If the top is visibly suffering, the base is closed off. You could pull it up, use a sterile knife to slice through live flesh and then put it in front of a fan on low and let it callous over, ultimatly leading to a replant. Or you could just let it keep going if the tip is alive. You have to play these things by ear.

Either way, you need to make appropriate soil. Assuming what I see in the photo is correct, you need to make appropriate soil and your cactus will take off. If what Im seeing isnt accurate, my apologies.

Dusting cut surfaces with powdered sulfur is also considered a good hygiene practice by some.


Taking cuttings is a fairly reliable way of increasing your stem count although some would argue that growing from seed will serve just as well, if not better. Cactus seedlings will take a good few years to get their alkaloid levels to par, though.

Either way, patience and dedication pay dividends of joy and satisfaction in the realm of cactus cultivation!

Dont see any rot there. Just some callus.

Looks fine to me too, except that you may have some mites between the ribs there. Could be sand or something too, but the white looks suspect so check it carefully.

Also, I think that's a Cuszcoensis (how on earth do you spell that?) rather than a torch.