"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
m...

The sudden loss of a plant can be a perplexing thing to deal with. Sometimes
they seem to just die despite our best efforts seemingly for no reason. You
appear to have done your best to hold them over the winter dormancy period
so you shouldn't feel responsible for the plant's untimely demise.

I just feel a bit responsible because I should have been more attentive.
Having said that.................I've found yet another dead one, looking
like all the world like it was alive. And I've had THIS one for
years......but it was close to the Golden barrel. There will be a LOT of
really neat looking pots that will be emptied of their bodies and soil very
soon. (possibly today) The cacti will be put into the compost pile near the
back so that the spines can eventually decompose, and the soils will be put
into the compost pile as well, since I suspect you are dead on with a few of
the deaths. Fungal problems are sneaky.



Succulents are most susceptible to rapid infections and parasites during the
winter resting season. It could have been a fungus infection. Usually the
cortex is too far gone before there are any apparent symptoms and there is
nothing that can be done to save the plant. You may also want to check the
roots for signs of root mealy bug infestation.



I usually recycle the soils on my cactus mix, but I think that this is a
perfect year to stop that cycle and start fresh. The ones that are still
alive and thriving (other than the normal winter stress, like the Ox-tongue
that has shriveled a bit, but seems fine, except for the bowl of different
ones that a sneaky cat or puppy (when he was smaller and more curious and
able to get into the space to where the bowl was sitting in the den) dug up
and I missed it. I haven't watered the plants in the den for a month, but
since this is the largest spot for the bulk of the cacti and a few tropicals
because there is a huge window that makes up the whole wall that faces
south, I suspect I can save a few that are lying outside the sandy soils.
I'll pot up the survivors and water them really well. This is what they do
in nature, which makes them awesome plants. Generating from broken pieces as
long as there is a succulent piece left is the neatest thing about cacti and
succulents. I just hate that I've lost large and older plants. For what
it's worth, the barrel probably was raised in Arizona somewhere, it didn't
even have tough sunburned skin yet. I suspect these aren't as tough as
babies that had been raised out in the desert. Having said that silly
statement, I think you know that what I'm saying is maybe some of the fast
grown cacti and succulents aren't given time to callous up and grow
"normal". .



I sometimes wish I lived where I could plant these outside where they'd
thrive. And another tangient thought...........if I had a true sunroom, I'd
just have a cactus garden that was exposed to south and western sunlight,
drained really well, wasn't heated so that it'd get cold but not freezing in
the winter, and they'd probably do just fine, including flower for me.
That's how I know they're not totally in their element. I used to have a
perfect place at the rented farmhouse we lived in before we bought this
place. It had great windows all the way around the house, leaky, drafty
windows. They were huge, too, to let in as much light as it could. And the
window sills were really wide. Wider than normal, I think. The two
bathrooms weren't that warm either, and one window faced south eastwards and
I used to put all the smaller pots of cacti on that window, the window
behind the washer and dryer (the vent was directed thru the wall into the
bathroom to add heat) despite the washer, was cooler and housed more smaller
pots of cacti and my larger ones. The room upstairs was the perfect room.
Not finished, raw, with just floor joists for a floor, the window was very
leaky with no insulation in the outer walls that faced eastern and
southwards (the house was a bit cockeyed in directions,) and all the largest
cacti were placed there for the winters. The big one just suffered in the
livingroom that faced northeast and got indirect western exposure thru the
west window. I think the Cerius cactus has survived because it had the most
soil and has a good developed root structure.

enough of this, thanks Cereus-validus for the thoughts on fungal diseases
(especially now that I've found another one dead and looking still alive
just next to the barrel cactus. fungal is very likely)

madgardener getting spring mad...........gbseg