I've got a lovely, large old cactus that got a little bit damaged when I
recently moved house. One of its many 'arms' (wonder what they are
called? It really does look like it's spreading its arms out to take a
bow) got damaged near the 'trunk' of the plant and I had to cut it off.
I trimmed it down a bit and put it in a little bit of water and I was
wondering if it would continue to grow, if I should put it in cactus
compost or something. Any ideas?

Jane writes
I've got a lovely, large old cactus that got a little bit damaged when
I recently moved house. One of its many 'arms' (wonder what they are
called? It really does look like it's spreading its arms out to take a
bow) got damaged near the 'trunk' of the plant and I had to cut it off.
I trimmed it down a bit and put it in a little bit of water and I was
wondering if it would continue to grow, if I should put it in cactus
compost or something. Any ideas?

Take it out of the water!

Leave it around for a few weeks to let the cut end callous over. Then
prop it up on some free draining compost and you have a fair chance of
it rooting. That is, if it is a cactus and not one of the succulent
plants that sometimes are loosely referred to as cacti.
--
Kay

"Jane" wrote in message

I've got a lovely, large old cactus that got a little bit damaged
when I
recently moved house. One of its many 'arms' (wonder what they are
called? It really does look like it's spreading its arms out to take
a
bow) got damaged near the 'trunk' of the plant and I had to cut it
off.
I trimmed it down a bit and put it in a little bit of water and I
was
wondering if it would continue to grow, if I should put it in cactus
compost or something. Any ideas?

Take it out of the water, put it somewhere where the wound can dry out
and heal over a few days.
When the wound is dry, then put it into some sandy potting mix water
and wait - keep it dryish rather than wettish.

On Jan 31, 7:16 pm, Jane wrote:
I've got a lovely, large old cactus that got a little bit damaged when I
recently moved house. One of its many 'arms' (wonder what they are
called? It really does look like it's spreading its arms out to take a
bow) got damaged near the 'trunk' of the plant and I had to cut it off.
I trimmed it down a bit and put it in a little bit of water and I was
wondering if it would continue to grow, if I should put it in cactus
compost or something. Any ideas?

First off take it out of the water! And check for signs of rot. If
necessary trim it again.
Cacti & succulents can stand any amount of drought, but they quickly
die from rot with wet feet.

Leave it somewhere cool and frost free for a few days for the wound to
heal and callous hard over. Then prop it up on a pot of moist gritty
compost with a thin layer of grit on the top. Roots will form after a
few weeks - keep the soil damp and don't subject it to long periods of
strong sunlight until it has rooted down. A few species may root
better if just laid on the surface.

A tennis ball sized plant can last a whole season dry without roots if
needs be (but if rot sets in it will die in days).

Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote:

Thanks to Martin and to Farm 1. I have now rescued it from the water
(poor thing!) and will let it dry before planting it as you both
described. No sign of rot. I will pop it in the shed by the window.