Welcome to this article that will be talking about why a cactus plant might start to shrivel up and not grow the same as it has perhaps done before. There are a variety of different causes for this and luckily they are all relatively easy to fix and also prevent.
Some of these include the plant being watered too much or too little. It’s a true balance act when it comes to cactus. But the plant might also be getting too much sun during the day.
Below here we will dive deeper and talk about these issues and some great ways to fix them. For us, the cactus plant is a great beginner-friendly houseplant to start with. It both provides useful lessons and is beautiful as a decoration.
Why Is My Cactus Shriveling Up
We laid out a few different reasons why a cactus plant might start to shrivel up. Other reasons are many but they are usually pretty easy to fix. The one we often look at is the watering of the plant.
Just like we said before, this is a true balance act if there is too much water present in the soil then the roots will start to rot and eventually cause the plant to shrivel up. This could be detrimental in the long term if nothing is done.
To counter this we first recommend placing the pot with the cactus in a very sunny spot where hopefully the soil can start to dry out quicker and maybe save the plant. The next time you water the plant you should also think about doing it in smaller amounts to mitigate this happening again.
Too little water can go the other way instead and cause the roots to stress which will harm the growth of the plant. We aim for the soil to be somewhat damp. This is what we find to be ideal.
Another factor that affects the way the plant will grow is the amount of sun it gets every day. Most people will be growing it indoors. We recommend a south-facing window where it can hopefully get about 10 hours of light each day.
One last thing about preventing the cactus from shriveling up is keeping it away from a radiator. This can cause great harm to the plant as it will heat up the pot and in return the soil too. This is what causes it to shrivel up because the roots are drying.
Do you want to make your cactus plant grow arms? In this article right here we’ll be discussing this topic more in-depth, How To Make A Cactus Grow Arms.
How Do You Revive A Shriveled Cactus
Reviving a shriveled-up cactus plant is not the easiest project to take on. It might have gone too far already and the root system might be harmed so far that it’s irreversible.
But it’s always worth a shot since the cactus plant is known to be a very hardy variety. We recommend checking the condition of the soil first. If it’s really dry then you need to water it until it has a semi-damp texture to it. This is ideal for the plant.
Making sure you have this covered will then let you move on to the next step. This includes getting a sufficient amount of sun for the plant. We strive for it to get somewhere between 8 – 10 hours growing it indoors.
Something worth mentioning as well that might go under the radar otherwise is moving it in case a radiator is very near. This is a fatal thing for the plant as the soil will get warmed up from underneath. In turn, this causes the roots to dry up and will kill off the plant.
Is your cactus plant starting to develop some white hair on it and you wonder what it is? Here we share the knowledge with you, What Is The White Hair On My Cactus.
What Does An Overwatered Cactus Look Like
An overwatered cactus plant is not a fun look as it will be rotting from beneath and soon it will also be visible above the surface. It will start to turn both brown and black in color. A drastic change from the green color it normally otherwise has.
When this happens there is little to do as it has probably gone too far already. But it might be worth keeping the plant in the sun the whole day to hopefully make the soil dry up a little bit quicker.
