You glance at the cactus on your windowsill and notice pale patches, chalky spots, or a whitish fuzz where there used to be healthy green skin. If you are asking why is my cactus turning white, the answer usually depends on exactly where the white shows up and what it feels like. The short version: … Read more >>
Your cactus sits on the windowsill looking thinner than it did a month ago, its ribs pinched together and its skin wrinkled like a raisin. If you are asking why is my cactus shriveling up, the answer almost always comes down to how much water its tissue is holding and whether its roots can still … Read more >>
You look at the cactus on your windowsill and notice a few spines lying on the soil, or a bare patch where a neat row of needles used to be. The short version: Most cacti lose needles because of physical bumps, natural aging near the base, or a care problem such as overwatering, pests, or … Read more >>
Your cactus sits on the windowsill looking wrong: maybe soft and yellow at the base, maybe thin and leaning toward the glass, maybe dotted with brown patches that weren’t there last month. If you’re asking why is my cactus dying, the answer is usually one of a few predictable problems. The short version: Most indoor … Read more >>
Your cactus sits on the windowsill, leaning hard to one side or sagging at the top, and the stem that used to stand upright now looks tired and bent. If you are asking why is my cactus drooping, the answer is usually water, light, or roots, and the stem itself tells you which one. The … Read more >>
You look at your cactus on the windowsill and notice white specks, fuzzy patches, or chalky blotches that were not there a few weeks ago. If you are wondering why does my cactus have white spots, the answer depends on whether the white rubs off, moves, or sits flat and dry on the skin. The … Read more >>
You notice the flat green segments on your Christmas cactus have gone thin, limp, and creased, like a balloon that lost half its air. The short version: Wrinkled segments mean the plant is losing more water than it can hold. Sometimes it simply needs a drink, but just as often the roots are damaged by … Read more >>
You lean in toward your windowsill cactus and notice soft white tufts tucked between the ribs, around the spines, or on the soil. If you are asking why does my cactus have white fuzz, the answer depends on where the fuzz sits and what happens when you touch it. The short version: White fuzz on … Read more >>
You notice dark, dotted, or blotchy patches on your cactus where the skin used to be an even, healthy green. The short version: Black spots on a cactus usually come from overwatering and rot, fungal or bacterial infection, pests and the sooty mold they leave behind, or damage from sun, cold, or chemicals. Soft, spreading, … Read more >>
Your cactus sits on a sunny windowsill, its ribs lined with neat clusters of spines that catch the light and snag your sleeve when you reach past it. The short version: A cactus has thorns, more accurately called spines, because they are modified leaves that protect the plant from animals, shade its skin, and slow … Read more >>