I think i've killed my cactus!

[msrisotto]

Crikey i'm bad at this! Killed a lily, thought i'd be safe with a cactus but it's looking withered and hollowed out. Is it salvagable? How do I save it without smothering it with love over watering it? Can i give it miracle grow?

Don't give it miracle gro, it needs a low nutrient compost with lots of grit, plenty of drainage. Keep it somewhere light and don't over water.

That is pretty impressive though.. killing a cactus

I'm the same.. can't keep nothing alive in my house.

Thanks both. I fear it is a lost cause. What is over watering a cactus? What is under watering?

Gamer - my husband and cat are faring ok! It's plants that don't stand a chance around here!

good going. Remind me never to let you babysit.

How oftern did you water the cactus?
A cactus doesnt really need watering only once in a very long while

I probably didn't water it at all for like, 4 months maybe. Then I just gave it a bit once a month or couple of months. Now it looks withered I have watered it erm quite a lot. Should I leave it for months again? It looks half dead.

Yea I wouldnt water it for a while.

Where abouts does your cactus live?

Kitchen windowsill, it gets the 'sun' in the morning.

Hmm it coule be that its a bit cold and if you have the window open it wont like the draft

The window is never open but we don't live in arid, desert like climes so it could be that!

Yes, probably keep away from window even if it's not open.

Is it in plenty of grit, not ordinary soil? In the wild I guess they would be dry and baked for moths, then monsoon for a few days. So a good soak every few months.

Sorry - 'months' is probably better than 'moths'!

Oh...it's in ordinary soil.

Have you managed to put cactus into proper gritty compost yet? (I assume can be bought at garden centres.)

If so, has it revived at all, or maybe it's too soon to know?

No I haven't. Honestly, I didn't even pot it, I had my gardeners do it because I kept spiking myself.... It knew it didn't want me in the first place!