How to repot this bruiser of a cactus so it doesn't lean

[Aridane]

I have posted before about this bruiser of a cactus which Nanthewiser identified as a (very etiolated) Ferocactus, and possibly F. hamatacanthus,

Oh dear, Aridane, what a shame. We live and learn, I lose a few every year, usually at the end of winter, but it's all part and parcel of the hobby. Some plants just lose the will to live!

Sorry to hear that, Aridane. I suppose you could take another slice of, but I find that if you've got too little left, it's doomed to failure anyway. Never stops me trying though! As NantheWiser says, it's usual to lose one or two at the end of winter. Fortunate, really, otherwise the increasing size of the rest means you run out of greenhouse/windowsill space.

Cut it higher up and dip in hormone rioting powder?
Over invested in this

Ummmm that should say hormone rooting!

@MereDintofPandiculation and @stayathomegardener - I did take a top slice of the tip of the cactus before consigning the rest to the bin.

It kills beautiful, like a perfectly cut star fruit

but as there is very little left - what is remaining being the tip of the once magnificent cactus, see picture- it’s unlikely to take. Especially given what @MereDintofPandiculation had said (and @NanTheWiser’s earlier predictions.

I’ve put it out of sight in the kitchen and —throw it out— revisit in a few weeks.

It kills beautiful, like a perfectly cut star fruit not surprising - the star fruit is the fruit of a cactus.

I had no idea!!

(and of course 'kills' was a typo for 'looks')

So many knowledgable posters on this thread!

Erm... no, the star fruit isn't a cactus fruit, it comes from the Averrhoa carambola tree, native to South-East Asia, MereDint. Maybe you were confusing it with Dragon fruit, which IS a cactus fruit ( Hylocereus )

Clearly there is none the wiser than Nan the Wiser

Maybe you were confusing it with Dragon fruit Yes, I was. I was thinking Hylocereus. They both taste equally insipid to me.

We'll the top tip of the cactus I salvaged has calloused over and not gone mouldy. I will pot up as per Nan's instructions and see how we go.

Good luck!

Fingers crossed

Amazing to think that a thread about a cactus has 117 posts. there's hope for the world yet!

If I could only integrate this thread into a parking / wedding / CF-er thread, we would be golden!

Wrap it up in several layers of newspaper to avoid the thorns
Remove the pot - cut away if plastic - break is ceramic
Repot so its straight with cactus compost
Use a pot 1 or 2 sizes bigger.
if its still wobbly,, put in a larger pot and fill the gap with stones(for balance)
Good Luck :~))

What an enjoyable thread. I don’t really feel the love for cacti 🌵 but we have a few that live in the greenhouse and I ignore.

What a fascinating thread!

We have a cactus that is around 3.5ft tall, maybe more. She is around 65 years old. She has areas of corking (new term to me, thank you!) But continues to grow. To my knowledge it hasn't been repotted in 20 years, probably more. We inherited it from my gran and dare not change anything! It has lent up in the corner of a window forever so we just moved it to our corner of a window! I'm not sure if we should risk repotting or just leave well alone!