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I have a cactus called Fairy Castle. It has started turning a sort of rusty color, and one part of it is a little soft. What causes this? It is not overwatered; if anything it is underwatered.
Last Updated: January 17, 2008
The cactus is Cereus but it is a Monstrose form, meaning that at some point in its previous life it was a Column-type plant. Then something went wrong. Now they are true Monstrose plants. The plant is little but can get quite large. Watering is the most common problem. Too little water is as bad as too much. In your case it sounds as if the problem is probably too little. This plant needs to have a little moisture all the time to keep the fibrous roots alive. To know when to water; plung a wooden pencil into the soil and go to the bottom of the pot. When you remove the pencil, there should be no moisture on it.
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