{"id":22724,"date":"2023-08-25T10:51:40","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T14:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?p=22724"},"modified":"2023-08-25T10:51:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T14:51:40","slug":"should-i-remove-the-limb-of-a-cactus-that-has-a-brown-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2023\/08\/25\/should-i-remove-the-limb-of-a-cactus-that-has-a-brown-spot\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I remove the limb of a cactus that has a brown spot?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/h3>\n

I have a Blue Myrtle Cactus that is overall doing well. It is an indoor cactus. Over the past 3-4 weeks it has developed a brown spot at the end of one of its limbs where there had been some new growth. All the other limbs look great. I do not believe it has been over watered. I wonder if you think it might heal off this area or if I should remove the limb?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/h3>\n
Jonathan Foster, Special Projects Assistant<\/em><\/div>\n

After doing some research on the question, it would seem there are fewer university-backed sources for cactus care than I would prefer. However, I did find a bit of information and, while I haven’t grown a lot of cactus myself, I have a good bit of experience with other succulents. Plus, cacti can be pruned for a variety of reasons (see\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0here<\/a>), so that’s what I’m going to suggest.<\/p>\n

My advice is to prune off the entire stem segment where it emerges from the primary stem. There is obviously necrotic (dead) tissue at that tip and I worry about it being a likely spot for secondary infection to occur, so it’s best to remove it. In succulents, I usually strive for the smallest cross section of cut that I can manage, so I don’t think you should cut it near the tip. Take it off at the base with a sharp, clean cut (sanitize your tool first), and then leave it alone. It should callus over in a short period of time, and you have plenty of other segments so I don’t think it will negatively impact the appearance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: I have a Blue Myrtle Cactus that is overall doing well. It is an indoor cactus. Over the past 3-4 weeks it has developed a brown spot at the end of one of its limbs where there had been some new growth. All the other limbs look great. I do not believe it has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[199,204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask","category-pests"],"yoast_head":"\nShould I remove the limb of a cactus that has a brown spot? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2023\/08\/25\/should-i-remove-the-limb-of-a-cactus-that-has-a-brown-spot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should I remove the limb of a cactus that has a brown spot? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Question: I have a Blue Myrtle Cactus that is overall doing well. 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