robin inch (sick cactus)

Hi, yesterday I asked for help for my Catcus - today however
Cactus is leaking from four different points brown liquid, plant has strong smell.
(hopefully [pics are attatched)

Robin

 

They heal fast, like when you cut your self and then blood pors out then it stops. "well that is what it does when my plant got injured" "it might do the same, or different". what type of cactus was it again?

 

From the dark discolouration and the suggested smell I'd say it has rot, the parts where it's leaking may be where an insect has stung the plant. I hope I am wrong here but, if not, then by the looks I'd say your plants days are numbered. Does the plant feel soft?
Just guessing it may be a Notocactus/Parodia but don't take my word for it, my cacti i.d. is still pretty hit and miss :}

 

Not Parodia, it is some kind of columnar cactus (Cereus etc.). Cacti usually don't "bleed" much if injured, and the sap is neither dark nor smelly, so I think it is rotting.

 

I wonder where it is rotting from?"roots?, too much water?" look and see........

 

Looks like a Lemaireocereus dumortieri, which is already in the cactus-heaven... :(

 

I agree on the id. with Lemaireocereus dumortieri.

 

heres a cactus site that I like, they have nice,rare,common, etc. "many,many,many plants" :)

http://www.cactuslimon.com/index.html

 

Mandarin, I'm not sure about where you are from but here once something like this begins to rot an insect will lay eggs in it and then maggots start the clean up process (not always but a fair bit). That's why I was suggesting the leakage caused by insect damage. I agree normally they wouldn't leak at all, same reason I mentioned rot, I think I didn't explain properly.

 

I have never seen or heard of what you describe where I live so I guess it is rare here. Bacterial breakdown is the "normal" process for cacti here, especially now when there are no flying insects around (too cold in winter).

Anyway, my point was that if the skin of a cactus is punctured (no matter how), little or no sap will exit from the wound. This plant obviously "bleeds" a lot, which means that something is wrong. Slightly superfluous information in this case, the smell and colour is sufficient evidence.

 

is this a species that you can cut off the healthy part and propagate it?

 

Thanks for the info mandarin, just for sake of interest check this thread of mine of a rotting Aloe and click the close up of the stump, it (just) shows little maggots in the stem which were in there after the top rotted off.
http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=48301
This is pretty normal for succulent and cacti as well as many other plants here, I haven't really looked into what species of insect is doing the damage as there are too many to choose from, maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to catch one in the act.....

 

Has the plant succumbed to its demise?

 

Should be. There are cacti that are almost impossible to root, but I have not read that this species is one of them.

ChungiiV: interesting photo. We do have insects that feed on rotting organic matter, but I have not seen something like that, not even when the uppermost 50 cm of my Cereus peruvianus had turned into mush. Perhaps our insects are more interested in laying eggs on berries, leaves and wood, there are no plants with thick, fleshy, cactus-like stems here.