Question
Hello.I purchased a cactus recently.I do not know the name of it.It stands about a foot tall and has a big ball on the top of it(kind of looks like a brain).The ball is quite large.Anyway,when I got it home and went to repot it I noticed that 1/3 of it was buried in soil.The bottom half is pale green from being buried.It has a few spots that are almost rotted looking and the pale part is slighly shriveled.I cannot seem to get it to recover it is not doing any worse,but it isn't doing any better.I have a hard time repotting it because it doesn't have a lot of roots and it is very top heavy.I can only bury the roots by a half inch of soil before I start to get into the fleshy part.I have stakes holding it up right now.Is there anything I can do to make it heal and is there a better way to pot it.Thanks.Heather.  

Answer
Heather,

You have a grafted cactus which typically do not live too long.  They do tend to be top heavy and that is why part of the stem was buried. To support the plant. Unburying it will not make the plant live longer. It may or may not eventually heal, they are very slow growing. Retail nurserys lik,e to grow plants that the public will buy because they are unusual but not necessarily long lived plants. That keeps you buying. If you want to keep it unburied that stakes will be necessary forever and the stme may or may not eventually heal. If you want to rebury it them it may not live forever but it will stand up by itself.

Either way be very careful not to overwater it and keep it where it will get as much sun as possible in the house.  If you decide to put it outdoors put it in a semi shady location where it will get some sun but not enough to sunburned. Good luck.

Darlene