What can I do to help her? She's been in my possession for under a year, perhaps almost a year now, and a week ago I discovered this orange rust color in the cracks of her spines. Sorry for the bad shaky quality, but you can still see it. I read that it could be due to overwatering. Should I let her dry out for a few weeks? I don't want to lose her she's the only cactus I have!


I'm also hating that fake flower that walmart glued to her. It won't come off and I already broke a needle off trying to get it off. You can see how it's effecting the direction of her growth.

Your "Old Lady" cactus is a Mammillaria, probably Mammillaria hahniana. Mammillaria (and any cactus with white hair) is very susceptible to over-watering. I doubt you can save your plant.

For next time: The pot its in is way too large - there should be only about 1/2 inch of space around the edges. The pot your cactus came in was probably the right size. I doubt you would need to repot it for at least a couple years.

DaisyI said:

Your "Old Lady" cactus is a Mammillaria, probably Mammillaria hahniana. Mammillaria (and any cactus with white hair) is very susceptible to over-watering. I doubt you can save your plant.

For next time: The pot its in is way too large - there should be only about 1/2 inch of space around the edges. The pot your cactus came in was probably the right size. I doubt you would need to repot it for at least a couple years.

I was afraid of that (not being able to save her) When I got her, I did repot her almost immediately. I feel so bad now, but I can always get another one. The pot it came in was the right size, it looked tight around it. I read a bunch on Mammillaria Hahniana but that's clearly the ONE thing I didn't pay attention to or something. Thanks for your tips! Man!!!!

Its okay. We've all done it more than once.