Cactuses (cacti?)?

Question

I've had a little cactus since i was 5, im now 16 and my caatus is starting to die a little. Part of it is still green but most of it is dead. So, how do i replant it to keep it alive? i live in a woods-y area and have nice topsoil, will that do? can i take the green part and replant it or will that kill it?

I have no idea what kind of catus it is, i bought it in kindergarten, about 10 or 11 years ago

the cactus doesn't flower, it's not too prickly its kind of matted spine things. it's not tall, its short and grows out instead of up.

Answer 1

Make sure a good scab has formed. Do not rush to get it planted. Otherwise you risk that it will rot. Use Rootone or equivalent; that should help it along. Good luck.

Answer 2

get a sharp knife and cleen it with alcohol to sterlize it, cut of the green part with a stright cut. let it dry for about 4 days, dont plant it directly just leave it so the cut becomes dry. then plant it again by placing it over the soil, it will form roots eventualy. but if you have the round ball type cactus, this might not work.

Answer 3

And to expand on Reeves297, don't plant it in topsoil. Cacti come from the desert... plant it in very sandy soil.

Answer 4

Check the list of cactuses here and tell us what it looks most like:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactus

And this too:

http://www.haworthia.com/

The proper treatment really depends on the cactus. I haven't had much success saving ball cactuses though.

Answer 5

I thought cacti liked the dry climate. Barely ever water it and give it sunlight is what I would think...but I'm no professional so I dont know.