my ferocactus is "crying"

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pisces (Zone 4b) Jul 08, 2001

I just don't get it. There are little beads of moisture coming out of the plant, and hanging off it's ferocious little spikes. What does this mean? I'm sure I'm not watering it too much - only once every week / week and a half (whenever the soil gets dry). Could it be from the humidity in the air? - it has been REALLY rainy here for the past few weeks, and even indoors, it's pretty humid. I hope that my baby only has the blues, and isn't trying to tell me that she's dying or something. Does anybody know what's wrong with my fero?

Shelly

Post #8059
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Crasulady Valley Village, CA Jul 08, 2001

Shelly, cut down the water schedule immediately. You may even need to take it out of the soil and start it over in dry soil. The rule here in sunny, hot, dry, Los Angeles, is never water when it looks like it's going to rain, or if the humidity is high. Most of our succulents gather water from the moisture in the air, that is how they survive their harsh growing conditions. Some plants just split with too much moisture, this never heals, and the plants carry the scars the rest of their lives. I sure others on this forum should have some good suggestions. Norma

Post #91972
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pisces (Zone 4b) Jul 08, 2001

Hey Norma,
again with the great advice, huh :)? You're almost single-handedly keeping my plants alive!! Someone else has suggested that this is normal, and that it was a sugary-substance that feros often secrete through the areoles, so I'm not too too worried. I stuck my bitty finger in there (OUCH!), and sure enough, the beads have hardened. I pulled one off, and immediately it started to slowly secrete more oozy stuff, which was really sticky - not watery at all. No clue what it is, but the plant seems healthy enough. I AM going to cut back on the watering, though. The plant is native to Arizona and the Sonora, so it's not meant for this type of humidity.

Post #92002
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