I have a number of cacti. However, their number keeps decreasing as, one by one, they succumb to what I’ve decided to call “Sudden Squishy Cactus Death Syndrome”-- they seem fine, until one day one side of them suddenly becomes really squishy, and then I throw them out. How do I prevent this? I don’t want to lose any more of my little dudes!!!
They may not be dead. I have Christmas Cactus that was very squishy, turns out I was just overwatering it. So I haven’t watered it over a month and it’s coming back with about 10 blossoms.
I have experienced that from time to time when my soil doesn’t drain properly. Overwatering some varieties will kill them as well. Not enough sun can be another killer I suspect because they stay too damp.
I’ve only been watering them once every two weeks-- do you think that’s too much? I tend to thoroughly soak the soil when I do it, though.
Just stop watering them for a while and see what happens.
It’s been a while since I had cacti but I pretty much never watered them. Also most varieties need sandy, very well-draining soil. Sounds like you’re overwatering. Many succulents grow in places that don’t get rain for months on end.
Some years back, I visited friends in Arizona. Somehow, I snagged a little cactus ball on the shoelace of my hiking boots. On my return those boots went into a dark closet for several months. When I next got them out…that little cactus ball (not sure of the correct term) had grown several inches long. It was pale and spindly from lack of light, but I stuck it in some soil and it grew away merrily for years.
What sort of soil are you using?
Is the soil completely dry, all the way to the bottom, the next time you water it? (If you’re not sure, stick a bamboo skewer into the pot; if a little bit of wet soil sticks to the skewer, it’s not dry at the bottom. If the skewer comes out completely dry and/or dusty, it’s fully dry).
Have you ever fertilized? Or changed the soil? Possibly the soil’s just depleted.
For the soil, I’m using generic cactus mix from the nursery. They’re all in clay pots, which seem to drain far better than plastic ones. I’ll check to see if the soil is fully dry next time. My own impression is that the stuff at the top, at least, is so bone dry that when I water them each time, the water just beads up and doesn’t soak in for a long time.
While I am not a succulent expert, the water beading in plant pots can be addressed by adding a tiny drop off dish detergent to the pot. The surfactant breaks the surface tension, allowing the water to penetrate the soil better. The effect will last a while, I probably repeat the exercise every year or so, when it’s beading again.
I can’t remember where I read it, but I read somewhere to keep an eye on the weather for Phoenix AZ and only water your cacti when it rains there.
I started doing that maybe 5 years ago and haven’t had one die of SSCDS since.
I’ve read this advice too.
The problem certainly seems to be overwatering. I grew windowsill and greenhouse cacti successfully for a number of years in Britain. There the rule is to give them a winter rest, they survive cold and low daylight conditions a lot better when dry.
In the UK the rest period is from October to March, a bit of googling may help you find out what is best in your area. I always recommend watering during the warmer months. Unwatered cacti may live but they won’t grow much. My rule was to water when dry.
To state the obvious, cacti in larger pots dry out more slowly. Now pot size is important, cacti should be potted conservatively with only a small amount of spare soil around the roots. For a small globe cactus (up to 3 or 4 inch diameter) you want about half an inch of soil inch of space around the body at the pot’s surface and no more than 1 to 2 inches of soil for the roots to grow into. The reason for this is that soil that is not being utilised by roots can just stay wet and the roots will rot.
Further notes: loss of roots is usually followed by rotting so you can save a plant if you get to it in time. Leave it unpotted for a couple of weeks and see if roots begin to form. If they do try repotting and water very little until it re-establishes.
Rot may also occur at the base of the plant, a good layer of gravel can prevent this. Finally, remove any dead flowers. Good luck!
They’re popping themselves and deflating.
That’s probably way too often. It doesn’t rain every other week in the desert.
Bingo 
Not all cacti grow in the driest of conditions, nor even in deserts, there is one South American species (sorry I forget the name) which was found happily growing in a streambed. Moreover, their adaptations, the deeply incised ribs and in some cases thorns, enable them to trap dew so that it runs down to the roots. Unwatered cacti eventually become mummified corpses, their other common fate.
Here is a nicecite for what I was just saying. Note it mentions that fog, as well as dew, can be a source of moisture.
Oh, you mean the cactus died. I’d envisioned something like THIS…
