Thank you so much all for your advice!!! I shall try both spraying the plant and propagating it. Lovely to find a supportive forum like this one because I’m new to cactus caring but I love it so much and hate to see it diseased!
Hi @MonicaYoung392,
As @medpenguin and @treehugger80 have said above, your cacti's problem is mealybug. I often (too often! ) get them on my cacti indoors. They seem to have a knack at magically appearing on plants! They love to colonise inaccesible areas of plants, which is why they are so fond of cacti. Mealybugs suck on sap, reducing vigour and stunting growth. I have found that the best way to treat affected cacti is to paint the mealybugs with olive oil, which penetrates their waxy coating unlike water-based substances and suffocates them by blocking the spiracles in their skin through which they breathe. I have personally found that the olive oil treatment works better than methylated spirit (and doesn't give you a headache!) All the best pbff
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And that's what I call Problem Solving!
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day.. will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character
Martin Luther KingAs @medpenguin and @treehugger80 have said above, your cacti's problem is mealybug.
I often (too often!
They seem to have a knack at magically appearing on plants!
They love to colonise inaccesible areas of plants, which is why they are so fond of cacti.
Mealybugs suck on sap, reducing vigour and stunting growth.
I have found that the best way to treat affected cacti is to paint the mealybugs with olive oil, which penetrates their waxy coating unlike water-based substances and suffocates them by blocking the spiracles in their skin through which they breathe.
I have personally found that the olive oil treatment works better than methylated spirit (and doesn't give you a headache!)
All the best
pbff