Hello! I've had my moon cactus for over year and it grew and bloomed its red cap and was gorgeous but early winter it started browning and dying so I put it aside and forgot about it and its started growing this perfectly healthy green arm. I have no idea what to do with it, surely it can't go on like this? I'd love to encourage the growth and I just don't see how living off of the dying stalk is sustainable? I would really sincerely appreciate if anyone can tell me- do I cut and repot? Do I just snip up off everything above the new arm? Just the cap? Please and thank you!!! (regular bic lighter for reference)

I don't see a picture.

Hamwild said:I don't see a picture.

omg thank you for letting me know. forgot to convert to JPG, posting now!

Hmm, I suspect you could root the arm, but I don't know how to go about doing so.

@daisyI, @baja_costero

Moon cactus are actually two cactus grafted together. The red part can't support itself as it has no chloroplasts - those are what make plants green and is where photosynthesizing goes on. What you have left is the host plant, a type of Hylocereus. That baby coming up is attached to roots already so no need to re-root, just cut the dead part off. It looks rotten enough that it may come off by itself if you gently pull on it (the rotten part, not the green stem).

DaisyI said:Moon cactus are actually two cactus grafted together. The red part can't support itself as it has no chloroplasts - those are what make plants green and is where photosynthesizing goes on. What you have left is the host plant, a type of Hylocereus. That baby coming up is attached to roots already so no need to re-root, just cut the dead part off. It looks rotten enough that it may come off by itself if you gently pull on it (the rotten part, not the green stem).

Thanks so much for your thorough response, I had no idea they were the result of a grafting. How cool! Do I just cut it down to where the green arm starts growing and leave the rest of the dead stalk below it? Or do just pull off the dead/shriveled red part and leave the rest? i guess I am asking where do I cut it to? thank you!

Cut out as much of everything not green as you can then sprinkle it with cinnamon (a natural fungicide).