Cactus ID and Help

[Terrel]

We recently acquired a badly-neglected cactus.

I'm hoping that some cactus lover can help me out by letting me know what kind of cactus it is. Photo is at the following:

I find out what kind of cactus it is, I'll search on the Internet for information on how to care for it. But any hints/tips would be appreciated.

It's so top-heavy that it doesn't stand up on it's own. In the photo, the only reason it's upright is because the top part of it is leaning into the corner. I'm guessing that it should be repotted, but I don't think just repotting will get it to stand up on it's own. Any ideas regarding this would be appreciated too.

Thanks,

Terrel

[Cereus-validus]

Its Cereus hildmannianus, often misidentified as Cereus peruvianus in the trade.

Repotting a tall cereoid like that takes some special treatment. I'm sure there must be a website out there with all the details.

There are just too many to chose from.

[Gary]

I had a cactus that looked similar to the picture of yours. I never knew its name. Mine (also inherited in poor condition like yours) broke off one day when I was moving it. I kept the top section and let it air dry for several days to seal off the "wound." Then I just put it in some cactus planting media and watered it occasionally, letting it dry out well between waterings. I also put a stake in the pot to hold it upright until it established a new root system. It did survived, although it never was particularly attractive or interesting to me. I finally gave it away. I'm not sure that yours is the same type of cactus as what I had, so you might wait for other responses before taking any drastic measures. I'll be curious to see what others have to say about this. Good luck, Gary

[John McGaw]

I'm not even sure that it IS a cactus. To me it looks more like what I knew as Euphorbia grandis although it seems to have acquired another name.

[Cereus-validus]

Don't you jump to wild conclusions, Quick Draw McGraw.

That plant certainly is a cactus.

As I have said before, it is Cereus hildmannianus, often misidentified as Cereus peruvianus in the trade. The plant is very common in cultivation.

It doesn't look at all like a Euphorbia, especially the one you mention.

> --

[Terrel]

Thanks for the information/help. Hopefully we'll be able bring this cactus back to good health.

Thanks,

Terrel