---
title: "I need some help with this guy. There was a combination of too little…"
description: "I need some help with this guy. There was a combination of too little light and too little water that lead to me thinking he had died this past winter, then he…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/vOLjreBcQ-OpqrHIhVSc4w/9DRpDMQDaK8AbGrkqZII5l"
community: "The Cactus & Succulent Circle"
author: "Shelby"
published: "2025-04-27T17:55:00.394351Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/pPNibmpHXw-FGQTdkBFwDDtp2vLcbmQ78XKn08vE30A/OIy-UHIIQaSH75nlJMMcqw.webp?size=large"
---

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# I need some help with this guy. There was a combination of too little…

_Posted by Shelby on 2025-04-27_

I need some help with this guy. There was a combination of too little light and too little water that lead to me thinking he had died this past winter, then he started growing again a couple weeks ago. This picture is about a week old and the tiny growth on the very top has already turned brown and looks to be dying while the new growth on the lower left is doing great. I know I can’t do anything about the super narrow brown areas, but what can I do to make him happier? He’s in a south facing window currently although I can and probably should move him under a grow light. I do need to repot him into something with drainage but he’s currently in cactus \& succulent soil.

He came with the googly eyes and I can’t get them off without causing more damage.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/pPNibmpHXw-FGQTdkBFwDDtp2vLcbmQ78XKn08vE30A/OIy-UHIIQaSH75nlJMMcqw.webp?size=large)

## 5 comments

### Roro commented on 2025-04-27

Yes I believe you should repot into a pot with drainage and check for root rot. And I would put him in a sunnier spot because most cactus likes full sun or close to that.

### Wolfen 🐺 commented on 2025-04-27

Can you take a pic of the brown areas? It looks healthy. The brown look can be just because of the needles close together. It can also be corking. If it's in a south window that's not obstructed, that should be enough light, otherwise you can add a grow light. As far as the drainage, it is ideal to have it for a cactus plant. But I've kept a few with no drainage before in a gritty mix. If the cactus soil you have is mostly peat though, I wouldn't recommend it, as peat holds way too much water. Even if you move it to drainage, find a real cactus soil that's gritty, like Sol Soils, or one listed as "peat free"

#### Shelby replied on 2025-04-29

Here’s a close up, with and without flash. I’m going to repot him this weekend but now that I’m looking at these pictures I think it is mostly just the spines being super close together.

![Attachment 1 of 2](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/pPNibmpHXw-FGQTdkBFwDDtp2vLcbmQ78XKn08vE30A/FD83D5-mQEO7xqvwQsxbgg.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 2 of 2](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/pPNibmpHXw-FGQTdkBFwDDtp2vLcbmQ78XKn08vE30A/lgsS2xvCRramgq8XASRJLQ.webp?size=large)

#### Wolfen 🐺 replied on 2025-04-29

Yea that looks more like corking, which is normal

### Carrie commented on 2025-04-28

He looks happy to me. He’s got new growth. You definitely need drainage. And south facing light is great for cacti.

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