--- title: "Just noticed my moon cactus isn’t looking so hot. It’s starting to…" description: "Just noticed my moon cactus isn’t looking so hot. It’s starting to turn yellow at the base and orange on the red part. Any thoughts or recommendations?" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/vOLjreBcQ-OpqrHIhVSc4w/HIw6dlKJS8Gk6j9UOEqh0g?language=es" community: "The Cactus & Succulent Circle" author: "High desert diva" published: "2024-03-18T22:06:26.094527Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/RsA4DcfIRKF4mzB8zyOqeMM0Yjda5Qa5O7vKO8sFa0I/fas1LmhMRpK59Ht4B3_eFA.webp?size=large" --- [Comunidad](https://getplanta.com/community.md?language=es) / [The Cactus \& Succulent Circle](https://getplanta.com/community/vOLjreBcQ-OpqrHIhVSc4w.md?language=es) # Just noticed my moon cactus isn’t looking so hot. It’s starting to… _Publicado por High desert diva el 2024-03-18_ Just noticed my moon cactus isn’t looking so hot. It’s starting to turn yellow at the base and orange on the red part. Any thoughts or recommendations? ![Adjunto 1 de 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/RsA4DcfIRKF4mzB8zyOqeMM0Yjda5Qa5O7vKO8sFa0I/fas1LmhMRpK59Ht4B3_eFA.webp?size=large) ## 15 comentarios ### Lana Layne 🌺🪴🪻🌵🌸 comentó el 2024-03-18 I have found this type is a hard one. They absolutely love light first of all. I put mine in a south facing window with a grow light. I’m finding out that many cactus are being sold that have dry rot, so you don’t notice it right away. Start taking care of it and then awhile later you notice the base looking badly, just to find out the roots have rotted 🤦‍♀️ I have decided I don’t like soil for cactus. Because they either wet root rot or dry root rot. The drainage just isn’t there ya know? I like to wash all the soil off mine and stick them in lechuza pon, which is a rock substrate. #### High desert diva respondió el 2024-03-18 Thanks! #### Lana Layne 🌺🪴🪻🌵🌸 respondió el 2024-03-18 You’re welcome. Also not sure what size pot that’s in, but I wouldn’t do anything bigger than 3” #### High desert diva respondió el 2024-03-18 Yup. It’s in a 4-5 inch pot ### Lana Layne 🌺🪴🪻🌵🌸 comentó el 2024-03-18 But I can tell by what yours is in, that there’s definitely not enough drainage in the soil, like perlite ### High desert diva comentó el 2024-03-18 It is in south-facing window with lots of light. The soil was a succulent soil I bought from greenhouse but I’ll look into your recommendation! #### Lana Layne 🌺🪴🪻🌵🌸 respondió el 2024-03-19 Yeah I quit using succulent soil for them… even with added perlite they were getting root rot and I most definitely wasn’t overwatering or under watering 😭 #### Lana Layne 🌺🪴🪻🌵🌸 respondió el 2024-03-19 And that’s for all cacti \& some succulents honestly… just had no luck with soil. ### Cat comentó el 2024-03-19 yall these are nearly impossible to keep alive for long periods of time unless you keep re-grafting the moon cactus to a new dragonfruit plant, which makes no sense to me why they’re advertised as novice plants. they are anything but. it’s turning yellow if not due to overwatering is due to the moon cactus sucking all the nutrients out of the dragon fruit plant, as the moon cactus cannot survive on its own due to lack of chlorophyll, it is a parasite and needs a host #### High desert diva respondió el 2024-03-19 Wow. Oh geesh, I hadn’t even quite realized these were two different plants but that makes total sense. #### S.R respondió el 2024-03-19 Am I just understanding now that the coloured ball part is the ‘alive’ cactus and the green part is … not?! I learn so much from lurking in the comments 🤣 Seriously I’d love to know more, I have a few on my kitchen counter and two have already rotted from the base. #### Cat respondió el 2024-03-19 no, both are “alive” #### Stephanie🎋 respondió el 2024-03-19 🤯 #### Lana Layne 🌺🪴🪻🌵🌸 respondió el 2024-03-19 This!!! You’re right on. The longest I’ve kept one alive so far is a little over a year. So we shall see, I have 2 in pon right now. I would say the yellow is due to overwatering because I haven’t noticed the moon cactus sucking all the water out of the dragon fruit plant… but I’ve definitely noticed these are being sold left \& right with the roots dry rotted 🤦‍♀️ ### Ryan comentó el 2024-03-19 I heard or read somewhere that people have more luck when the moon part is purple because then that means it has some chlorophyll. I think someone said they even had luck when they de-grafted that purple one, but that’s outside of my experience level. --- _La comunidad de Planta (https://getplanta.com). La lectura está abierta a todo el mundo. Para publicar, comentar y dar 'me gusta', descarga la app de Planta: https://getplanta.com/download_