--- title: "This poor gymno is sick. it's collapsed in on itself. does not seem…" description: "This poor gymno is sick. it's collapsed in on itself. does not seem to be fungus. Has not grown any roots. I don't think it is dead yet but i don't have much…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/vOLjreBcQ-OpqrHIhVSc4w/dU9ofRo9rFR1g44vNiLJvY" community: "The Cactus & Succulent Circle" author: "Ross Presser" published: "2025-12-04T15:34:29.574127Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v2/cloudinary/global_data/communities/theCactusAndSucculentCircle.jpg" --- [Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [The Cactus \& Succulent Circle](https://getplanta.com/community/vOLjreBcQ-OpqrHIhVSc4w.md) # This poor gymno is sick. it's collapsed in on itself. does not seem… _Posted by Ross Presser on 2025-12-04_ This poor gymno is sick. it's collapsed in on itself. does not seem to be fungus. Has not grown any roots. I don't think it is dead yet but i don't have much hope. ## 14 comments ### Ross Presser commented on 2025-12-04 just starting out with planta community posts. not sure if you can see the sick picture and the original healthy picture from when it was acquired. ### Day commented on 2025-12-04 how often do you water? the soil prior looks like a proper dark brown; but this newer pic looks very dry. what type of sun do you give it? ### Day commented on 2025-12-04 it says in your list that it was supposed to be watered 3 days ago. did you give it water then? if not this may be the issue of drying out and not having enough sunlight. #### fuey replied on 2025-12-04 I don’t think it dried out, depending on the climate it could very well have been overwatered considering how susceptible they are to it and Planta said to water every 18-ish days, which is quite frequent #### Ross Presser replied on 2025-12-04 was actually watered yesterday, so 2 days late ### fuey commented on 2025-12-04 We can see it. It looks like it was overwatered and rotted from the base. Do you have any photos from a time between those two pictures? Just to confirm. And I’m sorry but it is probably dead. It was a very beautiful plant though. #### Ross Presser replied on 2025-12-04 no other close up pics. it's probably in a shot of the whole rack but it'd be too small to see. ### Ross Presser commented on 2025-12-04 it is under a grow lamp. acquired and repotted nov 9. watered on nov 16 and dec 3. here is the nov 16 pic. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/ldHecwdRAf6yUncxG6Bnna1cGajfswJoJO2rFVsd7pk/9eMLEYqJQ3-zO1bGHBqYcg.webp?size=large) ### Day commented on 2025-12-04 i agree. now that i see how frequently watered it was, i agree with fuey, prob overwatered and rotted base. #### Ross Presser replied on 2025-12-04 😭 Lesson learned, I guess ### Day commented on 2025-12-04 trust me i have too! so many lessons. especially with my air plants! 😭 ### Phil commented on 2025-12-04 A couple things that may help next time. If fairly new to succulents and cactus, I always suggest terracotta planters because they release excess moisture. Plus you need a good quality cactus soil. Most need to be amended with grit to be acceptable to the plant. The pic is the type you need with about 10% regular potting soil added to it-for cactus and echeveria. With that combo, the soil is fast draining. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/OWAkyZxcZtwxk-v_HG7sG7i-GaZeWOFpvbl_VkIbhkY/6PUKpvq9S5esoJ2ovtUp1w.webp?size=large) #### Ross Presser replied on 2025-12-04 We use almost exclusively Jack's Gritty Mix (amazon.com B09GNSNTQY?th=1) for adult cacti \& succulents. For very small plants and pups we are trying to root we mix it with Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm and Citrus Potting Mix (amazon.com B0799NMGPC). #### Ross Presser replied on 2025-12-04 we started this hobby in July this year and have put in a whole bunch of hours of study, lots of reading and lots of YouTube. --- _Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_