Q: Last year, the cactus plants in our neighbor’s yard developed a disease where white stuff that looked like snow was coming out of the spine pores, and the main branches were turning yellow. Now, one of our main focal point cactus plants is beginning to look like it has the same disease. What do we do?
A: Cacti get many of the same insects and diseases that other plants get. Unfortunately, there is often not much you can do for chemical treatment of diseases on cacti because cacti hide their problems. They don’t have leaves that wilt or turn yellow, and the stems often remain rigid until the very end instead of wilting and hanging down like other plants. So by the time you notice the disease, the whole plant is infected.
