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I have a new prickly pear that I love and it just went limp on me tonight. I checked the soil and it feels moist but not wet and top inch is bone dry. Around the roots is a little damper. The top stems are wrinkled and limp. Is this a sign of over or under watering? The plant is bright green with a few brown spots which most of them they had when I purchased the plant. I did also put it in a really 12"w pot on the advice I should go a bigger in anticipation of its growth. The plant gets full direct southern sunlight.

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Niall C.
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Daniknyc711
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    This is a similar question http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/14139/why-is-my-cactus-droopy – Brian Surowiec Sep 24 '15 at 14:18
  • How do the roots look? Is it possible they were damaged recently? (Looks freshly repotted). If it was freshly potted, and the damaged roots got infected with something (even if it's not fatal), that can affect the ability of the plant to absorb water. Can you check the roots for disease? – J. Musser Sep 24 '15 at 15:15
  • Overwatering based on the pot looks like it does not have drainage – kevinskio Sep 24 '15 at 17:05
  • Kevinsky, I think you are correct! I've had pots like this, they are metal, not too cheap and they always have to have holes drilled in them before the soil/planting!! Daniknyc, let us know if you've got drainage, how often you water. Is this a metal pot without holes? What did you use for soil? – stormy Sep 24 '15 at 21:43
  • Hi Everyone, thanks for all the feedback. There is a drainage hole with a stop in it. I kept it plugged since i am not sure how i can fit something under to catch water since it is in doors. There is a recess between the sill and the start of the planter underneath of about 1/4" - 1/2". You are correct it is newly planted in a metal pot. I can post a picture tomorrow of the roots in the morning with better lighting. I loosened the roots before transferring. I also put lots of pumice stone before putting soil inside and used only cactus mix soil. I still need to buy more rocks to rock the top. – Daniknyc711 Sep 25 '15 at 15:39

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