You can tell if your pencil cactus is dying if it is looking droopy, brittle, mushy, gray, yellow, or brown. One of the most common causes of dying pencil cactus is too much water.
Your pencil cactus could also be drying up due to too little water, root issues, temperature or humidity problems, not enough light, too much fertilizer, or poor soil conditions.
The good news is that you can save your dying pencil cactus by addressing these issues.
Contrary to its name, the pencil cactus is a succulent from the Europhobia genus, not a cactus.
Other names for this plant include milk bush, naked lady, and firestick plant.
The pencil cactus is native to areas in Africa and India. You can have it as a houseplant or as an ornamental succulent in your garden.
Although they are generally easy to care for, it too needs to be in a good environment.
Read on to learn why your pencil cactus is dying and how to save your pencil cactus.
7 Reasons Why Your Pencil Cactus Is Dying
1. Overwatering or Under-Watering
Excessively watering your pencil cactus is usually the number one cause of death.
As the pencil cactus is from dry areas, it is naturally drought-tolerant, which means it needs little water to survive.
Unless you are watering properly, the sure sign of overwatering is when the plant changes to yellow. In fact, it may even look droopy from the sheer amount of water being held within.
To make sure it is overwatered, one simple test you can do is feel the soil. If it feels damp, you’ve watered too much.
Of course, you may also have an issue with under-watering, especially if you’ve forgotten to give it water.
That said, a pencil cactus will be much better off with less water. You know your pencil cactus will need more when it turns more brown than green and begins to wrinkle.
2. Root Issues
Your pencil plant can have root problems as a result of over-irrigating or overly compacted soil.
Overwatering can cause the roots to rot.
The same thing can occur if the soil is overly compacted and doesn’t drain properly.
If the plant has root problems, you will know because it may be bare root, limp, or mushy.
3. Unsuitable Temperature
Like predicted, this succulent does well in warm temperatures, between 50 and 75 degrees F.
This temperature range will allow the plant to bloom. It will survive temperatures warmer than that as well.
Conversely, it does not thrive below 30 degrees F.
As such: During the wintertime, it could die. You may consider this if the plant receives a cold draft from an AC unit.
4. Unsuitable Humidity Levels
This plant type is drought-tolerant and loves dry weather.
This plant type can also exist in humid weather conditions, but only with moderate humidity.
Higher humidity will stress the plant and cause it to die.
5. Insufficient Exposure to Sunlight
The pencil cactus still requires adequate sunlight to thrive.
The plant wilts when there is insufficient light.
6. Too Much Fertilizer
Overfertilization of your pencil plant may lead to mineral build-up.
Excess irrigation may overwhelm the roots’ ability to uptake the minerals and, then, contribute to wilt.
7. Improper Soil Mixing
Your pencil cactus needs proper drainage through its soil in order to thrive hard.
You are able to establish the greatest soil conditions by incorporating several different types of soils that allow for proper drainage.
If soil is mixed improperly, it will retain too much moisture allowing for root rot to occur.
How to Save Your Dying Pencil Plant
Now that you know why you may be losing your plant, here is how you can revive it.
Proper Watering
In the warmer months of summer and spring, you will need to water your pencil plant only one time every ten days.
In the cooler months of winter and fall, you will only need to water your pencil plant once a month.
Remember to always check your pencil plant’s soil before watering. Only give your pencil plant water if the soil dried out completely. If the soil is still wet, then let it go without water for a few more days.
If the pencil plant is outdoors, and it rained recently, then you will not need to water it.
Nonetheless, keep an eye on the pencil plant to see if it’s under-watered and take corrective action. Also, it helps to put your fingers in the soil to check how wet the soil is.
If your plant is dying from over-watering, then let the soil dry out completely before watering again.
Alternatively, you could repot the plant in a pot where you’ll use dry soil.
If the plant issue is from under-watering, and if the plant is wrinkling, then water it weekly or up to twice a week while the pencil plant keeps its shape, until a good shape completely returns.
After that, return back to watering every ten days or more.
Repot the Plant
If your plant is experiencing root rot, you should consider repotting it in fresh soil.
Be sure to cut away the parts of the roots that are rotten. The rot can be black and have a bad smell.
While you can potentially save the plant from root rot, you need to understand that it may never recover if there is too much damage.
If your plant does not survive, just get a new plant.
Your Call: When the pencil cactus appears to be root-bound, you can also repot it to a larger container. A bigger pot allows the roots to expand and grow as necessary.
Protect the Plant During Cold Weather
You can protect your outdoor plant from the cold with frost cloths.
Another option would be to move the plant to a less exposed, or sheltered, location if you have the time and opportunity to do it without any damage.
Provide Proper Aeration
In the event that your plant is having difficulties due to high humidity levels, simply add more aeration to the area.
Make sure that the levels are moderate at all times.
Expose the Plant to More Sunlight
It is important to make conscious decisions surrounding lighting for your plant if it lives indoors.
For example, a pencil cactus is going to need direct sunlight, so you should move it near a window.
The placement of the window is also important as it should be located where it is capable of getting sun exposure for most of the day.
Proper Fertilizer Application
You should only fertilize your pencil plant once a year, ideally in the spring.
Liquid fertilizer is highly recommended because you can dilute it to about half the strength for better results.
Ensure the soil is slightly damp before applying.
To find the right fertilizer, you will need to establish the soil’s nutrient levels.
If phosphorus and potassium levels are high, you can use nitrogen fertilizers such as 21-0-0 or 33-0-0.
If phosphorus and potassium levels are low, go for a balanced ratio of 10-10-10 or 20-20-20.
Proper Soil Mixing
Since the pencil cactus prefers its drainage level to be high, it is best to use sandy soil.
Your sand mix should contain about a quarter sand and rock or gravel at the bottom for the other three-quarters.
With a mixture like that, it will provide adequate drainage and keep moisture locked in for the plant.
Other than having the mixture right, he should also make sure that the pot they plant their cactus in has drainage holes.
Control any Fungal Infection
Fungi can affect pencil cactus and you will want to control any occurrence.
A fungal attack will present as gray warts on the stems.
You will need to pretty much remove the affected area to stop the spread.
Get a sterile knife and cut it off, and if you wish, wear gloves.
Finally, in case pathogens are still present, you can use a sulfur mixture to kill pathogens.
Conclusion
The pencil cactus plant requires little care but can die.
Observe the indicators to establish the cause.
Then, apply the solutions given to attempt to save the plant. In addition, be sure to handle the plant carefully; the milky sap from this plant can produce skin allergies.
If the damage is not long-standing, the chances of the plant recovering is high.
If, on the other hand, the damage is extreme, the plant may die completely, and you will need to get a new one. If that happens, don’t give up!
Get a new plant, and apply the tips above.