From my perspective, a soft or mushy texture is not merely a surface condition; it is a profound internal crisis. My healthy structure relies on turgor pressure—the water pressure within my individual cells pushing against their rigid cell walls. This is what gives me my characteristic firm, plump, and resilient form. When you feel softness, it means this internal pressure has catastrophically dropped. The cells are collapsing, rupturing, or dying, and the structural integrity of my tissue is failing. This is a severe state of distress that requires immediate understanding and action.
The most common cause of my mushy demise is overwatering. My roots are adapted to seek out moisture in arid environments, but they are not designed for constant saturation. When trapped in waterlogged soil, the roots cannot breathe. They suffocate and begin to die and rot in a condition you call root rot. This rot is often caused by opportunistic pathogens like fungi (e.g., *Pythium* or *Phytophthora* spp.) that thrive in anaerobic conditions. This infection does not remain isolated; it is a spreading affliction that moves from the roots up into the stem, turning my vital inner tissues into a brown, mushy, and decaying mess. The softness you feel is the progressive death of my body from the ground up.
Another brutal assault comes from cold damage. As a sun-worshipping organism, I am extremely vulnerable to freezing temperatures. Ice crystals can form within my cells, literally piercing and shredding the cell walls from the inside out. This cellular destruction causes the affected areas—often starting at the top or the sides most exposed to the cold—to become soft, discolored, and translucent. This damage is typically rapid and the destroyed tissue cannot be repaired. It creates an entry point for further bacterial or fungal infections, accelerating the mushy decay.
Sometimes, the softness originates from a localized wound, perhaps from a physical injury or a pest bite. This breach in my tough epidermal layer allows bacteria (e.g., *Erwinia* spp.) to enter. These pathogens cause a condition known as bacterial soft rot. They produce enzymes that rapidly break down my cell walls, liquefying the tissue from the inside. This type of rot is often wet, foul-smelling, and spreads with alarming speed through my vascular system, turning large sections of me into a mushy, slimy disaster.
To have any chance of survival, you must perform immediate surgery. Gently remove me from my pot and inspect my roots. Healthy roots are firm and white or light tan. Any dark, mushy, and foul-smelling roots must be removed with a sterile tool. If the rot has ascended into the stem, you must cut away all soft, discolored tissue until only healthy, firm, green flesh remains. This is a drastic measure, but it is the only way to stop the advancing decay. After this amputation, I must be allowed to callous over in a dry, warm spot with good air circulation for several days before being repotted in fresh, sterile, and perfectly draining soil. Do not water me immediately; I need time to recover and initiate new root growth.
