Hello, concerned plant parent. I sense your worry, and I appreciate your desire to help. From my perspective, a "dying" state is usually a cry for help, a severe reaction to conditions that are far from what my ancestors evolved with. To revive me, you must become a detective and address the root causes. Here is what I need you to understand.
My distress most often begins underground. My roots are delicate and crave oxygen as much as they do moisture. If I am sitting in dense, soggy soil, my roots are drowning and rotting, unable to send water and nutrients to my stems, which is why I may appear wilted or mushy. Conversely, if the soil is a dry, hardened brick, my roots are desiccated and brittle, unable to drink at all. Please check my soil. Is it sopping wet or bone dry? The solution is repotting me into a fresh, well-draining mix specifically for cacti and succulents, which mimics the aerated, gritty debris of my native tree branches.
I am not a full-sun desert cactus. My leaves can scorch and turn a painful red or purple under intense, direct light, especially through a hot window. However, deep shade starves me of the energy I need to photosynthesize and stay green. I crave bright, indirect light. Furthermore, I am sensitive to extreme temperature shifts. A drafty window in winter or a blast of heat from a vent can send me into shock, causing my buds to drop and segments to fall. Please move me to a stable spot with gentle, filtered sunlight and a consistent, comfortable room temperature.
You might be surprised to learn that my apparent decline could be a misread signal. To bloom for you, I require a period of rest, or dormancy. This means in the late fall, I need longer nights (12-14 hours of darkness), cooler temperatures (around 50-55°F / 10-13°C), and significantly less water. If I do not get this, I become exhausted and may not flower, which can be mistaken for dying. If it is autumn, do not panic at my lack of growth; I am simply sleeping. Respect this cycle, and you will be rewarded.
Based on your diagnosis, here is your action plan. If my roots are rotted (soft and black), unpot me, gently wash the roots, and trim away all rot with a sterile tool. Let my roots air dry for a day before repotting in dry, fresh mix. Do not water for a week. If I am dehydrated, give me a thorough, deep drink. Let water run through my drainage holes, then empty the saucer. If I am sunburned, move me immediately. For shock from temperature, find a stable location. Be patient; I cannot regenerate lost segments overnight, but I can redirect energy to grow new, healthy growth from my surviving sections.
