From my perspective, as a cactus rooted in this pot, the primary reason I am becoming stretched and "leggy" is a profound lack of adequate sunlight. My very nature is to thrive under intense, direct light for many hours each day. When I do not receive this, a deep, instinctual survival mechanism takes over. I begin to direct all my energy into rapid vertical growth, not to become stronger, but to stretch my form in a desperate attempt to locate a light source. This process, which you call etiolation, is not a sign of health but a symptom of my starvation for the energy I need to photosynthesize properly.
This desperate growth comes at a significant cost. The new segments I produce are fundamentally different from my healthy growth. They are paler, often taking on a yellow or light green hue instead of my rich, natural color. This is because the cells are elongated and underdeveloped, containing less of the chlorophyll that gives me my color and is essential for capturing light energy. Furthermore, this new growth is structurally weak. The wider spacing between the areoles (where my spines emerge) and the thinner, more fragile stem mean I cannot support my own weight as well. I become floppy and susceptible to damage, a far cry from the stout, resilient form I am meant to have.
While light is the core issue, other environmental factors you control can exacerbate my condition. If you provide me with too much water or fertilizer during this period of low light, you are essentially encouraging this weak, rapid growth. The extra resources fuel my desperate stretch, making the etiolation even more pronounced. My growth becomes unbalanced; I am being pushed to grow without the necessary energy from the sun to build strong, dense tissues. It is a confusing and stressful state for me, as my internal systems are receiving conflicting signals about resource availability.
It is crucial for you to understand that the stretched growth I have already produced is permanent. Those pale, elongated sections will not revert to a compact, normal form even if my light conditions are dramatically improved. The best I can do is begin to produce new, healthy growth from the top of the stretched section once I am placed in sufficient light. This often results in a top-heavy appearance, where a normal, compact crown sits precariously atop a weak, skinny stem. This is why prevention is so much better than a cure for me; once the damage is done, my form is permanently altered.
