Concerning spot found - New cactus owner
Hello cactus reddit. I’m a brand new cactus owner as of last week. Got this little guy, which I think is a balloon cactus (sold unmarked), just last Thursday from a local plant shop. Now I’m obsessed and learning a lot about cacti and succulents very quickly, and am committed to learning how to be a decent cactus caretaker for my little balloon. First things first, I immediately learned that the soil little balloon came with is absolutely not suitable. It’s too organic with only a sprinkling of rocks on top. I have better suited gritty mix arriving next week, but in the meantime, little guy has been in its wood chips and dirt.
Today was first watering day and I was excited. Coming back to little guy now, I realize I should have done all my excitable ogling before watering, because now I just noticed this spot I remember looking a little grey and crusty just yesterday is now black and crumbly. Even worse: it does have a mild funky smell. My little balloon guy is rotting in this spot and I may have contributed vastly to its doom. Is this treatable? If I pull little balloon guy out of this evil dirt right now and let everything rest for the week until the better mix arrives, and treat the spot, will it survive? Or is the guy a goner before I decide on its name? :(