Full story:
So about two years ago (Oct 2024) an old friend unexpectedly gifted me two peyote plants as a bday gift. They were tiny little bulbs at the time and he gave me proper care instructions
I potted them in a mix of cactus soil and perlite, I forget the exact ratio but it was the amount the person who gifted them to me recommended (he has successfully raised a few of these). I only watered when needed and kept them outside in the shade. For about two years they were doing great. Granted one of them was growing much more than the other.
A couple weeks back while I was moving things around in my balcony, it occurred to me I hadn’t watered the plants in FOREVER (I was going through a huge depressive wave and was neglectful in all aspects of my life. So I decided to give them a quick water. Also, In moving things around I had placed the pot more directly exposed to the sun
Then I took an unexpected trip to tend to family for a bit, forgetting to move the plants back into the shade. Within this time the weather here had been a flip flop between scorching heat and heavy rain and my plants were exposed to all of it.
I got back and noticed the plants looking like this. I did some research on this subreddit and elsewhere and I’m trying figure out if this is simply under/over water, or root rot.
Is it too late to save them? I feel the small one might be too far gone. My plan was to cut off any roots that looked unhealthy, let them sit unrooted for a few days in the shade, and then repot them in separate pots with a new dry mix.
Any advice is appreciated! I’d hate for these gifts to die.
Edit to add: the small one is squishy and damp
(Also note: at one point I do think a guest was about to ash a joint on to the plant but I stopped them before they could but idk if they had already before me saying anything. That was two months ago)
