Why My Golden Torch Cactus Broke

April 22, 2026 Hans Brough

I arrived at the nursery one morning to find a Golden Torch cactus with several broken columns. If you’ve ever wondered why a cactus suddenly falls over or breaks, this is what it can look like - and what causes it.

Why did my cactus break or fall over?

In hindsight, this cactus had become too tall and top-heavy for its container. Reduced light in the greenhouse likely contributed to thinner, weaker growth, making the columns more prone to breaking.

A few years earlier in 2022, the same plant was growing outdoors in the same container and showed no signs of instability. The columns were upright, more compact, and the plant held together structurally. This sunny location is inland of it's future home in Halfmoon Bay where the sun can be hidden in the morning by a marine cloud cover.

The above shot was taken 2024, a year or more after moving this Trichocereus to the Nursery's Greenhouse. The growth already seems somewhat stretched thin (etiolated).

close up of broken golden torch cactus showing adventitious roots and new growth near the break.

Will a cactus grow back if you cut the top off?

Yes - columnar cacti like Golden Torch will often produce new growth from below the cut. As you can see in the image above, a new shoot began forming near the break point shortly after the column snapped.

Why is my cactus growing roots on the side?

The adventitious roots had been forming for a while before the arms snapped off. This is often a response to stress - such as low light, instability, or the plant preparing to root if a segment falls.

What are Adventitious Roots?

Roots that form in unusual places - along a stem or even from leaf tissue rather than from the main root system. They often appear when a plant is under stress, seeking stability, or preparing to root if part of the plant contacts soil. These roots are also what make propagation from cuttings possible.

Above is a cutting that had been drying out on a table for several weeks (ok, months) and starting growing even more adventitious roots on it's downward facing side. My guess is that geotropism is at play here - which is a plants response to gravity where roots grow downward and stems grow upward.

Above are a few more adventitious roots growing from where the cactus split. These cacti are survivors. I cut the longer branches into 12" - 18" segments and let them form a callous over a few weeks before planting.

Can you replant a broken cactus?

Yes. Most columnar cacti root readily from cuttings. After allowing the cut end to dry and callous, the segment can be planted in well-draining soil, where it will develop new roots - often even faster if adventitious roots are already present.

After several months I finally got to work potting up most of the cuttings in a porous soil mixture. Most of the cuttings had adventitious roots which I made sure to place in or near the soil. I also found them a home in a much sunnier portion of the greenhouse where they will be happier.

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