how do i care for a castle cactus that was exposed to freezing temps

Question

How do I care for a castle cactus that was exposed to freezing temps? Cactus was on a covered screen porch during a freeze.

Answer 1

The best you can do is to continue normal care and hope for the best. Hopefully, because it was in a sheltered location during the freeze, the damage will be minimal. The reason there is not much you can do is because when a heat loving plant freezes, the water in its cells forms ice crystals and these crystals pierce the cell wall. It is akin to poking a water balloon with a needle. You cannot fix that kind of damage. But, because it was in a sheltered location, it may not have frozen all the way through and it may only have surface damage. Give it the best care you can and if it can recover, it will.