This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Cactus

Hi All:

I guess I'm supposed to introduce myself.  I'm probably average in my
knowledge about house plants -- I can't claim any expertise.  Quite a few
people at work are, what I would term experts, so I can always go to them
with questions. 

I do love plants.  Seventeen years ago I grew Africa Violets under lights
for about a year and enjoyed myself until it got to be too much to raise a
daughter and plants at the same time.  I never learned moderation.  Put the
plants aside and am now starting over.  I started growing herbs from seeds
early this year in my kitchen but didn't move fast enough when the aphids
invaded.  I'll do better next year.  I'm hoping to grow begonias and am
going to try going to a begonia club in San Francisco.

I enjoy doing my plants from scratch -- seeds and cuttings, and would like
to get back into mixing my own soils.  Any advice is appreciated.

I asked a co-worker of mine who grows cactus (cacti?) in his office about
the problem Cami is having, and here's his reply, word for word:

"Howdy.  A cactus question is always welcome on my workstation!  While 
     it would be helpful to have more information regarding the name, form, 
     appearance, etc. of the cactus in question, I have a few comments.  
     First of all, the "roots" spoken of here are probably "air roots", as 
     distinct from those which go into the ground.  On epiphyllums, for 
     example, roots protrude from the leaves and stems in the hope of 
     fastening themselves into tree bark, from which they extract nutrients 
     and moisture, and acquire a firm "footing" into the trees in which 
     they grow in the tropical jungles.  These types of roots are generally 
     different from soil roots, but they can function in a similar way if 
     the cactus is to be repotted.  Whenever you sever a piece of cactus 
     from another, you must let the severed piece "cure" for a few days and 
     develop a covering layer over the "wound"--otherwise it will "rot" if 
     placed in moist soil or in water.  The owner of the cactus in question 
     would do well to do this if the rest of the cactus is "mushy"--which 
     more than likely means that it is rotting, which is usually the result 
     of too much water on a previous occasion.  It may be that this new 
     growth is a last gasp effort of the cactus to survive, knowing, as it 
     were, that the rest is going to rot, this is a last protrusion to 
     continue the plant.  There is nothing wrong with this method of 
     propagation, by the way; cactusmeisters do this all the time to 
     multiply their plants or create "grafts" where one cactus is cut in 
     half and a different type is grafted on top of it.  Some very strange 
     and unique creations have been developed by this method.  Anyway, you 
     ought to see if you can find out the name of this cactus.  Perhaps 
     some specific recommendations can be garnered once its identity is 
     known.  Do keep me posted."

Hope this helps.

                        Jean K
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index