Cactus update
Take a look. Thanks for the suggestions before. Any more? Am I doing better? Cactus are strange.
I opted for the small plates below so I can put water underneath. The biggest succulent is doing much better in open shade, it's near the window, but sits on top of a microwave. It seems to do much better here. I can see growth everyday. Photo 6, see how those plants are bending over towards the window? Do they want more light? I'm trying to figure that out. They seem happy, but they're leaning so far towards the light, I can't really tell. In the 7th photo the cactus has this long ass branch that came out and there are flowers! You can see a closer up of the flowers in the 3rd photo. These plants are so weird.
I opted for the small plates below so I can put water underneath. The biggest succulent is doing much better in open shade, it's near the window, but sits on top of a microwave. It seems to do much better here. I can see growth everyday. Photo 6, see how those plants are bending over towards the window? Do they want more light? I'm trying to figure that out. They seem happy, but they're leaning so far towards the light, I can't really tell. In the 7th photo the cactus has this long ass branch that came out and there are flowers! You can see a closer up of the flowers in the 3rd photo. These plants are so weird.
Labels: random musings
posted by gr @ PERMLINK: 10:53 PM
3 Comments:
Hi Eric, I will chime in since I know a little about these guys. Your plants are looking happy and healthy. Most indoor plants will stretch a little to get more sunlight, flowers do this too, they will turn to face the sun. It doesn’t always mean they aren’t getting enough light, they just turn to face it so they can photosynthesize.
Cacti are strange, and they’re not always easy to take care of like most people think. Light is tricky. Most that I’ve kept outside in full sun have burned and then died later ( I think the 115 degree heat last summer might have helped). In the wild, cacti and succulents often start growing under the shade of a tree, bush or larger cactus. As they get bigger they get more used to the harsh sun. But when they’re young, you have to watch out.
I don’t recommend these plants being in direct full sun all day, but make sure they get lots of light. Think about a greenhouse- tons of light all day but it’s filtered light and not direct sun frying down on the lil’ plants. I think your windowsill with a screen to dissipate the light a little is working out perfectly.
You might want to replant a couple of those, plastic is fine but will retain more water in the soil which sometimes is a bad thing. Terracotta pots whisk some of the water away which imitates the soil that these plants grow in. They usually live on hillsides, in between rocks, places that have very good drainage.
Your hawthoria with the tall flower might be getting ready to die. A lot of plants will flower and drop seeds to procreate, while it starts dying. Hawthorias usually start producing little mini hawthorias at their base but I don’t see any on yours. They might still be underground like a kids tooth waiting to come up. I had one about the same size about 8 years ago, and still have it , but now it’s a lot bigger. They keep on spreading out, making more mini-me’s, flowering, living and dying. Just like all of us.
Awesome lil’ start to a nice collection...
wow. Jeff Soto - world famous artist and GR botanist?
Succulents rule. My wife has made me into a believer. She has the greenest thumb, haha.
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