Hi,
I am new to this site and new to all gardening really. The site is great and great advice. I am new to Cactus growing and have had a Opuntia Bergeriana for a good few months. Its growing in the bathroom window sill and is doing really well. Its nice and green which i assume is good. I would like some advice on, if its growing tall and one of the paddles growing off it is long and thin and is bending over on its self. Should i put a cane along the cactus and tie this long stem to it until its strong enough to support its self. I am thinking that the bathroom is warm enough but maybe not light enough due to not much flower action.
How do i know when to repot, also can this type of cactus go outside in the british weather, or i could move the cactus onto the window sill into direct sunlight. any help would be great for a novice like me.

Cheers Lee

I, too, am new to gardening and am just checking things out.

On Jun 24, 3:08*pm, divingmoose divingmoose.
wrote:
Hi,
I am new to this site and new to all gardening really. The site is
great and great advice. I am new to Cactus growing and have had a
Opuntia Bergeriana for a good few months. Its growing in the bathroom
window sill and is doing really well. Its nice and green which i assume
is good. I would like some advice on, if its growing tall and one of the
paddles growing off it is long and thin and is bending over on its self.
Should i put a cane along the cactus and tie this long stem to it until
its strong enough to support its self. I am thinking that the bathroom
is warm enough but maybe not light enough due to not much flower
action.
How do i know when to repot, also can this type of cactus go outside in
the british weather, or i could move the cactus onto the window sill
into direct sunlight. any help would be great for a novice like me.

Cheers Lee

--
divingmoose

In article ,
divingmoose wrote:

Hi,
I am new to this site and new to all gardening really. The site is
great and great advice. I am new to Cactus growing and have had a
Opuntia Bergeriana for a good few months. Its growing in the bathroom
window sill and is doing really well. Its nice and green which i assume
is good. I would like some advice on, if its growing tall and one of the
paddles growing off it is long and thin and is bending over on its self.
Should i put a cane along the cactus and tie this long stem to it until
its strong enough to support its self. I am thinking that the bathroom
is warm enough but maybe not light enough due to not much flower
action.
How do i know when to repot, also can this type of cactus go outside in
the british weather, or i could move the cactus onto the window sill
into direct sunlight. any help would be great for a novice like me.

Cheers Lee

Kate hates it when I only give a URL, so here it is ;O)
http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/OPU.../Opuntia_berge
riana/opuntia_bergeriana.htm
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://green-house.tv/video/the-spring-garden-tour
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn

On Jun 24, 3:08*pm, divingmoose divingmoose.
wrote:
Hi,
I am new to this site and new to all gardening really. The site is
great and great advice. I am new to Cactus growing and have had a
Opuntia Bergeriana for a good few months. Its growing in the bathroom
window sill and is doing really well. Its nice and green which i assume
is good. I would like some advice on, if its growing tall and one of the
paddles growing off it is long and thin and is bending over on its self.
Should i put a cane along the cactus and tie this long stem to it until
its strong enough to support its self. I am thinking that the bathroom
is warm enough but maybe not light enough due to not much flower
action.
How do i know when to repot, also can this type of cactus go outside in
the british weather, or i could move the cactus onto the window sill
into direct sunlight. any help would be great for a novice like me.

Cheers Lee

--
divingmoose

This does seem to be a helpful site.

divingmoose said:



Hi,
I am new to this site and new to all gardening really. The site is
great and great advice. I am new to Cactus growing and have had a
Opuntia Bergeriana for a good few months. Its growing in the bathroom
window sill and is doing really well. Its nice and green which i assume
is good. I would like some advice on, if its growing tall and one of the
paddles growing off it is long and thin and is bending over on its self.
Should i put a cane along the cactus and tie this long stem to it until
its strong enough to support its self. I am thinking that the bathroom
is warm enough but maybe not light enough due to not much flower
action.

I think your cactus needs more light. Long, thin, floppy growth =
legginess = not enough light.

You could prop up this new growth, certainly but more importantly,
you need to get that cactus more light.

How do i know when to repot, also can this type of cactus go outside in
the british weather, or i could move the cactus onto the window sill
into direct sunlight. any help would be great for a novice like me.

It wouldn't survive the British winter, but should be able to go outside
in the summer. However, you will need to gradually expose it to full
sunlight, to harden it off. When you bring it back in before the weather
turns cold, put in in a south-facing window and/or give it supplemental
lighting.

Repot when the top growth is oversized for the pot, very very carefully.
Back when I had indoor cactus plants, I used to roll them in paper so
I could safely hold them while repotting.

(Now my only cactus grows outdoors year-round. (Opuntia humifusa,
a native plant here.) It should be blooming soon.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"So, it was all a dream."
"No dear, this is the dream, you're still in the cell."

email valid but not regularly monitored

In article
,
Pat Kiewicz wrote:

divingmoose said:



Hi,
I am new to this site and new to all gardening really. The site is
great and great advice. I am new to Cactus growing and have had a
Opuntia Bergeriana for a good few months. Its growing in the bathroom
window sill and is doing really well. Its nice and green which i assume
is good. I would like some advice on, if its growing tall and one of the
paddles growing off it is long and thin and is bending over on its self.
Should i put a cane along the cactus and tie this long stem to it until
its strong enough to support its self. I am thinking that the bathroom
is warm enough but maybe not light enough due to not much flower
action.

I think your cactus needs more light. Long, thin, floppy growth =
legginess = not enough light.

You could prop up this new growth, certainly but more importantly,
you need to get that cactus more light.

How do i know when to repot, also can this type of cactus go outside in
the british weather, or i could move the cactus onto the window sill
into direct sunlight. any help would be great for a novice like me.

It wouldn't survive the British winter,
not if it gets below 23F.
Perhaps you could get a greenhouse for it and only bring it in on the
coldest of nights.

"Full sun (only), in semi shaded position wont produce many flowers."

but should be able to go outside
in the summer. However, you will need to gradually expose it to full
sunlight, to harden it off. When you bring it back in before the weather
turns cold, put in in a south-facing window and/or give it supplemental
lighting.

Repot when the top growth is oversized for the pot, very very carefully.
Back when I had indoor cactus plants, I used to roll them in paper so
I could safely hold them while repotting.

(Now my only cactus grows outdoors year-round. (Opuntia humifusa,
a native plant here.) It should be blooming soon.
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://green-house.tv/video/the-spring-garden-tour
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn

In article , Charlie wrote:

On Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:03:19 -0700 (PDT), jkc516
wrote:



This does seem to be a helpful site.

Oh dear. A conflicting opinion! ;-) Bob and Kate and Mic and some of
the other "old hands" and pedants seem to think otherwise. They claim
it is no longer as helpful as in the good old days, that the loons
(whatever that means) have nearly destroyed this group, and most of
The Usenet as well.

Glad you find helpful stuff here. I do and find good entertainment
also.

Charlie

Others feel information is information no matter where you find it.
All books aren't for all people, neither are movies, or teachers.
You may find some of us suit your taste, better than others. We have
some who are difficult, and know little. We have some who are difficult
but knowledgeable. We have some who rarely post, unless the question
intrigues them. We have some who just want to quarrel, and we have some
who think that their way is the only way. Your job, as a poster, is to
pose your question with as much information as you can (where are you,
pots or soil, watering, type of plant nutrition, sunlight, ect.) and
then sift from among the possibly conflicting responses to find a common
thread that may be useful to you. Some responders will give you
anecdotal information, and some will give you web sites as an answer or
in support of their view. You may find that particular responders are
easier for you to understand as well.

It's not always easy, but it is free;O)
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://green-house.tv/video/the-spring-garden-tour
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn

In article , Charlie wrote:

On Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:53:21 -0700, Billy
wrote:

In article , Charlie wrote:

On Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:03:19 -0700 (PDT), jkc516
wrote:



This does seem to be a helpful site.

Oh dear. A conflicting opinion! ;-) Bob and Kate and Mic and some of
the other "old hands" and pedants seem to think otherwise. They claim
it is no longer as helpful as in the good old days, that the loons
(whatever that means) have nearly destroyed this group, and most of
The Usenet as well.

Glad you find helpful stuff here. I do and find good entertainment
also.

Charlie

Others feel information is information no matter where you find it.
All books aren't for all people, neither are movies, or teachers.
You may find some of us suit your taste, better than others. We have
some who are difficult, and know little. We have some who are difficult
but knowledgeable. We have some who rarely post, unless the question
intrigues them. We have some who just want to quarrel, and we have some
who think that their way is the only way. Your job, as a poster, is to
pose your question with as much information as you can (where are you,
pots or soil, watering, type of plant nutrition, sunlight, ect.) and
then sift from among the possibly conflicting responses to find a common
thread that may be useful to you. Some responders will give you
anecdotal information, and some will give you web sites as an answer or
in support of their view. You may find that particular responders are
easier for you to understand as well.

It's not always easy, but it is free;O)

OUCH!! You just poked me in the eye with your BigFatCrayola,
Billyloon!

Speaking of free, just found this thought provoking bit from Al E.

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part
limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and
feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical
delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for
us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few
persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this
prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living
creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~~Albert Einstein

I dunno.... that old Al E. feller sounds kinda loony to me.

Charlie

Don't be hasty Charlie. Anybody's name that spells AlE, deserves some
consideration.

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?
- Albert Einstein
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://green-house.tv/video/the-spring-garden-tour
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn

In article
,
Billy wrote:

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?
- Albert Einstein

It is always the others who are crazy since there is no other. Now how
is that cat doing in that box?

Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."
-Philo of Alexandria

http://www.youtube.com/usnationalarchives

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?
- Albert Einstein

It is always the others who are crazy since there is no other. Now how
is that cat doing in that box?

Bill

Thank heaven, I thought you were going to be Bohring (hang on Shelly,
his teacher was Christian Christensen, and seems to have been quite
successful:O)), so I checked with Schrödinger, but he was uncertain. He
did say not to open the box.
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://green-house.tv/video/the-spring-garden-tour
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?
- Albert Einstein

It is always the others who are crazy since there is no other. Now how
is that cat doing in that box?

Bill

Thank heaven, I thought you were going to be Bohring (hang on Shelly,
his teacher was Christian Christensen, and seems to have been quite
successful:O)), so I checked with Schrödinger, but he was uncertain. He
did say not to open the box.

I used to read "Boojums All The Way Through" Sub title "Communicating
Science In a Prossic Age" by N. David Mermin. Only read it when we
were at vacation on rainy days. Did this for a few years and wonder
why? Guess at heart I'm stuck on wondering about why and how and what
for too. Ah the nature of reality and why are the voles tearing up my
hosta's big time and will universal health care happen.

Bill Confused who will now go weed..

PS. N. David Mermin worth a google

http://www.google.com/search?client=...David+Mermin&i
e=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

http://www.youtube.com/usnationalarchives

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?
- Albert Einstein

It is always the others who are crazy since there is no other. Now how
is that cat doing in that box?

Bill

Thank heaven, I thought you were going to be Bohring (hang on Shelly,
his teacher was Christian Christensen, and seems to have been quite
successful:O)), so I checked with Schrödinger, but he was uncertain. He
did say not to open the box.

I used to read "Boojums All The Way Through" Sub title "Communicating
Science In a Prossic Age" by N. David Mermin. Only read it when we
were at vacation on rainy days. Did this for a few years and wonder
why? Guess at heart I'm stuck on wondering about why and how and what
for too. Ah the nature of reality and why are the voles tearing up my
hosta's big time and will universal health care happen.

Bill Confused who will now go weed..

PS. N. David Mermin worth a google

http://www.google.com/search?client=...David+Mermin&i
e=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

"In the physics of superfluidity, a boojum is a geometric pattern on the
surface of one of the phases of superfluid helium-3, whose motion can
result in the decay of a supercurrent. A boojum can result from a
monopole singularity in the bulk of the liquid being drawn to, and then
"pinned" on a surface."

Billy now confused and will return to garden as well, having just
finished a tall glass of cold water.
This morning was wonderful in the garden. It must have been about 75F
(24C), and the birds were singing. The song birds are usually gone by
now, so it is a real treat to still have them here. I prepped the area
under a trellis for some Tromboncino Zucchetta (Cucuzzi), which I will
now plant. I just planted some snap beans, and will round out the day
with half a dozen peppers, and 5 Bitter Melons. It's 83F right now, and
is supposed to go to the low 90Fs over the week end.
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://green-house.tv/video/the-spring-garden-tour
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others
crazy?
- Albert Einstein

It is always the others who are crazy since there is no other. Now
how
is that cat doing in that box?

Bill

Thank heaven, I thought you were going to be Bohring (hang on Shelly,
his teacher was Christian Christensen, and seems to have been quite
successful:O)), so I checked with Schrödinger, but he was uncertain. He
did say not to open the box.

I used to read "Boojums All The Way Through" Sub title "Communicating
Science In a Prossic Age" by N. David Mermin. Only read it when we
were at vacation on rainy days. Did this for a few years and wonder
why? Guess at heart I'm stuck on wondering about why and how and what
for too. Ah the nature of reality and why are the voles tearing up my
hosta's big time and will universal health care happen.

Bill Confused who will now go weed..

PS. N. David Mermin worth a google

http://www.google.com/search?client=...David+Mermin&i
e=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

"In the physics of superfluidity, a boojum is a geometric pattern on the
surface of one of the phases of superfluid helium-3, whose motion can
result in the decay of a supercurrent. A boojum can result from a
monopole singularity in the bulk of the liquid being drawn to, and then
"pinned" on a surface."

Billy now confused and will return to garden as well, having just
finished a tall glass of cold water.
This morning was wonderful in the garden. It must have been about 75F
(24C), and the birds were singing. The song birds are usually gone by
now, so it is a real treat to still have them here. I prepped the area
under a trellis for some Tromboncino Zucchetta (Cucuzzi), which I will
now plant. I just planted some snap beans, and will round out the day
with half a dozen peppers, and 5 Bitter Melons. It's 83F right now, and
is supposed to go to the low 90Fs over the week end.

What do you think a newbie coming to rec gardens lands here may posture.

Best practice ....just improving the soil and fill in the others
later. A question? Perhaps good soil answers the questions or so I hope.

Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

http://www.youtube.com/usnationalarchives

In article ,
Jangchub wrote:


Jangchub

Saw this and thought of you.

http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/the-doctor-is-within/

--

Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

Balzac "Only vice there is wanting to know everything"
What the ..... Bill