Cacti
 

I have just bought 3 cacti. They seem quite large for the tiny pots they are
in. Is it OK to put them in bigger pots or do they like to stay confined and
quite potbound?

Complete gardening novice so treat me with gardening gloves please lol

Thanks

Jay

Cacti
 

It would all depend on which ones they are.


"Jason Scott" wrote in message
...
I have just bought 3 cacti. They seem quite large for the tiny pots they
are
in. Is it OK to put them in bigger pots or do they like to stay confined
and
quite potbound?

Complete gardening novice so treat me with gardening gloves please lol

Thanks

Jay

Cacti
 

In article , Jason Scott
writes
I have just bought 3 cacti. They seem quite large for the tiny pots they are
in. Is it OK to put them in bigger pots or do they like to stay confined and
quite potbound?

No, they're not particularly fussy. But they do tend to fall over if the
pot is too small, and if they're the sort that have offshoots the
offshoots can be a bit squashed by a small pot.

Don't repot them just yet - wait till they're in full growth in the
warmer weather - May or June. Use a strip of screwed up newspaper to
hold them if you're worried about the spines.
You need a well drained compost - either add some sharp sand to ordinary
potting compost, or buy a small bag of 'cacti compost'.

Cacti don't like to be cold and wet, so you can water them as much as
you like in the summer, but very little in the winter if they're indoors
on a windowsill and not at all if their in a greenhouse.

Give them as much light and sun as you can. Depending on type, you might
get flowers.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Cacti
 

Exactly to which cacti do you allude, Kay?

Night blooming Cereus, giant cardoon or golden barrel?

Or are one of those enlightened souls that thinks Sempervivum are cacti?


"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Jason Scott
writes
I have just bought 3 cacti. They seem quite large for the tiny pots they
are
in. Is it OK to put them in bigger pots or do they like to stay confined
and
quite potbound?

No, they're not particularly fussy. But they do tend to fall over if the
pot is too small, and if they're the sort that have offshoots the
offshoots can be a bit squashed by a small pot.

Don't repot them just yet - wait till they're in full growth in the
warmer weather - May or June. Use a strip of screwed up newspaper to
hold them if you're worried about the spines.
You need a well drained compost - either add some sharp sand to ordinary
potting compost, or buy a small bag of 'cacti compost'.

Cacti don't like to be cold and wet, so you can water them as much as
you like in the summer, but very little in the winter if they're indoors
on a windowsill and not at all if their in a greenhouse.

Give them as much light and sun as you can. Depending on type, you might
get flowers.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Cacti
 

"Cereus-validus" wrote in message
...

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Jason
Scott
writes
I have just bought 3 cacti. They seem quite large for the tiny
pots they
are
in. Is it OK to put them in bigger pots or do they like to stay
confined
and
quite potbound?

No, they're not particularly fussy. But they do tend to fall over
if the
pot is too small, and if they're the sort that have offshoots the
offshoots can be a bit squashed by a small pot.

Don't repot them just yet - wait till they're in full growth in
the
warmer weather - May or June. Use a strip of screwed up newspaper
to
hold them if you're worried about the spines.
You need a well drained compost - either add some sharp sand to
ordinary
potting compost, or buy a small bag of 'cacti compost'.

Cacti don't like to be cold and wet, so you can water them as much
as
you like in the summer, but very little in the winter if they're
indoors
on a windowsill and not at all if their in a greenhouse.

Give them as much light and sun as you can. Depending on type, you
might
get flowers.

Exactly to which cacti do you allude, Kay?

Night blooming Cereus, giant cardoon or golden barrel?

Or are one of those enlightened souls that thinks Sempervivum are
cacti?

I took the liberty of putting Cereus-validus' contribution in a place
where the logical flow of the conversation is maintained a little
better than by top-posting.

Franz

Cacti
 

Thanks a bunch, Franz.

I will be sure to keep you busy rearranging my postings for posterity!!!

You sure must really like to cut and paste!!

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

"Cereus-validus" wrote in message
...

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Jason
Scott
writes
I have just bought 3 cacti. They seem quite large for the tiny
pots they
are
in. Is it OK to put them in bigger pots or do they like to stay
confined
and
quite potbound?

No, they're not particularly fussy. But they do tend to fall over
if the
pot is too small, and if they're the sort that have offshoots the
offshoots can be a bit squashed by a small pot.

Don't repot them just yet - wait till they're in full growth in
the
warmer weather - May or June. Use a strip of screwed up newspaper
to
hold them if you're worried about the spines.
You need a well drained compost - either add some sharp sand to
ordinary
potting compost, or buy a small bag of 'cacti compost'.

Cacti don't like to be cold and wet, so you can water them as much
as
you like in the summer, but very little in the winter if they're
indoors
on a windowsill and not at all if their in a greenhouse.

Give them as much light and sun as you can. Depending on type, you
might
get flowers.

Exactly to which cacti do you allude, Kay?

Night blooming Cereus, giant cardoon or golden barrel?

Or are one of those enlightened souls that thinks Sempervivum are
cacti?

I took the liberty of putting Cereus-validus' contribution in a place
where the logical flow of the conversation is maintained a little
better than by top-posting.

Franz

Cacti
 

"Jason Scott" wrote in message
...
I have just bought 3 cacti. They seem quite large for the tiny pots
they are
in. Is it OK to put them in bigger pots or do they like to stay
confined and
quite potbound?

Complete gardening novice so treat me with gardening gloves please
lol

Ah, I remember it well.
I started off with three cacti lost in the bottom of yoghourt pots
bought at a local jumble sale.
Three years later one of them flowered - a night flowering Echinopsis.
And I was hooked!
I ended up with 1500 and a greenhouse devoted to them.

I never came to terms with generalisations about them. They come from
a wide range of habitats, from salt laden coastlines to Andean
mountains covered in winter snow. Some will grow in cracks in rocks
and some have huge extensive root systems. It is true to say that
given the right conditions, all 'should' flower. The knack is getting
the conditions right.

Best to start off giving them conventional rootspace. Keep them dry
when its cold. When the weather warms up start giving them a drink but
wait till they dry out again before repeating the process. And they
will appreciate the 'odd' bit of fertiliser - in moderation.
If they are named species, you can get specific advice on how to treat
them from books or Google.
Find out their native habitat and 'try' to emulate it. Of course it
will not always be possible.
You will win some - and you will lose some.
But it can be fascinating.

--
ned

Cacti
 

In article , Franz Heymann notfranz.
writes
Night blooming Cereus, giant cardoon or golden barrel?

Or are one of those enlightened souls that thinks Sempervivum are
cacti?

I am certainly not one of those 'enlightened souls' who thinks anything
is added by using twee vernacular names in preference to botanical
names.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Cacti
 

"Cereus-validus" wrote in message
. ..
Thanks a bunch, Franz.

I will be sure to keep you busy rearranging my postings for
posterity!!!

You sure must really like to cut and paste!!


"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

"Cereus-validus" wrote in message
...

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Jason
Scott
writes
I have just bought 3 cacti. They seem quite large for the
tiny
pots they
are
in. Is it OK to put them in bigger pots or do they like to
stay
confined
and
quite potbound?

No, they're not particularly fussy. But they do tend to fall
over
if the
pot is too small, and if they're the sort that have offshoots
the
offshoots can be a bit squashed by a small pot.

Don't repot them just yet - wait till they're in full growth
in
the
warmer weather - May or June. Use a strip of screwed up
newspaper
to
hold them if you're worried about the spines.
You need a well drained compost - either add some sharp sand
to
ordinary
potting compost, or buy a small bag of 'cacti compost'.

Cacti don't like to be cold and wet, so you can water them as
much
as
you like in the summer, but very little in the winter if
they're
indoors
on a windowsill and not at all if their in a greenhouse.

Give them as much light and sun as you can. Depending on type,
you
might
get flowers.

Exactly to which cacti do you allude, Kay?

Night blooming Cereus, giant cardoon or golden barrel?

Or are one of those enlightened souls that thinks Sempervivum
are
cacti?

I took the liberty of putting Cereus-validus' contribution in a
place
where the logical flow of the conversation is maintained a little
better than by top-posting.


Cereus-validus has just made sure that I will not read any more
contributions from him for a while.

Franz

Cacti
 

"Jason Scott" wrote in message
...
I have just bought 3 cacti. They seem quite large for the tiny pots they
are
in. Is it OK to put them in bigger pots or do they like to stay confined
and
quite potbound?

Complete gardening novice so treat me with gardening gloves please lol

Thanks

Jay

Some cacti seem to thrive on abuse.

We have one variety which is a a ?barrel? shape - think of half a short fat
spiky ridged cucumber - which propogates by budding near the base. I have
potted this on in normal multi-purpose compost, and then taken cuttings and
potted them on into normal multi-purpose compost covered by a thin layer of
grit.

I leave them out on the patio in the sun, wind and rain for most of the
year.
Last year I just remembered to bring them in before the frost.
They flower every few weeks with lovely trumpet shaped flowers which only
last a day or so.
I overwinter them in a shed, near the window.
They tolerate being very dry and extremely wet.

Two other varieties, Christma/Easter cactus and a strange branching huge
thing, live obscure lives of their own in large old terracotta plant pots.
On has been out all winter and still seems to be alive, although not growing
strongly at the moment.

I always thought that cacti were delicate desert things which needed
dryness, special compost, and special care.

I suspect that these would thrive in a sunny south facing border for most of
the year, and might even overwinter if covered against frost. I may yet try
this :-)

So experiment and have fun - my cacti seem to grow like crazy when treated
like normal pot plants i.e. regular feed and water, normal compost.

Cheers
Dave R

Which reminds me - it must be about time they came out of the shed for some
fresh air!

Cacti
 

In article , David W.E.
Roberts writes

I suspect that these would thrive in a sunny south facing border for most of
the year, and might even overwinter if covered against frost. I may yet try
this :-)

Protection against wet is more important than protection against frost.
They are happy about wet when the weather is warm, and many are happy
about frost if bone dry. This means it is possible to keep some species
outside during winter so long as they are dry and protected from rain.

Protecting against frost but not against wet is not enough - they need
to be considerably warmer to cope with that - below 40 deg you'll have
difficulty if they are wet. (and don't assume above 40 is therefore OK -
I don't start watering mine until May)

But otherwise, yes, they tolerate a lot of neglect (which is what
they're designed for), and equally will take a lot of water in summer if
its offered.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Cacti
 

The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words:

I took the liberty of putting Cereus-validus' contribution in a place
where the logical flow of the conversation is maintained a little
better than by top-posting.

Are you on mains sewage or a septic tank, Franz? Do be careful.

Janet.

Cacti
 

"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in
message ...
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains
these words:

I took the liberty of putting Cereus-validus' contribution in a
place
where the logical flow of the conversation is maintained a little
better than by top-posting.

Are you on mains sewage or a septic tank, Franz? Do be careful.

Neither, but as a matter of fact I do live in a village in which the
main drain to which I contribute effluent has a section with no fall
at all. Once in a while we have a real problem with sewage bubbling
out through the manhole covers.

Cacti
 

The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words:


"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in
message ...
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains
these words:

I took the liberty of putting Cereus-validus' contribution in a
place
where the logical flow of the conversation is maintained a little
better than by top-posting.

Are you on mains sewage or a septic tank, Franz? Do be careful.

Neither, but as a matter of fact I do live in a village in which the
main drain to which I contribute effluent has a section with no fall
at all. Once in a while we have a real problem with sewage bubbling
out through the manhole covers.

That sounds like cereus-validus. Wherever he turns up, he's unwelcome.

Janet.

Cacti
 

Hey Broccoli,

Why don't you get a life of your own?
If it wasn't for me, you'd have nobody to aspire to be.

Whenever there's a sewage problem, you show up looking for a free meal!!!


"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these
words:


"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in
message ...
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains
these words:

I took the liberty of putting Cereus-validus' contribution in a
place
where the logical flow of the conversation is maintained a little
better than by top-posting.

Are you on mains sewage or a septic tank, Franz? Do be careful.

Neither, but as a matter of fact I do live in a village in which the
main drain to which I contribute effluent has a section with no fall
at all. Once in a while we have a real problem with sewage bubbling
out through the manhole covers.

That sounds like cereus-validus. Wherever he turns up, he's unwelcome.

Janet.