Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cactus

What are and how do I obtain miniature cacti?

artifarce — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:11:00 -0800

Are miniature cacti just younger plants or do they have their own name or classification? Awhile ago I saw some tiny (~1 in. apiece) cacti for sale in a big box garden/home supply store, but am not having luck finding them online (getting a lot of hits for dollhouse miniatures, etc). I would like to buy some but know neither the right terminology to use, nor where I'd buy them. I've already browsed several online cacti stores w/o success. Thanks for your help tracking this down!

Cacti experts, help!

peachfuzz — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:15:35 -0800

I have some questions about cacti. First, can you help me identify the awesome cactus my boss' husband gave me? It looks exactly like this one (though that's someone else's photo). Second, can you recommend how to take and transplant a cutting from it? I've read some guides and know to let it callous over before potting it, but I'm not sure how or where to cut - it's larger than this one, with lots of branches and paddles and bulbous bits. Should I just try to get most of a node? And when I pot it, should I bury it or just put an inch or so into the soil? Is half sand and half soil the right mix to use? I've read a lot of different opinions. Ditto on whether to water it after repotting or not. Basically, all cacti tips are welcome.

Thanks!

Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw.

Greg Nog — Mon, 11 May 2009 12:30:12 -0800

Where can I get prickly pear cactus fruit in New York City? And when is it likely to be found? I'm looking to procure roughly 5 to 6 pounds of the fruit.

Where can I buy a mail-order boojum tree?

Gneisskate — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:09:02 -0800

Where can I buy a mail-order boojum tree? Yes, there is such a thing. Here is a bit more detail on the subject. I think they are quite interesting and look like something out of Dr. Seuss, but I can't seem to find anyone who sells them. Cactus suppliers, maybe? Any help would be appreciated. I am in Indiana for shipping and shopping purposes.

Is my cactus sick?

saslett — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:19:03 -0800

My cactus has developed a couple of lesions on its body and all along its base (where it enters the soil). They look like brown, dry patches. I have been keeping it in the window sill at all times and I've only watered it twice in the 5 weeks that I've owned it. Does anyone know what these lesions are? Is my cactus sick? Is there any way that I can save it?

Cactusfilter: How do I bring 200+ cactuses back to full health and keep them alive for the winter?

ageispolis — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:05:25 -0800

I've inherited a greenhouse and it is full of cactuses and succulents. I would very much like to keep them alive and healthy but I do not know where to begin! How can I become a cactus caretaker? I am in Victoria, BC, a temperate climate entering a rainy winter in the next couple of months. The previous owner died of a heart attack in June, and the cactuses have seen no care since then. Many of them are wilted, look unhealthy, and the greenhouse is dirty and falling apart. There's some fans and a lamp inside.

I would guess there's about 200 cactuses in the greenhouse.

Some of them are labelled echinocereus, opunita rufida, echniocereus sheerii, euphorbia mammillaris, grassula falcata, lobivia tiegriliana, ... and I could go in but there are 200 of them. Some are quite beautiful, some hideous. Do I leave them in the greenhouse or bring them inside for the winter? If I leave them inside, do I seal the greenhouse? When I inherited it the door was wide open and the ceiling panels are lifted to allow airflow. Such questions prove my inadequacy at dealing with this sort of thing, but I would hate for the cactuses to slowly dry/die out when I feel I have come across such a marvelous collection.

What succulent is this?

andeles — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:37:20 -0800

What sort of cactus or succulent did I buy? I bought what I thought was a small cactus from a farmer's market. The person I bought it from didn't know what it was, but I figured that I could look it up online or in a book. Well, after looking through almost all of cactiguide.com and a few books at the bookstore, I am offically stumped.

Pictures: 1 and 2

The plant is about four inches high, and the petal-leaf-thingies are very firm to the pinch, and are covered in tiny hard white scales. When I first got it, the "leaves" were tighter together, like an arcane artichoke, but now they have opened up a little bit.

I have a sort of anti-green thumb, but this plant is so cute, I really want to know how to care for it so it actually stays alive!

What are your recipes for prickly pear?

dancestoblue — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:36:23 -0800

Prickly Pear -- The official state plant of Texas. How do you prepare them? I just bought five of them for a buck (first time I've ever seen them in the grocery, much less bought them), asked some fellow late-night shoppers how to eat them -- they told me not to eat the skin but rather just the inside. Which I did, soon as I got home; I quartered one, ate the inside, and it's sweet as candy -- cool. Sort of a Southwestern kiwi fruit. But what is your recipe for prickly pears? Do you use the skins of the pear also?

While we're at it, what is your recipe for prickly pear 'pads' or 'paddles,' whatever it is you call the stems?

Our friend Google tells me that there's just all kinds of things to do with them, different recipes. Also, I didn't know that the prickly pear is the official state plant of Texas, which I find sortof comical -- I mean, how about bluebonnets, or Indian paint brushes? But they didn't ask me, that I can recall.

Anyways, what do you MeFites do with them, how do you prepare them? Can I toss the 'pad' part into the smoothies I make? How about the entire pear, can I toss that into a smoothie, skin and all? Or, rather, I know I can do that, but have you, or would you?

Grow little buddy, grow!

the dief — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:45:43 -0800

How do I get started with germinating cactus seeds? Hello. I love me some cactus. I have one growing right now and its awesome, but I bought it as a plant, not as seed. I'd like to get started with germinating cactus seeds, but I'm not sure about the best way to do it. Some caveats:

1) I live in Canada. So, uh, I don't exactly have a lot of warmth outside. Especially not now.
2) I'd *really* rather not use grow lamps or other heat sources. I do have multiple old school radiators, so I could probably use them, but I don't want to have a huge power drain. If there's some wicked awesome low power drain lamp solution that I don't know about, that would be nifty.
3) I don't have a yard, so this would be pots only. None of my windows get a hell of a lot of sun.

Oh and yeah, if you've got a nice reputable place where you buy cactus seeds and garden stuff in general (I'm in Hamilton, ON, but can tool around the GTA if need be) -- please let me know! Recommendations for particular species to grow are good too.

What is this succulent?

nakedsushi — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:37:20 -0800

What is this cute little succulent and where can I get one? What is the succulent seen here called? Bonus points for telling me where I can get one.

image here

What are these alien plants?

puffin — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:29:17 -0800

Help me identify my small collection of succulents. Over this past year I have now accumulated six different succulent plants. I have no idea what species they are, or how to care for them apart from not watering more than twice a month. Searching online has mostly yielded confusion since I know absolutely nothing about plants in general, let alone cacti/succulents.

Mystery cactus

dead_ — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:08:27 -0800

Help identify this cactus! I was given a clipping of this cactus by my mother and it has been growing wonderfully for almost a year... yet I still don't even know what kind of cactus it is! Can anyone help me here? Thanks!

Transplanting Cactus

kc0dxh — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 13:25:31 -0800

Can I transplant cacti from a 1" clay pot to a 4" successfully? Is this too big of a size jump?

ordering flowering cactus or flowers online

yoga — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 14:31:26 -0800

Looking for recommendations on ordering a flowering cactus or some flowers online for someone recuperating from surgery. I'm trying to stay under $60 if possible. The person is in Baldwinsville NY, which I believe is in the Syracuse (?) area. I'd like to place an order this evening.

Cactus Survival!

emmling — Wed, 25 Feb 2004 00:10:55 -0800

Can I keep this cactus from dying? [more inside] The bottom part is now an ugly brownish color, and it feels leathery. I'm pretty sure it's suffering from a lack of water. So is there any way it could be saved? If I keep watering it, will it perk up, or will I mess up the root system? Should I just give up gardening altogether, if I can't keep a cactus alive?