Growing Up Houseplants Were Part Of Our Home…
I grew up in a house where there were nice lush green houseplants seemingly everywhere, which gave our home a nice feel. I don’t think there was a room in the house without a healthy looking houseplant.
Since leaving home I have tried my hand at nurturing all sorts of houseplants in an attempt to replicate the feel of the home I grew up in, but I just do not have the same green fingers as my parents. I have kept and killed many unfortunate houseplants….Until I discovered a love of cactus and succulents.
Where My Love Of Cactus All Started…
A fair few years back I saw this magnificent golden barrel cactus in a nursery, until then I had never noticed how stunning a cactus could look. Putting my past lack of green fingers to the back of my mind and seriously hoping to be able to become the proud owner of the cactus, I asked the price.
I needed resuscitating when I was told that it cost €200.00 – it was a beautiful looking cactus, but €200.00 seemed a little steep and was definitely out of my price range!
No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get the image of that cactus out of my head. I wanted one!
I Did Eventually Get A Golden Barrel Cactus…
Although it was positively tiny in comparison!
A few months later when shopping in Lidls, I saw that they were selling cactus and they had golden barrel cactus on sale for €2.99…They were considerably smaller than the one I saw for €200.00, but at €2.99 they were a price that I could afford, so I bought one.
I figured that it would grow to be as big as the one I saw in the nursery. All I had to do was to keep it alive – which I realized with my track record was probably easier said than done.
I got home and loving placed my cactus in the center of the table, where it lived for the next four years, and I basically neglected it. Although I did transplant it once in that time. My husband and my parents couldn’t believe that I managed to keep it alive for so long. I must admit that I was and still am rather proud of that cactus.
My Golden Barrel Cactus Now…
My golden barrel cactus is as big as a football now and I am the proud owner of over fifty cactus, some of which I have grown from seed, something of which I am very proud too.
Why Cactus Make Ideal Houseplants…
What I’ve learned is that once you give a cactus all that it needs, then it will basically thrive on neglect, they rarely need watering, fertilizing or transplanting, which suits me just fine. Making them, in my mind, ideal houseplants.
They are hard plants designed to survive in the desert, where temperatures range from exceedingly cold at night to blazing hot in the day. Whilst they are not totally immune to disease or mites, that is not usually what kills them. Over watering is the main culprit when it comes to a cactus dieing, so I have learned to let mine dry right out and only water them every few weeks, even in the summer when the temperatures here can reach the high 30’s C.
Cactus Really Are That Easy To Keep…
I would recommend keeping cactus to anyone who lacks green fingers, sometimes it can take me a week from the time I decide that the cactus probably need watering until the time I actually do it. I love the fact that they don’t die over night if I don’t water them right this minute.
The first time I transplanted my first golden barrel cactus, I transplanted it into ordinary potting soil and it did just fine. Although I now mix potting soil with sand and gravel to prevent it holding too much water. If I could get proper cactus soil here in Zakynthos then I would use that, as they only need transplanting every two or three years as they like seem to like cramped conditions.
I also water the cactus with bottled water in the summer and the distilled water that comes from our dehumidifiers in the winter, as they are not keen on the minerals and chemicals in the tap water, which can dull the green colour of the cactus.
My Dream…
Is that one day, in the not too distant future, my large golden barrel cactus will flower. Many of my cactus produce stunning flowers and some types flower twice a year, but the golden barrel cactus takes at least ten years before it flowers and if conditions are not right it takes even longer.
Mine must be over ten years old now and I do look out for the telltale signs that it is starting to produce flowers, but there are none so far. I promise that when it does eventually flower, there will be a post with pictures to celebrate the occasion.
What are your favourite houseplants?
Copyright © 2014 Debbie Roberts
© 2014, Debbie. All rights reserved.
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