Cactus Planting and Care
Let's talk about the knowledge of cacti, the planting and care of cacti. Let's take a look together.
Long ago, in order to help the Aztecs, the ancestors of the Mexicans who had no place to live, the Sun God gave them an instruction: as long as they saw an eagle holding a snake standing on a cactus, they could settle down at that place. Following the instructions, they came to the edge of a lake, and when they entered the island in the center of the lake, the oracle indeed appeared, and they immediately settled down and built Mexico City.
Years later, the Mexicans made their own flag and coat of arms based on this legend - this is probably the origin of Mexico being known as the "Land of Cacti." Globally, Mexico in South America has the most abundant species of cacti, which is the main origin; followed by Japan in Asia, which began horticultural cultivation after introducing them in the 17th century.
When most succulent plants can't stand the hot summer sun and start to dormant and stop growing, the cacti, which are more resilient, can still grow normally and even bloom beautiful flowers, making them the most suitable for planting in this summer.
Morphologically diverse cacti
Growing in extremely harsh climates, cacti naturally have various strange shapes. Due to adaptation to dry and hot weather, the leaves of cacti have evolved into short spines, which can not only reduce water evaporation but also prevent animal browsing. In order to store enough water, the stems of cacti have evolved into thick, fleshy shapes, mainly cylindrical, spherical, and palm-shaped, and many travelers in deserts will cut off the top of the cactus stem to absorb the moisture for quenching thirst.
If one is afraid of the strange shapes and thorny spines of cacti, they might miss the beauty of its flowers. Just like thorny roses, the flowers of thorny cacti are also colorful and beautiful. Except for pure blue and black, all kinds of flower colors exist, and each color can show different shades of depth. The shapes of the flowers are also distinct, including trumpet-shaped, bell-shaped, and cup-shaped, etc., complemented by the bright velvet-like luster of the colors, which are very striking.
Cactus planting and care
Although cacti are native to tropical arid regions, they still cannot do without the three essential environmental elements required for green plant growth: sunlight, temperature, and water. It is precisely because the origin and current planting environment of succulent plants and cacti differ greatly that they require special cultivation methods.
Light:
Most cacti plants enjoy a sunny environment, and some varieties can even adapt to strong sunlight, such as the cactus genus, strong spines genus, and celestial columns genus; some delicate varieties also need to be protected from direct sunlight during hot summers, such as the mammillaria genus and polyhedron genus. Regardless of the variety, during the strong sunlight in the afternoon of summer, they should be placed in a semi-shaded area for sunshade, while in the cold winter, the plants should be allowed to absorb as much sunlight as possible.
Temperature:
Cacti prefer a warm environment, so in the cold winter, they should be moved indoors and kept at a temperature above 10 degrees, and the night temperature should also be higher than 5 degrees, otherwise, the roots can easily rot.
Water:
"Don't water when it's not dry, and water thoroughly when you do" is the watering slogan for succulent plants, and the same applies to cacti. However, in the summer, cacti are still in the growing period, and under high temperatures, they need a certain amount of water, which must be sufficient. Early morning and dusk are the best times for watering, and care should be taken not to pour water on the ball to avoid leaving spots.
Medicinal and Edible Uses
Zhao Xue敏 of the Qing Dynasty recorded in "Compendium of Materia Medica拾遗" that cacti taste bland and are cold in nature, with functions of promoting Qi and activating blood, stopping pain and reducing swelling, clearing heat and detoxifying, strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea, calming the mind and diuretic effects, and can be used for internal and external treatment of various diseases. Modern medical research shows that cacti are rich in vitamin B1, vitamin B2, carotene, iron, zinc, and other trace elements, as well as various amino acids, minerals, proteins, fibers, calcium, etc., and even have many active medicinal ingredients. They not only have auxiliary effects on the treatment of nephritis, diabetes, palpitations and insomnia, and arteriosclerosis but also have the effect of losing weight. If overweight people eat a piece of cactus with each meal, it can help them digest excess fat and sugar.
It should be noted that not all cacti can be eaten. For example, the lophophora genus, rock peony genus, and axillary cactus genus contain toxic components that can cause adverse effects on the human nervous system and even have hallucinogenic effects, so professional opinions should be sought when consuming them.
I hope you have learned the detailed introduction of the planting and care of cacti shared in this article.