How to plant a cactus
Today's focus is to introduce you to the content about succulent plants, specifically how to plant a cactus. Here is a detailed introduction for you.
The reason this article on how to plant a cactus is defined as a beginner's guide is that many新手 gardeners need first-hand information that is not necessarily detailed planting methods, but rather the insights of predecessors. This can help avoid taking detours. The range of cacti is vast, from small ones costing a few dollars to expensive ones worth tens or hundreds. As a beginner, it is often necessary to have a planting mindset to avoid growing at the expense of expensive plants.
Let's take a look at a gardener's experience of planting a cactus, which新手 gardeners can learn from and summarize.
I have been raising cacti for more than a decade, and my attitude towards raising cacti has changed a lot: "From meticulous care to very little management, this reflects the methods and techniques of raising cacti."
In college, I bought a cactus and treated it like a treasure, always feeling that this or that was not good, and even watering required careful observation. Trying to follow the sun, the results were predictable. A memorable time was when I spent a lot of my living expenses on a planet, which turned out to be quite ordinary. I was heartbroken and upset for a long time when it rotted within a week.
Later, when I was about to graduate from college, I met an elderly master in the Shanghai cactus community. I saw that they raised cacti in a closed environment, without paying attention to much else. I also started raising cacti in a glass jar at home. However, I overlooked the need for shading and ventilation, resulting in many cacti being steamed and others frozen to death in winter. I remember losing a wild chrysanthemum water and a small triangle peony. But it was also during that time that I developed a love for rock peonies, which I still find beautiful to this day.
As conditions improved and work became busier, I paid less attention to my cacti. With financial conditions allowing, I also started buying many cacti. My current breeding habits and techniques were formed during that time. First, I only had a south-facing balcony with adequate light but not for long periods. Second, the ventilation and humidity in the balcony were not ideal but still manageable. Third, the temperature on the balcony was at a critical point in winter, which initially concerned me. Based on these points, I筛选ed and eliminated over several years, keeping only a few varieties that could grow well without much care. I couldn't raise strong spines due to insufficient light, fish and planets due to insufficient humidity, and grafted ones because they couldn't survive winter. Also, since I didn't have a greenhouse, I couldn't raise large or fast-growing varieties. So, I kept a few varieties that I liked, peonies and flower cages.
Enough of the rambling, let's talk about what it means to govern without acting: less watering, less management, less moving, and less disturbing the plants.
1. It's an issue of adapting to the environment. New cacti, if not potted after root repair, should also be placed in the future growing environment to air-root, controlling light exposure is beneficial for future adaptation. In a new environment or if the plant has adapted to it, we should disturb them as little as possible and let them slowly get into a state. Of course, there are exceptions where a purchased cactus cannot adapt to your environment or it takes years, possibly due to a significant difference from the original environment, like many plants from Japan.
2. Raise cacti lazily, with less watering and fertilizing. This insight came from raising turtles. Keep your turtles always a little hungry, feed them to 70% full, don't expect them to grow every day, and don't violate natural laws too much. This is good for the turtle's health and extends their lifespan. Raising cacti is the same; don't water or fertilize excessively. Let the cactus have some desire, which is very beneficial for its health. The full moon wanes, the full water overflows.
3. Light is a flexible thing, the key is adaptation. Like peonies, a long day of sunlight is fine, a short one is fine too, the key is to find a balance.
4. Analyze your own situation objectively when raising cacti. Everyone's situation is different, find the types and methods that suit you. Others' experiences are theirs and may not be suitable for you, but you can learn from them.
5. The key to raising cacti is to have a peaceful mindset. Don't be discouraged by the death of a cactus; everyone who raises cacti has experienced this. Many cacti die naturally in their original habitats every year. Now I treat this with a playful mindset and don't take it too seriously. If one dies, I buy another; there are always some that survive. Just summarize your own experiences, and you'll find that fewer and fewer die.
In conclusion, hard work is good, but being a bit lazy when raising cacti isn't bad either.
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