Cactus Growth Observation Diary
The growth process of a cactus mainly consists of five stages. After the cactus seeds are planted, they will start to germinate after a period of time, and then small spines can be seen growing. At this stage, as it continues to grow, it will develop very small globes, and then these globes will grow larger and larger. The spines of a cactus are its leaves, because it grows in the desert to prevent excessive evaporation of water, thus the leaves have degenerated.
After playing with cacti for several years, it is rare to see enthusiasts record the growth process of their own cacti.
Today, let the author introduce a simple photo record of his own Jericho (Gerald) from germination to semi-maturity to everyone, thank you for your attention.
This Jericho was purchased by the author from an older brother at the end of 2019, and this piece of Jericho has a near-perfect appearance.
The characteristics of this variety are also very obvious, with long spines that have spiral patterns, long straight spines with slight curves, and very bright spine colors that are unforgettable at a glance.
This bright spine color is not achievable by the fat cacti on the market. The spines of the fat cacti can also curve and have patterns comparable to Gerald, but they indeed cannot reach this level of brightness in spine color.
They are generally seen in dull gray and brown colors, which are relatively dull. The author now increasingly supports the view that the Gerald variety is artificially cultivated and selected from the fat cacti.
The author's photography basically uses a fruit phone to take casual pictures, without any beauty or filter functions, just aiming for a natural and real look.
The photo above is the potting photo shortly after receiving it, and the leaves were relatively thin at that time. After a year of care, by June this year, the leaves have become very thick.
I think this photo turned out quite nice. The spine color also shows different effects due to different degrees of oxidation, and the color of the spines also looks different when they come into contact with water.
Cactus Growth Observation Diary
Since there will definitely be new and old spines in one leaf, and the colors of the new and old spines are also different, they will have a colorful effect when they come into contact with water.
The pigments in the spines of Gerald make them more colorful, and also cause the spines to turn dark gray or black after aging. When the old spines come into contact with water, they show a wine red or black color, which is particularly beautiful.
For a period of time, the author liked to take photos with a black background, which indeed made them look brighter.