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Cactus Gardening
All cactus plants are succulents, but not all succulents are cactus plants. Being able to tell the difference is one of the concerns in the cactus gardening section. Other questions to be asked and answered include the specifics of a cactus plant's adaptability, environmental impact, growing conditions, harmful stresses, native habitats, propagation methods, and value for people and wildlife.
918 Questions
What are the parts of a cactus called?
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What type of root system does the prickly pear cactus have?
Cacti have either a long tap root or fibrous roots just below the surface of the ground.
Cacti are not generally considered good to eat. It's a common misconception that cacti have water in them, but you'll find it's more of a slimey liquid that'll probly make you feel ill.
Some cacti, such as Peyote and San Pedro are also psychedelic, as they contain Mescaline. Although not poisonus per se, it would not be advisable to ingest them as food as the experience can last up to 12 hours, which can be terrible under the wrong conditions.
Other than that, there is no danger so long as you don't eat them and stay clear of the spines :)
What is the native habitat of cactuses?
Cacti (plural for Cactus) are native North and South America.They can be found in a variety of ecosystems from desert, grassland, savannah, forest and even in rain forests.
What do cactus cells have and do?
Cactus cells have nuclei, which determine the plant's characteristics. The nuclei are mostly made up of nucleoproteins. Cactus cells also have protoplasm. The protoplasm is made up of vital compounds of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. And cactus cells have semipermeable membranes. The membranes serve as boundaries. They also serve as the means for moving around water and watery products and solutions.
The entire make up of the cactus cell is involved in what every one of the plant's cells does best: cooperating to carry on necessary, life sustaining activities. Cactus cells contribute to the making of energizing photosynthetic products. In fact, coordinated cell activity is critical to the successful, cooperative photosynthetic effort with incoming sunlight and carbon dioxide; and in house supplies of chlorophyll, dissolved nutrients, and water.
What is the life span of a cactus?
There is no one life span for a cactus.
Specifically, the life span depends upon the kind of cactus. For example, the prickly pear (Opuntia spp) tends to live just 20 years. But the giant saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) may live more than 150-200 years.
No, cactus plants don't live in water. There are two main types of cactus plants. One is the desert cactus, which survives in moisture deprived environments. Another is the jungle cactus, which survives in light deprived environments. The jungle cactus handles higher moisture levels better than the desert cactus does. But neither kind lives in water.
They use photosynthesis to produce food, they are producers!
Above the ground a cactus absorbs the energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide into sugars and other compounds. Below ground they have sophisticated root systems which enables them to collect water and nutrients, even from very poor soil conditions. When grown in pots, in special cactus soil, the occasional supplement of a weak fertiliser will help to regenerate the soil. Tomato fertilizer can be used, but at one-third of normal strength. However, the danger with cacti is overfeeding! They prefer arid conditions, and are more likely to flourish and flower when their environment is appropriately restrictive!
Cacti seeds are carried to new locations by the wind, water, humans, and in the droppings of animals.
Cacti seeds germinate on top of the substrate they are on, so this makes them highly versatile.
A niche is a particular area that a particular organism favors within the broader environment. In the case of the desert cactus plant, it tends to be the point of least vegetative competition. Depending upon the particular cactus, specific elevations may be favored more or less. For example, the saguaro cactus [Carnegiea gigantea or Cereus giganteus] prefers an elevation of 600-3,600 feet/180-1,080 meters. But in terms of the jungle cactus, the niche is above ground. A jungle cactus doesn't grow in soil. Instead, it anchors itself from a tree or a tree branch. So it's higher up in the canopy, to get as much of the filtered sunlight as possible.
How do cactuses adapt to their environments?
A cactus plant preserves water by the cooperation of select body parts and body functions. For example, above ground, its stem is flexible and encased in a thick outer covering. Its flexibility allows it to contract with lesser amounts of water intake through the roots, and to expand with greater amounts. The result is a snug fit that keeps greater amounts of water from feeling confined and in need of escape.
A cactus plant's pores for breathing, or stomata, find their behavior controlled by guard cells on either side of their openings. The guards make sure that the least amount of water or water vapor gets lost from inside. They control gas exchange. So they also make sure that the most amount of carbon dioxide is taken in, for the photosynthetic interaction that produces energizing starches and sugars for the plant.
A cactus plant's modified leaves make sure that little above ground moisture is lost. There's a reason for their thin shapes as thorns, spines, spikes, quills, prongs, needles, hairs, or bristles. These shapes are the most cooperative in channeling condensation or moisture in the form of dew, fog or rain to the ground, where it's taken up by the underground water table or by the plant's underground roots.
Below ground, a cactus plant's roots are always spreading, shallow, and fibrous. This helps the plant to have first access to water precisely where it first enters, at the soil surface. The roots take in water and dissolved nutrients, for the previously mentioned photosynthetic interaction with sunlight.
The cactus is vascular and contains phloen and xylem for transpiration and sap flow.
Why does cacti have thick stem?
In cacti the leaves have become reduced ( to prevent water loss via transpiration) and the stem has become the photosynthetic body. Being in the stem there are no or very few stomata ( where water is lost from) and the water is able to be stored in the stem to help it survive long times without water.
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A cactus gets its water from its roots. Whatever moisture is available in soil may be taken in by the cactus plant's shallow roots, and sent up to the stem for the photosynthetic interaction with the sun. A cactus also gets its water from the pores in its stem. The pores accept moisture in the form of water vapor.
Why is a cactus covered with spines?
Cacti have spikes to use as their defense mechanism to animals that may try to eat them. The spikes deter the animals by pricking them in the nose and mouth putting them off trying to eat it. The spikes also help collect water vapor by increasing the plant's surface area and the spikes also help stop transpiration loss of water through pores.
What cactus is the symbol of the southwest?
Carnegiea gigantea is a tall cactus that's native to the southwestern United States of America. The cactus' common name is the giant saguaro cactus. The plant also is native to northwestern Mexico.
Cacti are pollinated by the animals so that why they need animals tto help them in pollination
Can you drink the water from saguaro cactus plants?
It probably isn't a good idea to drink the water from the saguaro cactus [Carnegiea gigantea]. A cactus plant tends to store its water in bitter or toxic forms. This discourages predators from raiding precious water supplies. So a wiser choice are the saguaro's fruits, flowers, and seeds as sources of nutrition and water. Particularly the fruits and the seeds are succulent sources of drink and food.
What is the size of the barrel cactus?
The size of the barrel cactus [Echinocactus and Ferocactus spp] depends upon the particular kind of cactus. For example, there are about 35 species within the genus Ferocactus. The species ranges from small, such as the 10 inch/25 centimeter crow's claw cactus [Ferocactus latispinus] to the tall, such as the 10 feet/3 meters candy barrel cactus [Ferocactus wislizeni].
Depends on how big the cactus is supposed to be. They normally take soil and a small amount of water because they can suck the water molecules out of the air so they need some water but not much and a lot of sunlight.
Where do cactus plants grow best?
A cactus plant grows best in its native habitat. But it's an adaptable survivor. So it grows just as well in indoor and outdoor environments that are controlled for heat, light, moisture, and vegetative competition.
