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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
Does barrel cactus have a verry deep roots?
The barrel cactus [Echinocactus and Ferocactusspp] has spreading, shallow, fibrous roots. It's the only kind of roots that a cactus plant has. The roots need to spread out in search of rare soil moisture. They also need to be shallow to catch the drops of dew, fog, or rain that drip to the ground and into the soil. They need to be fibrous, too, to take in water and dissolved nutrients, to send up the stem for the photosynthetic interaction with sunlight.
The exact number of cactus species depends upon the particular source that's accepted as an authority. Figures may range from around 2,000+ to as high as 6,000. It nevertheless may be said with a certainty that the number ranges in the thousands.
What is the name of a spiny cactus?
Acantha is the proper name for the cactus spike. It's from the Greek word 'akantha', to refer to a 'thorny' plant. The Greek word in turn traces back to ancient Greek mythology. It's the name of a nymph who scratched the Greek god Apollo's face. Apollo promptly turned her into an acanthus plant.
How did the organ-pipe cactus get its name?
The word cactus comes from kaktos, which his Greek for 'thistle'. The name was chosen by Carolus Linnaeus [May 23, 1707-January 10, 1778]. Linnaeus invented and published a universal system of botanical plants names in 1753, with his 'Species Plantarum'.
How tall can a saguaro cactus grow?
The height depends upon the type of cactus. There in fact is quite a range in possible cactus heights. For example, a cactus plant may be tall, such as the 40 foot/12 meter giant saguaro cactus [Carnegiea gigantea]. Or it may be small, such as the 2 inch/5 centimeter Ariocarpus fissuratus, which is one of the living rock or fossil cactus plants.
The tallest cactus is the cardon cactus (Pachycereus pringlei)of Mexico which grows to 63 feet or more in height.
17Wolf359 added: There are actually number of cactus taller and bigger that both C. gigantea and P. pringlei. The tallest reported cactus at over 80 feet is Pachycereus grandis. Pachycereus weberi, Backebergia militaris, Neobuxbaumia macrocephala, Trichcereus tersheckii and Neocardensia hertzogonia are all of similar size or larger than C. gigantea or P. pringlei.
Does the prickly pear cactus bloom once?
It depends upon the particular cactus. For example, the old man cactus [Cephalocereus senilis] reaches a mature height of 50 feet/15 meters. It may mature to an age of around 200 years. It's slow growing. So it doesn't flower the first 20 years of its existence.
How do you care for a aloe vera plant?
Aloe vera has been widely grown as an ornamental plant. The species is popular with modern gardeners as a putatively medicinal plant and due to its interesting flowers, form and succulence. This succulence enables the species to survive in areas of low natural rainfall, making it ideal for rockeries and other low-water use gardens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera#Cultivation
What are two reasons for why cactus plants have spines?
They are present in hot deserts which are scarce in water so in order to reduce the loss of water by Transpiration from the surface of the leaves, its leaves are reduced to spines.This is a type of adaptation of the plant.
What does a cactus use to feed itself?
A cactus draws nutrients and water through the roots. Water is stored in special cells that swell when filled with water. The skin is covered in a waxy film to prevent loss of water by evaporation.
um well idrk but the sizes, the wheather it has milk or not.
Yes, cactus compost can be used to plant aloe vera. Botanists and horticulturalists describes aloe vera and cactus as succulents with similar bio-geographies and biological requirements. A cactus compost may be employed regardless of whether aloe vera serves as a house or outdoor plant.
Are there any flowers or fruits produced on a prickly pear cactus?
No, cactus pears aren't fruits. The term refers to the spiny pads of the prickly pear cactus [Opuntia spp]. The pads may be prepared and served as vegetables. It's the plant's berries that are the plant's fruits.
What do the stems on a cactus do?
The stem is the cactus body part in which water is moved, processed and stored. It also is the body part where breathing pores called stomata allow for the gas exchange necessary for keeping proper temperatures and stopping water loss. It takes on various forms. For example, it may look like a thick column, such as in the case of the giant saguaro cactus [Carnegie gigantea]. Or it may look roundly compact, such as in the case of the birthday cake cactus [Mammillaria hahniana].
What is the name of the Christmas cactus?
Cactus plants are native to North and Latin America.
They may be found natively in desert and jungle environments.
Both biomes represent challenges to survival.
Desert and jungle cactus plants are alike in their handling of conditions of high heat, and in their aversion to cold dampness.
They're unlike in their differing responses to humidity, light, moisture, and vegetative competition.
For example, a desert cactus prefers low humidity and vegetative competition, and high light.
In contrast, a jungle cactus prefers the reverse.
Whatever their native biome, cactus plants have a presence and an impact far beyond their original homeland.
They're survivors and adapt to many different environments, as long as their basic aversion to overwatering and waterlogging is respected.
Where their demands aren't met by the natural environment, they almost always adapt to container and indoor living.
Wherever they grow, they add beauty and unusual interest to the landscape, the home, and the business.
They attract worldwide attention because of their environmental friendliness.
They're role models for the efficient use of resources and the cooperative specialization of body parts and body functions.
For example, their leaves tend to be modified into thorns, spines, spikes, quills, prongs, needles, hairs, or bristles.
They're modified to channel any available moisture - be it dew, fog, or rainfall - into the plant's immediate area, to be taken into the soil for water table replenishment or for intake by cactus roots.
They take on diverse sizes and shapes, and live diverse life spans.
But whatever the height or width, whatever the age of death, a cactus adds beauty, oxygen, use, and value to its immediate environment and beyond.
On the inside, a cactus plant has tissue. Central transport tissue takes water up from the shallow, fibrous roots and into the stem. Storage tissue within the stem holds water, dissolved nutrients, and photosynthetic products such as starches and sugars. The amount of water within the tissue may be guessed from the outside. The outer surface of the cactus has ribs that expand or contract with more or less water reserves.
Although, along with other native plants, the saguaro is protected by the state of Arizona, it is neither endangered nor threatened.
Cactuses grow by storing water inside them. They barely need water, so it would be even easier.
How often does a succulent need watering?
During the growing season, a succulent may need to be watered every 10-14 days, depending upon the type of soil and the amount of heat, light, and moisture. A moisture meter shows when the soil is almost, but not completely, dried out. It's at that point that the watering needs to be done. During dormancy, a succulent needs no watering.
How does human impact affect Saguaro?
Yes, humans affect the life of the giant saguaro cactus [Carnegiea gigantea]. That effect may be harmful or beneficial. Examples of harmful effects are impervious surfaces, pollution, and traffic. Examples of beneficial effects are protected lands and protective legislation.
What type of plant do prickly pears grow on?
One adaptation of the prickly pear cactus [Opuntia spp] is its closeness to the ground. This proximity means that little moisture is loss on the way from the plant's water channeling spines, to the ground, and into the cactus' roots. Another adaptation is its defense mechanism, in the intimidating aspect and the painful impact of its barbed spines and bristles. Still another adaptation is the flexibility of its stem. The stem moves, processes and stores water, nutrient solutions, and energizing photosynthetic products. It gets larger with greater amounts of stored supplies, and smaller with lesser. Yet another is the spreading, shallow, fibrous nature of its roots. A cactus' roots are most effective and efficient in aggressively seeking out and capturing available soil moisture.
