Louise Ren
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What Cactus is the best to buy

I have previously had a couple of cacti which unfortunately died. Part of the reason is they came in an assorted pot without a label telling me what type of cacti they were (I tried to identify them but couldn't). Also the pot they came in I suspect had some sort of glue in which probably didn't help.

I am looking to buy a new cactus or two, so I was wondering if you could suggest any type of cactus, preferably ones that don't need to be put out in the garden as my garden is not the best for providing sunlight due to many old trees nearby blocking out most of the sunlight.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Where do you live? If you want to go with a succulent instead of a cactus, try sedum morganianum. I call it donkey tails or burro tails. They actually don't mind the shade as long as there is bright light, I don't know of any succulent that will grow well in deep shade. It takes a long time for them to get long so they should be hung up in a spot that does not get much wind and where you can let it hang pretty much forever. Moving them tends to make the leaves and stems break off. It is usually grown in a hanging basket make sure there there is good drainage and ditch the saucer, It is less prone to rot from over watering. In fact some people water it every day but it can go a few days without.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum_morganianum

Another foolproof plant is sanseveria, aka Mother in laws tongue. It is not a succulent but does equally well in sun or shade. It comes in a tall or a short dwarf form. It does not require a lot of water and pretty much lives on neglect. It does have a bloom but it is not very showy. In fact mine is blooming now. It can be a house plant.

If you want a cactus then you need well drained soil and full sun. Cacti do not make good houseplants as they have a high light requirement and the media needs to dry out between watering.

Another good succulent is the jade plant. There are large and small leafed jade. They make good bonsai and will not grow in the dark but will grow with bright light.
https://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/p ... c1507.html
https://on.aol.com/video/jade-plant-main ... -517666626

P.S. All cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti.

Sweyn
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Before you decide which Cactus to buy, you should find out as much as you can about them. You should learn what they require and what looking after them involves. Then consider if you personally, are willing and able to do everything necessary to look after them.

A lot of people buy Cacti and other kinds of plants, without any idea of how to look after them. Inevitably they suffer for some time and then die, all because the buyer did not learn about them first. Most people would not do that with other living things, like pets or babies, so why do it with plants?

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Before you decide which Cactus to buy, you should find out as much as you can about them...
Yes. That's probably why she's here. ;)

Have any suggestions for a cactus?

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applestar
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So, let's figure this out.
You want cactus that you can keep as house plant in a sunny window, right? I would assume you'd want cactus species that are easy to grow (for instance those bright colored ball cactus grafted atop columnar cactus are actually not).

What is it about cactus that attracted you? Are you looking for long and dangerous looking thorns? Fuzzy soft looking but actually not? Tall columnar? Round ball shaped? Squat? Branching?

Were you entranced by the incredible and unlikely appearance of their flowers?

Do you feel comfortable about uppotting them once in a while, or would you rather have extremely slow growers that can stay in the same pot for a good long while?

Would you like some succulent suggestions, too? I confess I don't like thorny cactus so the prickliest plants I have are pineapple tops that occasionally catch me with their pointed and serrated leaves.

Sweyn
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Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2007 9:15 am
Location: UK

webmaster wrote:
Yes. That's probably why she's here. ;)
She's asked which type to buy. I was making the point that before considering that, it is important to learn what in particular they require, such as how to water them, when to water, what kind of soil, position and amount of light. Is it clear now?
webmaster wrote:Have any suggestions for a cactus?
Of course. I have found that Opuntia microdasys also known as Bunny Ears Cactus is simple to keep, even for people who are new to keeping Cacti. It can be kept indoors on a window and requires little maintenance. It's tough and doesn't die easily. It was a good one for me when I started keeping Cacti and has done well with other people that I know, who got one and had no previous experience with such plants.

Another good thing about it is that it is very easy to take cuttings from it so that what starts as one plant, can easily become many.



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