problems w/ misc cacti - May 21st, 2005 at 08:24 PM
OK. So I have 5 cacti I potted from cuttings and sat under a sun lamp. About 2 weeks ago I moved them outdoors onto my patio. To try to avoid sunburn I put them in a spot that gets shade early, so they have sun from about 5am to 11am.
The apricot prickly pear promptly wilted. I gave it about 2 days and then moved it back inside where it perked up literally overnight and is standing tall again.
The beavers tail also wilted. The cutting itself kind of curled forward and the offshoot wilted and got brownish towards the tip. The entire thing also fell over. I re-potted it and moved it indoors. I think it was only outdoors 1 day. It doesn't seem to be getting any better.
The purple prickly pear started getting yellowish-brown at the bottom. The garden-guy at Ace (which has the best garden center around here) said that that was normal as it adjusts to the sun, but I'm having trouble believing that since it seems to be spreading. It is still outside. (the other 2: angle wing aka cows tongue and bunny ears seem to be doing fine).
I'm having trouble finding a "how-to" cacti book. I've killed cacti in the past (in Idaho) but since they grow like wildflowers here in southern Arizona I figured I should be able to grow them. On the other hand, I'm having success with hybiscus, celosia, dahlia, calibrachoa, etc. Does anyone have any ideas on what I'm doing wrong w/ my cacti? Or what a good reference book/web-site would be?
Thanks much!
(I got an error when I tried to post this initially so I apologize if there are now 2 of this posting.)
The apricot prickly pear promptly wilted. I gave it about 2 days and then moved it back inside where it perked up literally overnight and is standing tall again.
The beavers tail also wilted. The cutting itself kind of curled forward and the offshoot wilted and got brownish towards the tip. The entire thing also fell over. I re-potted it and moved it indoors. I think it was only outdoors 1 day. It doesn't seem to be getting any better.
The purple prickly pear started getting yellowish-brown at the bottom. The garden-guy at Ace (which has the best garden center around here) said that that was normal as it adjusts to the sun, but I'm having trouble believing that since it seems to be spreading. It is still outside. (the other 2: angle wing aka cows tongue and bunny ears seem to be doing fine).
I'm having trouble finding a "how-to" cacti book. I've killed cacti in the past (in Idaho) but since they grow like wildflowers here in southern Arizona I figured I should be able to grow them. On the other hand, I'm having success with hybiscus, celosia, dahlia, calibrachoa, etc. Does anyone have any ideas on what I'm doing wrong w/ my cacti? Or what a good reference book/web-site would be?
Thanks much!
(I got an error when I tried to post this initially so I apologize if there are now 2 of this posting.)