About a month ago I restored some hanging baskets that had seen better days, the coco choir inside was mostly stolen by birds. So replacement of this material was needed. Along with that I also cleaned up the cactus growing inside, cut off dead areas and split them up evenly between four baskets. With many cactus to work with I was able to fill up all four baskets.
For the first week or so they did nothing, I left them alone and only gave them water little bits at a time. It is important not to over water cactus especially when they are healing from being cut up. But now it seems they have healed and are producing new growth. I do not expect much from them this year as they will be recovering in their new baskets.. but eventually they should all grow to be some big happy cacti.
This one has shot off two paddles, seems quite happy with its setup.
We can see little spots where new growth is occurring.
This one has three nodes forming.
Its important to give them space, so when they do grow they do not crowd each other.
Just a month ago these paddles were not as green looking, I think they have now come out of dormancy and producing new root systems and paddle growth.
The other half of that one forming two paddles was placed in this basket along with a few other cuttings of prickly pear.
These opuntia fragilis seem to be happy, no new signs of growth but also not dying.
It is cool to see all those spines, hah make sure not to touch.
Some of the planted paddles are green but no signs of new node growth. Its okay some may take a long time to start growing again, they all heal at different rates and some grow much slower than others.
One of the cuttings did not make it and has dried up, but so far all the others are alive and mostly thriving.
Not sure if they will fruit this year, but they should be recovering and forming new paddles and fresh roots. With all new basket liners hopefully they will be happy.
Right now they are living in the green house, but eventually I plan on hanging the baskets on my balcony. I had some in Georgia this way and they seemed quite happy living outdoors. Though it does get a little colder here in Virginia so we shall see if they handle the cold okay. They are hardy types so I think they will do okay.
The newly installed fan is doing well, no issues so far. I think I am going to install a third battery on this array to make up for the larger draw. I cannot upgrade my panels any further on this little solar rig as they are at the max 300W. But storage of that power I should be able to scale up and hopefully I will make a surplus of it enough to store away for the fans and water pump for the misters.
And the vent is great, the screen has stayed up and so far nothing has chewed its way through it.
So for now I will let the cactus grow, soon I will be placing more plants in the green house. If things get too crowded I will move them out at that time so I do not get poked trying to work around them.. lol
Previous post on this project:
https://peakd.com/hive-140635/@solominer/transplanting-cactus-into-new-baskets
You are doing well. You work hard so you will get the result. Thanks for sharing. Do you have any older post about cactus fruit. I am interested about it and want to know about this. Today when I read your post I know about that cactus has flower and fruit.
Much appreciated.. I looked through my posts and honestly I do not think I have wrote about my previous experiences with the fruit. Though I did enjoy them none the less.
One of my cactus flowered once. Hopefully these new ones will too.
https://peakd.com/@solominer/my-first-cactus-flower-in-georgia-has-bloomed
Thank you very much for finding this beautiful post for me. I have visited the post and those flowers look so beautiful. Now, I am more interested to grow my own cactus flower and cactus fruits.
That is pretty cool. I remember my grandma used to have cactus plants and as a young boy I was always finding a way to stick myself on them!
Hah I still get poked by them.. just when I think im safe they find a way through the glove. Or I brush up against them and it does not take much to get sticked with those cactus needles.
yeah, I hear you! We have some rose bushes in our back yard and no matter how careful I am, they always find a way!
Yes, I remember the previous work you have done, and to be honest I really like how the cactus plants are developing, soon they will be completely filling the pot
It is a great idea to put them on your balcony, they are planters that do not take up much space and have a very good view of the space.
As for the greenhouse fan, it's good that it works very well, although due to the higher consumption you have to add an extra battery.
Great to see how things are going there dear friend @solominer
Ah glad you remember my previous post on this. Yeah they are doing very well now.
Yep that is the plan. But gonna let them heal up a bit now in the green house.
Wow those plant look so beautiful . I love them all. Thanks for sharing
I like how the cactus look too.. no problem
It's very beautiful and looks like it's growing very well. Planting cacti like this is certainly an extraordinary activity. Greetings to you and to the family there. Always the best for you friend.
Thanks, they are doing quite well.
To you too.
How beautiful your cactus plants look, without a doubt you have done a great job repairing the basket, they are believing very well, they will look very pretty on your balcony @solominer
Thanks, I love how cactus look too.. so different than other plants.
I think they will too.
I don't know much about farming but this is an area of interest for me. Curious to know the use case of cactus and if is it a profitable business.
Have a nice day @solominer
Well not really planning on trying to be profitable with cactus, just growing them for fun..
thank you, hope you do too.
I am very aware of the earlier job you did! I must admit that I truly admire the way the cactus plants are growing. They are beautiful and don't take up much space. Where do you intend to put them? I am glad your greenhouse fan is functioning well!
Thank you for the update, @solominer. Don't get stuck with the needles, !LOL
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I am glad you are following me along in my garden adventures.
Planning on putting them out on my balcony once they get strong enough.
Hehe will do.
Cacti are my favorites
They are pretty cool.
How beautiful it is. I love seeing them growing in your greenhouse. It gives me an idea of how to start my own one day. Be careful not to be poked by them. Enjoy your day. 🫶
Thanks, hope you get to have a nice one as well one day.
You too.
Yeah, It's doing great. @solominer
Yep I think so too.
Hope it can propagate more of it too. @solominer
You remind me of my childhood days...when we usually pluck those spines to look for trouble 😂.
Thanks for sharing
Oh lol.. kids can be so mean :-P
You obviously have very green fingers, great work! Thanks for sharing.
Hah thanks man.. glad to share about it.
They look so beautiful and good. And your efforts in growing these flowers is remarkable.
Thanks, I hope they do form flowers one day.
Glad to hear the venting system is working as planned. Cool on the little cactus.
It does seem to be helping, but we shall see during the middle of summer how well they perform.
Very cool! I love all cacti.
Thanks. Me too.. just wish I could grow more kinds outdoors here. Just gets too cold in the winter.
You're very welcome. I grow lots of varieties in Canada where it gets cold but i'm in a semi arid area. I'll take some pictures of my cacti later today and make a post. :)