Cactus Coincidence: My Friend's Cactus in Blooms & Mine Too!

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the coincidental blooming of cacti owned by different participants, exploring personal experiences with cactus care, growth, and characteristics. The conversation includes anecdotes about cactus longevity, fruit development, and the resilience of smaller cactus varieties.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant shares a coincidence of their cactus blooming simultaneously with a friend's cactus in England, noting the rarity and short-lived nature of cactus flowers.
  • Another participant mentions their experience with a small cactus that lasted about six months, expressing appreciation for the photos shared.
  • A different participant recalls having cacti that were hardy and survived adverse conditions, sharing a personal anecdote about a cactus that thrived for over ten years despite being neglected.
  • One comment humorously suggests the possibility of crossbreeding between the cactus and peppers, reflecting on the whimsical nature of plant growth.
  • Another participant describes the impressive photography skills of the friend whose cactus is blooming, suggesting they would excel in photo contests.
  • Several participants note that smaller cacti tend to yield better results in growth and resilience, with one mentioning the adaptability of larger cacti to varying conditions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the resilience and hardiness of smaller cacti, but there are varying personal experiences and anecdotes regarding cactus care and growth. No consensus is reached on specific care techniques or the implications of crossbreeding.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about cactus characteristics and care are based on personal experiences, which may not be universally applicable. The discussion includes anecdotal evidence and subjective observations without definitive conclusions.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in plant care, particularly cacti enthusiasts, as well as those who appreciate photography of natural subjects may find this discussion engaging.

turbo
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Cactus coincidence!

A friend of mine on another forum posted pictures of his cactus in bloom - beautiful! For those that don't own cactii, you can wait for years and years until one decides to bloom, and the blossoms are very short-lived - sometimes just a day or so.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2503/3893567422_2969907be7_b.jpg

Now here's the coincidence. I commented on his image (he is a fantastic photographer) and then thought I'd look at our cactii. As luck would have it, the smallest one of all has a blossom, and two additional buds near the top. It's only about 2" tall, so it's not going to have big flashy flowers, but it's interesting that it decided to bloom at the same time as my friend's cactus in England. I don't know for sure what the little red thing is, but I assume its a fruit containing seeds that developed from a prior blossom - it was on there when my wife grabbed these little guys while repotting her mother's cactus.

cactusflower.jpg
 
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I used to have one tiny rounded cactus on my desk, but not for long [it lasts almost for 6 months] anyway, I like the photos

ps. you should invite your friend to join PF for photo contests, he’ll beat them all for sure ...no offence PFers :-p
 


I used to have cacti of this kind (gave them to friends before a move), and red thing is a fruit (though I wouldn't try eating it!). They're really a hardy type... my mom had one for over 10 years (it grew to about 10 inches tall and leaned against the window-sill for support). She eventually got sick of it and moved it to our dark and cold basement, but it still lived for over a year!
 


It looks like maybe your cactus is cross breeding with your peppers turbo.
 


From the pose, he looks like a monster (king) cactus with a crown, chewing on a nice cayenne, and holding court in front of his subjects.
 


drizzle said:
I used to have one tiny rounded cactus on my desk, but not for long [it lasts almost for 6 months] anyway, I like the photos

ps. you should invite your friend to join PF for photo contests, he’ll beat them all for sure ...no offence PFers :-p
I wouldn't want the competition, though. :eek: Greg is killer at macro shots, especially, though he often comes up with some nice shots of horses on English heath, etc. If you Google on "Star Vistas", you will see that even in rainy old England dedicated astrophotographers can rival the professionals. The processing was done by Noel Carboni of Florida.

For an idea of how impressive their book is, their are three forwards - one each by Sir Arthur Clarke, Sir Patrick Moore, and Dr. Brian May (guitarist for Queen, and recently-minted PhD).
 


We've always had much better results growing the smaller plants.
 


WhoWee said:
We've always had much better results growing the smaller plants.
They are REALLY tough and can stand a lot of abuse. We have dry winters with poor light and lots of cold, so they have to be hardy. We have a larger barrel-like cactus, among others, and it undergoes growth spurts when conditions are good, then "pulls in its horns" when things aren't so good, so there are parts of various diameters.
 

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