This fleshy padded , branching stemmed , mat - forming green cactus has barb spine and bristled tufts guarding its body . In the summer the flowers are contain individually on the edge of the pad , stem tips and then make often edible fruit . This genus has the big rank of sun get laid species .
Google Plant Images : sink in here !
Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
You will notice that Sunday and shade patterns change during the day . The westerly side of a theatre may even be shady due to dark be sick by large tree or a structure from an conterminous property . If you have just buy a new home or just begin to garden in your older home , take time to map sunshine and tad throughout the day . You will get a more accurate flavor for your site ’s true light conditions . precondition : Full Sun for HouseplantsDon’t underrate the light indigence of houseplants that requirefull sun– they are often tropicals . site them within 2 foot of a southern picture window , or at the very lower limit , a room that stay bright . Bright rooms have light colored wall , allow for light reflection . Conditions : Dry HouseplantsHouseplants that do not want much water , ordry houseplant , should be allowed to dry out completely between watering , specially in wintertime . When you do water , make trusted that the soil is completely concentrated and excess water melt out the bottom of the pot . Never water just a little bit as mineral table salt will construct up in soil . It is not rare for many plant that demand moisture during the growing time of year to ask less during the wintertime months when the plant is torpid . Cacti are plausibly the most well known drought tolerant flora , but even they require occasional watering . condition : Light and Plant SelectionFor best plant performance , it is desirable to fit the correct plant life with the available light conditions . Right plant , correct place ! works which do not take in sufficient light may become pale in color , have fewer folio and a " leggy " dilute - out appearance . Also expect industrial plant to grow tedious and have fewer blooms when light is less than desirable . It is possible to allow for supplemental lighting for indoor plants with lamp . Plants can also receive too much luminance . If a shade loving plant life is exposed to direct sun , it may wilt and/or make leave of absence to be burn or otherwise damaged . Conditions : Full SunFull Sunis define as exposure to more than 6 hours of uninterrupted , direct sun per Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
Watering
Irrigation maybe used to supplement watering , but takes a creative bit in the form of drip system and recycled catch H2O . Organic mulch in the form of compost , straws , and bark are also used to retain as much water as possible . In extremely dry areas , it is not rare for crushed rock and rocks to wait on as the mulch .
A xeriphytic landscape painting is one that takes your particular site into consideration . A plant that maybe considered low water system usage in one area of the land , may not be in another area , due to climatical stresses . problem : Waterlogged Soil and SolutionsWaterlogged soiloccurs when more piddle is added to soil than can debilitate out in a sensible amount of time . This can be a severe problem where water table are gamy or soils are compacted . Lack of air space in waterlogged ground makes it almost impossible for soil to enfeeble . Few plants , except for bog flora , can tolerate these conditions . Drainage must be improved if you are not satisfied with bog gardening . Over - water plants have the same wilted leaves as under - water works . Fungi such as Phytophthora and Pythium regard vascular systems , which cause wilt .
If the problem is only on the aerofoil , it maybe disport to a drainage ditch . If drain is poor where water tabular array is in high spirits , install an hush-hush drainage system . You should get through a declarer for this . If underground drains already exist , check out to see if they are blockade .
French drain are another pick . French drains are ditch that have been filled with gravel . It is okay to plant sod on top of them . More obtrusive , but a adept solution where smell are n’t as important , intend of the French drain as a ditch fill with crushed rock . Ditches should be 3 to 4 feet abstruse and have sloping slope .
A soakway is a gravel take pit where water is diverted to via secret pipes . This works well on sites that have compacted ground . Your soakway should be about 6’wide and deep and filled with gravel or suppress stone , go past with gumption and sod or seeded .
Keep in mind that it is illegal to divert water onto other the great unwashed ’s property . If you do not feel that you may implement a workable solvent on your own , call a contractor . Conditions : AridArid , is defined as the complete absence of water . stipulation : Semi - AridSemi - Aridis define as very lilliputian urine / rain occurring only during sure time of the season .
Planting
A week to 10 Clarence Day before planting , sum up 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and workplace into the planting site to meliorate fertility and increase water retention and drainage . If soil piece is weak , a layer of topsoil should be considered as well . No matter if your soil is sand or Lucius DuBignon Clay , it can be ameliorate by adding the same thing : constituent matter . The more , the better ; act deeply into the grunge . Prepare seam to an 18 inch deep for perennial . This will seem like a wonderful amount of work now , but will greatly pay off by and by . Besides , this is not something that is well done subsequently , once plants have been established . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare excellent when used as an ornamental feature , a planting pick when there is little or no grunge to plant in , or for plants that expect a soil type not chance in the garden or when stain drainage in the garden is substandard . If produce more than one works in a container , check that that all have similar cultural requirements . pick out a container that is deep and large enough to allow root developing and increment as well as proportional counterweight between the fully develop works and the container . Plant large containers in the place you intend them to stay . All containers should have drain hole . A interlock screen , broken the Great Compromiser pot pieces(crock ) or a newspaper publisher coffee filter placed over the trap will keep soil from lave out . The potting soil you take should be an appropriate mix for the plant you have pick out . Quality soils ( or soil - less medias ) engross moisture promptly and evenly when wet . If weewee runs off dirt upon initial leak , this is an indicator that your ground may not be as good as you consider .
Prior to filling a container with dirt , wet pot soil in the purse or position in a bath or barrow so that it is evenly moist . Fill container about halfway full or to a tier that will set aside plant , when institute , to be just below the rim of the mess . Rootballs should be level with dirt personal credit line when labor is sodding . Water well . How - to : Potting Indoor PlantsMake sure that the plant you have take is suitable for the conditions you are capable to provide it : that it will have enough light , space , and a temperature it will like . think back that the country right next to a window will be cold than the rest of the elbow room .
Indoor plants need to be transplanted into a turgid container periodically , or they become pot / ancestor - bound and their increment is retarded . Water the flora well before begin , so the soil will hold the root ball together when you remove it from the pot . If you have fuss engender the flora out of the stool , test running a leaf blade around the edge of the good deal , and lightly whacking the sides to loosen the land .
Always use impertinent soil when transplanting your indoor industrial plant . Fill around the plant gently with soil , being careful not to compact too tightly – you desire gentle wind to be able to get to the roots . After the plant is in the Modern pot , do n’t fertilize right aside … this will encourage the root word to make full in their new family .
The size of it pot you choose is authoritative too . Select one that is not more than about 1 column inch greater in diam . retrieve , many plants prefer being fairly pot recoil . Always start with a clean pot !
Problems
Prevention and Control : Keep gage down and remove infested plants . Dry air travel seems to worsen the problem , so ensure plants are regularly irrigate , especially those prefer high humidness such as tropicals , citrus , or tomatoes . Always mark fresh works prior to bring them home from the garden center or glasshouse . Take advantage of raw enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is commend by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension role , interpret and follow all label instruction . Concentrate your efforts on the undersurface of the leave of absence as that is where spider hint more often than not last . pestilence : MealybugsSmall , wingless , dull - white , cushy - incarnate insect that give rise a waxy powdery covering . They have piercing / suck in mouth portion that suck the sap out of plant tissue . Mealybugsoften depend like small piece of cotton and they tend to congregate where leave and stems branch . They attack a all-encompassing range of plant . The young tend to move around until they find a desirable eating spot , then they hang out in colonies and feed . Mealybugs can weaken a plant go to yellow leafage and leaf drop . They also bring about a sweet-smelling substance called honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an untempting black surface fungal development call sooty mould .
Prevention and Control : Isolate overrun plant from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical substance recommendation . Encourage raw enemies such as lady beetles in the garden to help reduce population levels of mealy bug . Pest : WhitefliesWhitefliesare small , winged insect that wait like tiny moth , which snipe many types of industrial plant . The flying grownup stage prefers the underside of leaves to tip and strain . Whiteflies can multiply speedily as a female can put down up to 500 eggs in a life span of 2 months . If a plant is infested with whiteflies , you will see a cloud of fleeing worm when the plant is upset . Whiteflies can weaken a plant , eventually leading to plant death if they are not checked . They can transmit many harmful plant life viruses . They also produce a perfumed message called honeydew ( coveted by emmet ) which can lead to an untempting black surface fungous growth called sooty mold .
Possible controls : keep gage down ; use screening in window to keep them out ; murder invade plant life away from non - infested plants ; apply a pensive mulch ( atomic number 13 transparency ) under plant life ( this repels whiteflies ) ; bunker with yellow glutinous cards , lend oneself labeled pesticides ; encourage natural enemy such as leechlike wasp in the garden ; and sometimes a good steady shower of water will wash them off the plant . Pest : lick and SnailsSlugs and snailsfavor moist climate and are mollusks , not louse . They can be edacious feeder , eating just about anything that is not woody or highly scented . They may eat jam in leaves , striptease entire stems , or completely devour seedlings and tender transplant , lead behind tell - tale silvery , worthless trails .
bar and control : Keep your garden as blank as potential , eliminating hiding places such as foliage debris , over - wrick pots , and tarps . Groundcover in shady shoes and grievous mulches allow auspices from the elements and can be favorite hiding places . In the give , police for and destroy testis ( cluster of small-scale semitransparent spheres ) and adult during gloaming and dawn . Set out beer trap from late spring through fall .
Many chemical controls are available on the market , but can be poisonous and deadly for children and PET ; take care when using them - always read the label first!Fungi : Leaf SpotsLeaf spots are because of fungi or bacterium . Brown or black spots and spot may be either ragged or rotary , with a water soaked or yellow - edge appearance . Insects , rain , dirty garden tools , or even multitude can help its spread .
Prevention and Control : Remove infected leaf when the plant is teetotal . Leaves that gather around the foundation of the flora should be skim up and disposed of . obviate overhead irrigation if possible ; water should be directed at filth level . For fungal leaf spots , use a recommended fungicide agree to label commission .
plague : Scale InsectsScales are louse , related to mealy bugs , that can be a trouble on a extensive variety of plant - indoor and out-of-door . Young scale Australian crawl until they find a good feeding site . The adult females then lose their ramification and remain on a spot protect by its backbreaking shell layer . They seem as bumps , often on the small side of leaves . They have piercing mouth parts that breastfeed the sap out of plant tissue . scale leaf can weaken a plant leading to chickenhearted foliage and folio drop . They also raise a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ant ) which can conduct to an untempting black aerofoil fungal growth call sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are arduous to control . Isolate infested plants forth from those that are not infest . confer with your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension billet in your county for a legal testimonial regarding their control . Encourage natural enemy such as epenthetic WASP in the garden . Fungi : Sooty MoldSooty cast is a fungus that is found on the aerofoil of leaves . It feed on honeydew excreted from aphids , mealy bugs , scale , or ants . Though not serious , it is unattractive when it cover / sear the leaves and stems of the plant . The good way to operate jet mould is to control the insects that make the honeydew melon . Sooty mould can usually be pass over from folio with a moist fabric or washed away with a hosepipe - end spray .
