Help with Opuntia Bergeriana

[divingmoose]

Hi,

I am new to this site and new to all gardening really. The site is great and great advice. I am new to Cactus growing and have had a Opuntia Bergeriana for a good few months. Its growing in the bathroom window sill and is doing really well. Its nice and green which i assume is good. I would like some advice on, if its growing tall and one of the paddles growing off it is long and thin and is bending over on its self. Should i put a cane along the cactus and tie this long stem to it until its strong enough to support its self. I am thinking that the bathroom is warm enough but maybe not light enough due to not much flower action.

How do i know when to repot, also can this type of cactus go outside in the british weather, or i could move the cactus onto the window sill into direct sunlight. any help would be great for a novice like me.

Cheers Lee

[None]

[Billy]

Kate hates it when I only give a URL, so here it is ;O)

[jkc516]

This does seem to be a helpful site.

[Charlie]

Oh dear. A conflicting opinion! ;-) Bob and Kate and Mic and some of the other "old hands" and pedants seem to think otherwise. They claim it is no longer as helpful as in the good old days, that the loons (whatever that means) have nearly destroyed this group, and most of The Usenet as well.

Glad you find helpful stuff here. I do and find good entertainment also.

Charlie

[Pat Kiewicz]

I think your cactus needs more light. Long, thin, floppy growth = legginess = not enough light.

You could prop up this new growth, certainly but more importantly, you need to get that cactus more light.

It wouldn't survive the British winter, but should be able to go outside in the summer. However, you will need to gradually expose it to full sunlight, to harden it off. When you bring it back in before the weather turns cold, put in in a south-facing window and/or give it supplemental lighting.

Repot when the top growth is oversized for the pot, very very carefully. Back when I had indoor cactus plants, I used to roll them in paper so I could safely hold them while repotting.

(Now my only cactus grows outdoors year-round. (Opuntia humifusa, a native plant here.) It should be blooming soon.

[Billy]

not if it gets below 23F. Perhaps you could get a greenhouse for it and only bring it in on the coldest of nights.

"Full sun (only), in semi shaded position wont produce many flowers."

[Billy]

Others feel information is information no matter where you find it. All books aren't for all people, neither are movies, or teachers. You may find some of us suit your taste, better than others. We have some who are difficult, and know little. We have some who are difficult but knowledgeable. We have some who rarely post, unless the question intrigues them. We have some who just want to quarrel, and we have some who think that their way is the only way. Your job, as a poster, is to pose your question with as much information as you can (where are you, pots or soil, watering, type of plant nutrition, sunlight, ect.) and then sift from among the possibly conflicting responses to find a common thread that may be useful to you. Some responders will give you anecdotal information, and some will give you web sites as an answer or in support of their view. You may find that particular responders are easier for you to understand as well.

It's not always easy, but it is free;O)

[Charlie]

OUCH!! You just poked me in the eye with your BigFatCrayola, Billyloon!

Speaking of free, just found this thought provoking bit from Al E.

?A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.? ~~Albert Einstein

I dunno.... that old Al E. feller sounds kinda loony to me.

Charlie

[Billy]

Don't be hasty Charlie. Anybody's name that spells AlE, deserves some consideration.

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?

- Albert Einstein

[Bill who putters]

It is always the others who are crazy since there is no other. Now how is that cat doing in that box?

Bill

[Billy]

Thank heaven, I thought you were going to be Bohring (hang on Shelly, his teacher was Christian Christensen, and seems to have been quite successful:O)), so I checked with Schrödinger, but he was uncertain. He did say not to open the box.

[Bill who putters]

I used to read "Boojums All The Way Through" Sub title "Communicating Science In a Prossic Age" by N. David Mermin. Only read it when we were at vacation on rainy days. Did this for a few years and wonder why? Guess at heart I'm stuck on wondering about why and how and what for too. Ah the nature of reality and why are the voles tearing up my hosta's big time and will universal health care happen.

Bill Confused who will now go weed..

PS. N. David Mermin worth a google

[Billy]

"In the physics of superfluidity, a boojum is a geometric pattern on the surface of one of the phases of superfluid helium-3, whose motion can result in the decay of a supercurrent. A boojum can result from a monopole singularity in the bulk of the liquid being drawn to, and then "pinned" on a surface."

Billy now confused and will return to garden as well, having just finished a tall glass of cold water. This morning was wonderful in the garden. It must have been about 75F (24C), and the birds were singing. The song birds are usually gone by now, so it is a real treat to still have them here. I prepped the area under a trellis for some Tromboncino Zucchetta (Cucuzzi), which I will now plant. I just planted some snap beans, and will round out the day with half a dozen peppers, and 5 Bitter Melons. It's 83F right now, and is supposed to go to the low 90Fs over the week end.

[Bill who putters]

What do you think a newbie coming to rec gardens lands here may posture.

Best practice ....just improving the soil and fill in the others later. A question? Perhaps good soil answers the questions or so I hope.

Bill

[Bill who putters]

Jangchub

Saw this and thought of you.