I have several night blooming cactus that recently fell over, broken
through at ground level. They do not appear to be rotten or
dieeased, just got too heavy on a slope and broke off, i think.
How do I root and plant them? Just let a callous form and plant
several inches in the ground, or sand? Did they fall because my soil
is too hard and compacted? We have decomposed granite, but there is
sand in the wash.
Thanks, and love your column. Kathy
In My Garden Blog
Southwestern Deserts
October 8, 2009
By
Cathy Cromell,
Phoenix, AZ
Cacti glochids occur in clumps that resemble bristle-like hairs.
Cactus Planting Tips
Autumn is a great time to add all sorts of plants to your low desert landscape because they have six or seven months to establish root systems before hot weather returns. Cacti can be transplanted now, and a few tricks make the task go more smoothly and save you from the jabs of sharp spines or irritation from a clump of glochids stuck in your skin.
Cactus spines are pretty obvious. Glochids, on the other hand, are hair-like, barbed bristles that grow in tufts, often surrounding spines. Gently brushing against glochids results in a clump embedded in your skin or clothing. They break off easily, leaving behind minute fragments that cause more irritation than actual pain.
Protect Your Hands
Regular gardening gloves don't stop spines or glochids, both of which poke through fabric or stick into leather. Glochids remain embedded in fabric gloves for eternity, wiggling through to penetrate skin months later. Heavy-duty rubber gloves provide a reasonable barrier against glochids.
Specialized garden gloves made with puncture-resistant, hardened resin are another option. Originally conceived to protect health-care workers from needle pricks, the manufacturer realized its patented material would work against all kinds of treacherous pointy things. The palms and fingers are protected; the back of the glove is nylon/spandex blend. Although they don't offer sufficient "feel" to double as everyday garden gloves, you might want to invest in a pair if you plant a lot of cactus.
Tips for Planting
Cacti are deceptively heavy. If you buy (or someone gives you) unpotted barrel or columnar cacti such as totem pole or Mexican fence post cacti, place them on a sturdy tarp to transport home. Enlist an extra set of hands to carry the tarp to the planting site. Your helper can also adjust the position of the cactus and hold it upright in the planting hole while you firm the soil around the base.
Columnar cacti are less awkward to handle if you wrap lengths of fabric around them to use as handgrips. Use old towels, burlap, or jeans. Fabric provides more flexibility and strength than newspaper. Hang onto the wrap to lift and steady the cactus.
Opuntia cacti, with pads or cane-like sections connected at joints, are easy to propagate. Grasp an end section with tongs and cut through the joint. Allow the cut to dry and callus out of direct sun for several days before planting, again using the tongs to handle and hold it upright in the hole.
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We welcome your questions and comments about this column. If you have gardening questions unrelated to the column, please ask them on our message boards.
kathy katz
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John Saba
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I buy leather gloves in bulk and keep one pair just for handling
cactus. I put on latex gloves underneath for extra protection. After
the leather picks up a lot of glochids, I toss them.
Dale Harvey
For all you gardeners in colder climates who have been growing your
cacti in pots outdoors over the summer, it's best to leave them in a
most sunny and sheltered spot until nights are almost frosty. Before
frosts arrive, bring them indoors into a very cool but sunny room.
They will need little if any watering or feeding although a small
amount of fertiliser high in potash often helps harden them off in
advance of winter dormancy. A secret to successful flowering is too
keep them as cool,sunny and dry as possible all winter, then in
early spring as days obviously lengthen and warm, again apply a
small amount of potash or special cactus fertiliser and place your
cactus pots in the sunniest and warmest spot you've got and soon
you'll see buds popping out like magic!