Surprising Beauty: Cacti and Money Saving Tips

 

Surprise

Surprising Beauty and Money Saving Tips

It happens each year: I am caught by surprise when my prickly plants put on their best.

The cacti flowers which I have been privileged to see are definitely some of creation's finest.

Now, I don't pretend to be a cacti expert. What I can tell you is that they are pretty forgiving and unfussy. Also, potentially painful. One of my cacti has heaps of babies but I'm not feeling very keen about transplanting them! I think I should get some tough gloves first.

Obviously, overwatering can be a problem when growing cacti, but I do feel that they will do better with proper care and a little liquid feed from time to time.

Once more, my little cacti has reminded me to look for beauty in unusual places and to remember that I can still bloom in my toughest seasons.

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Tips:

*Lawn clippings are free, (other than labour) as well as abundant. Spread them generously over your beds and containers. If you don't have, ask a friend for a bag full.

*Make your own liquid plant food by soaking clippings, grass, and green material in a large bucket. Shove everything under the water then put a lid on it. After a couple of weeks things should be getting interesting in your bucket. The longer it stands, the better it gets. I dilute mine by adding two plastic mugs worth to a large watering can which I then fill to the top. You can look the exact ratio up, but this works for me. The liquid when poured will look like tea. I give this "plant soup" to my plants at least every second week.

*Deep waterings end up saving you money and time.

*Use bore hole and rain water where possible.

*Re-purpose all suitable containers for the garden.

*Collect as many seeds as you can. Dry, then place in labelled and dated envelopes.

*Allow as many plants as possible to go to seed.

That's all for this week. I hope you have a blessed week in your garden.