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Cacti Maintenance

Treatment

Most cacti have a rough aspect. This doesn't mean that you can treat your cactus roughly. Actually it's not more than logical to treat a cactus with respect, so be cool! Many cacti are sensitive to (strong) grabbing. This can cause ugly scars. If you have to hold your cactus for whatever reason, it's better that you do it close to the bottom. It's advisable to hold a cactus wearing gloves or with the help of a double folded cloth.

Transplanting

Cacti, and especially their roots, hate being transplanted. However, some cacti grow really fast. If they live in a too small pot, the roots can asphyxiate. The cacti will stop growing and eventually die. That's why they must be transplanted once in a while to a bigger pot to keep on growing.

Some care is necessary when you transplant a cactus. It's not just the cactus that can be damaged. Also the needles will undoubtedly make themselves noticed. Therefore you should wear thick gloves or a folded cloth to protect your hands. So be careful and subtle!

The best time to transplant cacti is right after the winter period, thus around February.

Sicknesses

Most cacti are vulnerable to the same sicknesses and plagues as the normal home and garden plants. Therefore it's really important to check your cacti regularly for whatever vermin may appear. Also here prevention is better than cure. So make sure you create the right environment where the cactus can grow at its best, but germs and insects stand no chance.

Fungicides and pesticides may be a solution for the annoying germs and armful insects. Be aware of overdoses of such fungicides and pesticides. Many times the cacti also die because of these products. You should always carefully follow the instructions on the package!

Try at all times to use animal and environment friendly products.

The most common sicknesses are:

Rot
- infestation of roots and bottom of stem by fungi and bacteria
- recognizable by a dark coloring
- 'soft' apperance
- it spreads to the top
- problem: soil mixture not permeable enough and/or too much watering
- solution: save what can be saved. = make cuttings from the healthy parts

Frost damage
- recognizable by parts of the stem getting brown/black and chubby after de-icing
- can be prevented by enough warmth and ventilation

The most common plagues are:

Wool-louse
- the most common plague amongst cacti
- normaly white colored
- small, oval insects
- produces a white waxy substance
- it nests around the roots, stems, leafs and/or young plant sprigs
- it's a slow moving plague
- solution: special insecticide for wool-louse
- when you notice that a cactus is infected immediately separate it from the others

Sapwood termite
- insects with eight legs
- so small that they are almost invisible to the bare eye; a fraction of a millimeter in diameter
- normally red colored
- often produce a thin closed web over the plant
- can be suppressed with special products
- tough to get rid of

Plant-louse
- small round/convex insects
- normally green colored
- normally appears in great amounts
- causes a black fungos
- solution: insecticide, gauze-flies, ladybugs

Shield-louse
- different types varying from 1 mm to 1 cm
- different colors varying from white to brown
- appears seldomly, and is normally brought in by new plants in the collection
- brush it away with your hand or a brush, most pesticides aren't enough to get rid of adult shield-louse

Trips
- winged insects smaller than half a millimeter
- yellow brownish with the shape of a rice grain
- move fast forward on the plant
- withdraw food from the plant spreading a bronze to silver coloring on it
- show up for no reason and often disappear for no reason
- easy to fight of with the appropriate products

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