prognosis: GRIM

[pikevi]

A visit to an orchid doctor resulted in a referral to a non-specialist plant doctor.

I think this forum has a number of 'bugs' floating around and I caught one recently: I am sure it is from fred!! (offence INTENDED )

I bought these plants yesterday from a 'Plant Doctor'.

Two cyclamens and 15 cactuses. I have already been pricked three times in a matter of a few hours. I think I am developing masochistic tendencies after joining this forum

Now the fun starts with identifying , re-potting and so on.

[fred]

no offence pikevi

I love the cactuses you have very nice I am sure you will get alot of enjoyment with them.

sorry about the bug I thought i had them under control hehe

[chefatplay]

More pretty additions to the family! Are you going to make arrangements out of them or plant them singly?

Fred, is your new avatar Socks in attack mode? I like him with Angee on his back much more.

[Vivienne]

Ellen - I just wrote almost the same thing in a different thread (about Socks). LOL

pikevi - how much attention do cacti need? Have been toying with the thought of putting a cactus garden in the boys window well, but I know I'd always forget about it.

[chefatplay]

Isn't that the joy of cacti, they don't need a lot of attention? Plus, if the boys wanted to sneak out of the window, well, sticky, sticky!!!

RE: Socks, I guess that shows we think alike, Vivienne. LOL (Now I know you would like my orchid doc.)

[fred]

what a thing to do to the boys sheeees you take all the fun out of being young lol

no that looks like Socks i am glad its not him if Socks looked at me like that i would run hehe

sorry pikevi
I water my cacti when I think of it and thats not very often

[chefatplay]

My faith in Socks renewed!

[kmarch]

Mmmmm, yum, Cyclamen. I love these little guys. In Michigan where I used to live there grew a wild, species Cyclamen. They grow to only about 3-4 inches high, most fo that height was the flower stem, and they bloomed very early in the spring, before one would typically start mowing. One of my firends had them all through her yard. I've got 3 here that I grow with my Cymbidiums. They are just now coming into bloom. Maybe I should post some pics of them. I have 2 minis and a standard.

[arleneg]

pikevi -- Very nice addition to the family. I, too, have bought a few cacti/succulent plants in the last couple months.

Vivienne -- Cacti/succulents are easy to care for. I water mine once every week or two, and rather ignored during winter months.

[PhalPal]

Nothing more delightful that potting up cactus!
Vivienne -A forgotten window is the best place to put a cactus. If you get around to watering it every few months it will do fine. More sun the better.

[Vivienne]

thanks for the cacti input. See what you started pikevi!

Think I'll need to monitor the amount of sun that window well actually gets. And yes, it will make an excellent alarm system for the boys. LOL Who am I kidding... they can easily go through the front door and I'd never know it (unless I have the alarm system armed).

[Sharyn]

pikevi: Nice new catus plants.
Phalpal: For repotting catus, I use a tip I found on the forum or elsewhere. Wrap the catus in several layers of newspaper (folded to height size). Tape the paper in place and remove the catus - NO MORE BLOODY FINGERS! Now, the big guys take a whole section of newspaper folded and wrapped, but it works great.

[Gladys47]

I have a thing about stickers. They don't like me. It's really kind of funny because I have very little feeling in my hands from old injuries, but I feel stickers just fine thank you! I love african violets but they just die! Must be a magic trick to growing them that I don't know. They sure are pretty tho. Wish I could do them. Gladys

[Tobi]

Pikevi,
I have been growing cyclamens in my basement for a about 5 years now.
Have had good success with them. They don't like warm weather at all. They love it cool,
cool, cool. My basement rarely gets above 65 F all year. Their best blooming
time is between Oct-March here. They do bloom all year, but in the summer
months they don't grow as many new leaves or put out as many flowers. I repot
mine every other year, keep them slightly damp between watering (otherwise
the leaves and flowers will wilt if dry). Since our geographical regions are
very similar, they should do quite well for you if you keep them cool.

[PhalPal]

I have cyclamen here virtually all year outdoors. I have a shady porch and like to plant mixed pots and include them. They do okay with high air temps (90 - 100) if well watered but they don't like sun. Having a dry heat may help??? They seem to be spreading too....I find itty bitty ones growing out of cracks! Too cute. I don't understand that since they are basically a bulb. At Christmas it is a tradition in our neighborhood to mix white cyclamen with pointsettias in pots in our front yards. Looks really pretty!

[pikevi]

Thanks everyone.

chefatplay: I like to keep them individually, at least, for now.

Vivienne: I have heard that some water them only 4 times a year!!
[BTW, I did not think I will start an avalanche ]

What I cannot figure out is that in their natural habitat they will get some moisture 'every night' in the form of condensation which they will not get if grown in urban areas. So how would monthly or quarterly watering be enough to sustain them?. I am still reading up hoping to get the right answers.

Sharyn: I usually use just latex gloves in potting, planting and so on. I just bought a pair of thick cotton gloves to re-pot the cactuses. But your suggestion may be more practical. Thanks.

Tobi: Yes, I was reading about Cyclamens. I could not understand the two types : viz.,florist and hardy . But almost all accounts that I read are consistent about humidity. I am OK for now but I will have to think of the winter when it is hard to maintain even 60% humidity. Your plants seem very healthy and happy

PhalPal: I think I saw one white cyclamen at the garden centre. They only had about few cyclamens. many were red. I will go there tomorrow and see if the white is still available. If it is I will buy it.

[PhalPal]

My cousins live in the desert (Phoenix, AZ) and it is extremely dry with NO humidity. The cactus are lucky to get only a few downpours a year, surviving in 10% humidity, so very little condensation overnight. The worst thing to do with a cactus is to overwater it.

My cyclamen live happily outdoors with low humidity also, 10-30% in summer and not much higher in winter. I have had the best luck with plain old cheap Home Depot brand from their garden center. White is the hardest color to find so grab it when you can!

[brookn]

I just bought six little cati. Very cute, I snagged them onto a t-shirt then had someone hold the shirt with the cactus snagged and hanging, in the pot as I filled in with dirt. I think I can help I.D. a couple, I have a lot of succulents, which is what the four in the back look like. Two look like a form of hen and chickens, I know they are in the same family at least. I think they are called sempervivums. I use sedumphotos.net to i.d. succulents sometimes. They have a section devoted to them. I recently got a portulacaria that was huge. I have been collecting succulents for ages.