🌵Common Myths About Growing Cacti (and the Truths You Need to Know About Sun, Water & Soil)

[@AridZine]

Stumbled across your channel just this week - really enjoying it! Very chill vibe. I’m in Sydney too, so it’s nice to see some very relevant local cactus content. Cheers.

[@the.morning.chorus]

Hi! I’ve actually been a subscriber of yours for a couple of months and recently realised you’re in Sydney too. I’ve learned a lot from your videos- loved the habitat potting tips and I didn’t know about the Wollongong cactus garden until I watched your video on it! Thanks for dropping by 🙂

[@ForeverASucculentAddict]

I love how you play “cactus games” with each other. 😂

[@ofeliaciubal7558]

Yes , I love watching cactuses when they are in bloom, and that’s I have also a lot to take care of

[@the.morning.chorus]

So short lived when they bloom, but it’s worth it!

[@ForeverASucculentAddict]

Really looking forward to watching this one. Cacti is not my THING. I only have a few and they confuse the heck out of me. 😂

[@TheMillennialPlantDad]

Haaa!! Few mins in and I finally know what’s wrong with my blue Monstrous cactus, it’s getting way too much sun. Oh so now I have to move sis to shade, thank you !! Now let me keep watching 😅

[@the.morning.chorus]

Hahaha! Glad I could help 😂 🙌🏽 I hope that solves it 🤞🏽

[@Planty-Mandy]

Totally true about the temperatures in houses. I’m Canadian and only on a terrible windy -50C day (which happens maybe 4 times a winter) will our furnace struggle to keep the house at least 20C. On any average winter day, the house is warmer than 20. None of my houseplants go dormant inside.

[@the.morning.chorus]

You guys know how to do winters! I can’t even fathom what -50C is, you poor things 🤯 Our cities don’t have central heating, so we rely on small crappy heaters to stay warm in our poorly insulated homes. Honestly, I’ve been warmer in snowy winters in the Japanese alps than I am here in Sydney!

[@Fabdanc]

Bang on. I'd only add one thing, not all cacti and succulents like/tolerate blazing hot temperatures -- especially prolonged exposure. This can accelerate and make sunburn more lethal, but it can also put your plants in summer dormancy. Consistent watering will help, but i accidentally let my plants go summer dormant this year. We had a lot of rain in early summer, so I slacked off watering... Well, it got hot and stopped raining. As of me writing this, it hasn't rained in 2 months. I had to coax my plants out of dormancy slowly. Did I still manage to kill a sempervivum? Sure did. But I kill those all the time 😂

[@the.morning.chorus]

YES! Re: hot temps, that’s a good one. We’ve had cacti crumble in the heat, even if they only got morning to midday sun. But for sure we’ve had winter dormant plants go into summer dormancy here because of the heat. Sempervivums might as well be annuals to me 🙃 I’m sure I could keep them alive if I really, really tried!

[@maryannez5264]

Great information as usual Shy

[@the.morning.chorus]

Thank you Maryanne! 💕🌵🙏🏽

[@lindylou3519]

It’s crazy how I take better care of plants outdoors than indoors. I truly hate having to bring them indoors to overwinter. Thanks for the info. I had no idea you are in zone 10. I’m in the southeastern U.S. zone 8b so mine can stay outdoors from April to Nov. (lots go into the garage for the winter) I use a lot of pumice in my potting soils for my succulents & cactus because we usually get a lot of rain (except this year…it was so hot & dry).

[@the.morning.chorus]

Yes, something happens when I move plants indoors at the moment- they just fly off my radar 🤷🏽‍♀️ You've got a little bit longer to enjoy them outside before you bring them it!

[@rhodealexandre6583]

Hey Shy. Thank you again for a brilliant video filled with great information and funny bits. You are very entertaining. Have a great day Question My blue torch cacti were very chubby and thick when I got them. I put them under a sunblaster grow light (very strong) they are in a gritty mix in a clay pot. They grow during the summer but the new growth on both is skinnier than the bottom. I don’t think it’s a lack of light could it be lack of watering? Thank you for your insight I live in Canada and now the sun is lower in the sky I moved them in front of a southeastern window

[@the.morning.chorus]

Oh thank you Rhode! 🙂 I appreciate you saying that! 💕 Hmm, etiolation is generally a lighting issue, but I’ve also heard that over-fertilising can sometimes contribute- could that be the case here? Under-watering would generally affect the whole plant, not just the new growth. I have zero experience with grow lights, so unfortunately cannot advise you there, but would love too hear if you have success with moving it to the south-facing window!

[@rhodealexandre6583]

@@the.morning.chorus thank you😀

[@skullhunter21]

I would love longer videos 🤪🧿

[@the.morning.chorus]

Not at all opposed to doing more long form videos in the future! 🥰

[@mollys1584]

Hi Shy! I'm an indoor grower as you know but new to cacti like 3 years??? Just an observation...the first cactus you showed with brown scaling . I had the same on a tropical cacti that was indoors and it actually was a fungal infection that it eventually outgrew because I didn't know what it was. Permanently scarred, but it didn't seem to affect the growth. It was too young I believe for corking. All this info is so helpful. Speaking of climate...next week here in our corner of NE USA we'll be in the 70s all week and nights will be @ 50.Crazy! You admire us indoor growers but I admire you outdoor suc and cacti growers! I can control my indoor enviroment...you can't and roll with Nature's punches. Yeah you! 😊

[@the.morning.chorus]

Molly! You mean on the opuntia burbank? Thanks for pointing that out! Yeah it did cross my that it could be some kind of infection but I guess I assumed sunburn because of what it looked like in its earlier stages and the timing of it all. You might be right though! And it hasn’t spread to the newer paddles. Definitely too young for corking, and I know corking to look and developing slightly different. We might’ve switched climates! It’s actually a little warmer these past few days, here’s hoping it lasts! 💕🤞🏽

[@mollys1584]

@the.morning.chorus Yes the OB. Like I said Shy, just an observation and I could be wrong. I've only had cacti sunburn from lights and that looks different than sunburn from well.. the 🌞! Oh I'm glad you're warming up! After our warm spell next week we're going to be cold so I'm going to go deckside this week and do some planty chores!

[@marcihayden1805]

I really appreciate you tacking this complicated topic that’s often misunderstood!

[@franckelatter9829]

I find part shade useable on the south side of my north fence! Or afternoon shade where it is at your place. I enjoy your vids and look forward to them every week end! But don’t stress you should take brakes and not spoil us too much!

[@the.morning.chorus]

That’s a good point, shade cloth doesn’t need to cover the entire garden. And I could use it small parts. Definitely something to consider. And lovely Francke, thank you for the reminder to take breaks. I’ll make sure to rest when I need it. After focusing on theatre for so long, I’m really enjoying the chance to create these videos now 🙂

[@lindaedwards4632]

Some of your big cactuses have a lot of new growth 😀🇨🇦

[@the.morning.chorus]

Yes I’m proud to say they are getting along well Linda! 🌵💕

[@lillamy2896]

I spray some of my cacti whith sunscreen for humans in the beginning of summer. (Sweden) Because of fast change from spring to summer to acclimatize. They are always in shadow (in summer) from noon to a couple hours forward to avoid the most harsh sunrays.

[@the.morning.chorus]

Oh my gosh I wouldn’t have even thought of that! 😲 Clever you! It doesn’t leave any surface marks? I’d be interested to know how sunscreen interacts with farina.

[@lillamy2896]

@@the.morning.chorus Never seen any marks. I put in some alcohol to make it more fluent. I also use non deluted alcohol to spray them down from pests when they move inside for winter. If you use a spraybottle it evaporate before it does any harm.

[@lillamy2896]

@@the.morning.chorus I avoid to do it when its sunny. I dont know why

[@NancyUkshe]

Hello, I just discovered ur site and have so enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing you develop ur garden . Luv ur ideas. If ur interested I've also been watching a channel called " Planty Mandy " and she has a lot of plants similar to ur large leaf indoor plants . They seem to thrive well for her . Her channel is out of Canada , where she lives. She's new and has just a few followers. ❤

[@the.morning.chorus]

Aww thank so much for dropping by Nancy! Happy you’re enjoying the videos 🙂 I’ll be sure to check out Planty Mandy! 💕

[@justinsharpe3034]

The farina (the blue stuff) will come and go on a cactus, that mytrilocactus will be fine in time

[@the.morning.chorus]

🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽 i want this to be true! From what I’ve learned and seen so far, it seems like once the blue color is gone from the damaged parts, it doesn’t recover. It only comes back with the new growth.

[@franckelatter9829]

You could consider moving your blue cactus so they just get mornings sun, which is much milder!

[@the.morning.chorus]

The spot where the myrtillo and blue cereus were gets morning sun until about 1-2pm, then it’s in shade for the rest of the afternoon, missing the hottest part of the day ☹️ dunno what’s going on Francke! Might need to find a spot where the shade hits quicker.

[@anitamaricic3351]

No need to take the barrel cactus out just use longer tweezers to pull the weeds out☘️☘️☘️

[@the.morning.chorus]

Trust me, if I could've gotten them out with my long tweezers, I would have already! They’re really stuck in there and I just end up ripping them out without the roots.

[@ForeverASucculentAddict]

If you weren’t renting I would have your side kick design and install a pergola. To get dappled sun light. I have those issues here too when I’m growing in the summers outdoors. And we aren’t “allowed” to do that either because we have an HOA. But in our forever home which I believe is right around the corner because I’m MANIFESTING it……😅 We will be able to do so much more. I feel your pain though. Shade clothes are so ugly looking. 😝

[@the.morning.chorus]

Ohhh trust me if I were in charge I’d be designing and building the perfect pergola. One day!! 🤞🏽🤞🏽

[@Sylvicolus]

A friend of mine always says you cannot water cacti during the winter, for like at least 5 months.

[@the.morning.chorus]

That might be best for their particular climate. The only time I’ve gone 5 months without watering was when La Niña took over (during winter too) and nature handled the watering for me.

[@Fabdanc]

I tend to see this advice for northern latitude climates that generally have high cloud cover, ample rain/snow, high humidity, and that stay quite cold. This is usually because the cacti will go into deep dormancy and slow their metabolism down, so their need for water will be slim to none. It really is all about climate.

[@Sylvicolus]

This is from a friend that only grows cacti indoors.

[@New-Hat-Gardening]

Does any else see spider mites?