here. - Grampian - British Cactus & Succulent Society

Product/ Service Inform ationYour b usiness tag line he re.T el: 555 5 55 55 55Cacti & SucculentsG RAMPIANB RANCHCare SheetYou would be most welcome to attend ameeting of the Grampian branch of theBritish Cactus & Succulent Society.Meetings are held regularly and provide agreat opportunity to learn more about theseplants.Meet other enthusiastsThe British Cactus & Succulent Society is a charitableorganisation whose aim is to promote the study,conservation, propagation and cultivation of cacti andsucculents. It publishes a quarterly journal, Cactus-&FurtherInformationFriendly chat, help and adviceIllustrated talks from UK expertsWorld. The society has a network of 90 local brancheswhich meet regularly. Membership is open to all andCultivationTraveloguesPlant reviewsranges from young to old, novice to expert. Everyone iswelcome to attend meetings. In Scotland branchesmeet in Ayr (Hurlford), Fife (Cupar), GrampianBranch library of beginner and specialistbooks and journals(Aberdeen),(Glasgow).Highlands (Inverness) and StrathclydePlants and seeds available Greenhouse visits to collectionsMeeting details at www.teratopia.co.uk, orcontact branch secretary Alex Hidalgo atalexhidalgo@btinternet.com or telephone01561 320321.More Informationwww.cactus-mall.com - globalgateway to everything you wish to knowabout cacti & succulentswww.bcss.org.uk - friendly forumwhere you can ask any questions and learnfrom others

INTRODUCTIONCacti—It is useful to know where the plants come from and howthey grow in their natural habitat. This gives us a clue how we oughtto treat them. All cacticome from North &South America. Cactido not grow in truedeserts but in very aridsemi-deserts. Mostgrow where they getplenty of sunshine andare used to hottemperatures.Succulents — Succulents on the other hand grow in almost allparts of the world, apart from the Arctic and the Antarctic. Howeversome of the richest areas for succulents are South Africa andMadagascar, but a fair number grow in North and South Americatoo.Growing cacti and succulents is a very absorbing hobby and onceyou are "hooked" it can become addictive! You will be surprised byhow many friends that you can make who share the interest , evenabroad, who will be only too willing to help.C ULTIVATIONCacti & succulents can be grown from seed or cuttings. To start withyou may prefer to buy plants from a garden centre or specialistnursery. Cultivation is very simple as long as a few main points areobserved. These plants require averyopen and free-drainingcompost. You can purchase readymade cactus compost or mix yourown . A good recipe is to mixequal amounts of John Innes No.2compost with horticultural grit.Mix well and it is ready for use.P OTTING & REPOTTINGRe-potting should not be necessary more than every other year and isonly necessary when the plant has outgrown the pot, or it does notgrow well. It is best to re-pot plants at the beginning of their growingseason in early spring. After re-potting, don’t water until the plant hassettled down for a week or two. For round plants the pot should beslightly larger than the plant diameter. For tall specimens, aim for apot diameter just under half the height.Take the plant out of the old pot andremove as much of the old soil as youcan. Place the plant in the new pot andfill in around the roots, potting theplant to about the same level aspreviously. Gently tap the compostaround the roots.W ATERINGObserve the plants—they will almost tell you when to water. Duringspring and summer when plants are growing well., water once afortnight if the plants are in the greenhouse, or once every 3 weeks ifin the house. Never leave the pot standing in water, just give as muchas the pot can absorb and pour water onto the compost not onto theplant! Cacti in particular are resilientplants and can go a long timewithout water. You shouldoccasionally add some food whenwatering. Only a few plants grow inthe winter, so no water should begiven at all from about midSeptember until the end of March.For winter growing plants consult anexperienced grower until you havemore experience.W HERE TO GROW THEMCacti and most of the succulents grow in semi-deserts and thereforeneed the best light we can provide for them. Many cacti andsucculents can be successfully grownand flowered on a window sill. If youhave access to a greenhouse, you willbe able to grow almost anything, but inwinter you may have to have a sourceof heat. It is best to maintain atemperature of at least 7 degreescentigrade during winter for a mixedcollection of plants. However, there isquite a range of plants that can begrown without heat in a greenhouse orcold frame. If growing plants on awindow sill, be aware that if curtains are closed, low temperaturescan result between the window and curtains on frosty nights.P ESTS & DISEASESLuckily, cacti are afflicted by very few pests anddiseases. The most common is mealy bug whichmay attack the plant and its roots, but wateringwith systemic insecticide will usually eradicatethem. Another pest comes in the form of redspider mite, but it is only troublesome in hot, dryand unventilated conditions. Most disease isattributable topoor growing conditions. Plants aresusceptible to rot if left standing inwater, or if the compost gets wetduring winter when the temperature isconsistently low.