Stupid fake flower glued onto cactus
chaparralgirl
11 years ago
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perle_de_or
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Did they glue a flower onto my cacti?!?!
Comments (7)Yes they do and yes they did. Complain, its the only way they'll stop. Us serious addicts complain about this from time to time but we aren't the major buyers of this type of cactus. The flower will not wilt. The petals are actually bracts from a real flower that is used in flower arranging because they last almost forever. They even open and close in response to temperature and humidity changes. You may be able to remove the flower by softening the glue with heat, but there will most likely be some minor scarring at least. If the glue is right at the apex of the plant there is a good chance that the growing point has been damaged and your cactus will not grow. Some species will produce pups or side shoots in this condition, otherwise they are brain-dead. Remove the plant and the glued-together stones from the pot. Then remove all the soil from the roots, it is unsuitable and will kill your plant sooner or later. Replant with a lot more grit or perlite, with some stones if you like the look but not glued together, and leave dry for a few weeks. It should be ready for a little water by about March, but major watering will be later in spring. Introduce your plant to direct sun gradually, it may have been in a dark place for weeks or months. It will certainly need as much sun as you can give at this time of year but depending on the species and where you live, afternoon shade may be needed in summer....See MoreCactus IDs and other questions
Comments (10)You'd be surprised how many fake flowers are glued on to cacti...They're actually quite popular. I imagine the reason for not sticking a flower on the other cactus is because of its nasty looking spines. Lol. Lithops: Thanks! ^^ So, both are Notocacti? Eh...How 'bout Golden Ball cactus for the second?...See Morehot glued coral cactus
Comments (6)At least one user of a certain garden site that GardenWeb won't allow me to refer to in a post recommends using a heated Exacto knife to cut through the glue. I think this might be a bit risky. I think this video uses a much safer technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qKHCg-nYv8 I haven't removed flowers from cacti before, but I've removed plenty of glue from other things. If the technique in the video doesn't work, I'd try my own. I don't think this will damage a cactus, but I'm not 100% certain, so try it at your own risk. Since the flower is more delicate than the cactus, I'd run the top of the plant under tepid water for a while until the flower is softened, then rub the flower gently until it falls apart and washes away. If you're lucky, the water will also seep between the glue and cactus skin and loosen that bond. If not, a soft paint brush or makeup brush can be used to work a tiny bit of vegetable oil into any spot where there is space between the glue and cactus. Hopefully that'll dislodge it. After removal, I'd wash away the oil with an equally tiny bit of very diluted dish soap. I don't think water, oil, or soap will damage the cactus skin, but likely the glue already did, so you might have s scar. I Googled "How to remove straw flowers from cactus" for the link above. There were more suggestions, so you might try the same search criteria for more ideas. Good luck!...See MoreFirst Time Cactus Owner! Moon Cactus Rotting? SOS!
Comments (20)Hi! So I'm a newbie to the cacti parenting world and was hoping someone may be able to tell me if I'm doing this right? I picked these cuties up from Home depot a couple months ago. The yellow one had this great flower bud looking like it might bloom soon but now it looks like I killed it. When I first got them they didn't have the little...bulbs? on the side of them or on top (like my red one.) I thought this was a sign I was doing well with them but now I'm worried I might be doing the same to the cacti that I did to the flower and I of course don't want that! So what I've been doing is checking the soil every week to feel if it feels like it's completely dry. Usually by the end of the week it feels that way. so I take them out of the decorative pots (cause they don't have drainage holes) and water them thoroughly with a slow but steady sink stream. Once the soil seems to have sufficient water, I allow the extra water to drain into the sink before putting them back into their decorative pots and putting them back on the windowsill for direct sunlight. I read that in winter you shouldn't water them as much (like once a month?) but we are still in fall her in NC. Am I doing this right or just being an idiot? I'm kinda bummed I lost the little flower but if I can encourage them to grow more I want to try! But mostly I want to be a good cacti parent....See Moremrlike2u
11 years agoColleen E
11 years agochaparralgirl
11 years agocactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
11 years agoperle_de_or
11 years agonil13
11 years agocactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
11 years agoRon4310
11 years agokaryn1
11 years agoperle_de_or
11 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
11 years agokaryn1
11 years agochaparralgirl
11 years agojuliebees2009
11 years agoteaclass
8 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years agomeganhuston99
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoaakajx
7 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
7 years ago
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chaparralgirlOriginal Author