Cactus Anyone?

[Burd]

Another good thing is buy the Prickly Pear Syrup, put it in your Margherita in the blender. Mmm.

 

[Burd]

I don't grow cactus indoors (or really any houseplants... zero attention span. haha!) but we do have native cactuses here, even in Northern IL that grow in my garden. These really love growing in our rock wall - we started with one tiny paddle about five years ago and they just keep growing! They do bloom occasionally. Every now and again I forget to watch myself when I'm working in this little corner and realize later that I had a "close encounter" of the prickly kind! They leave lots of little glochids in any exposed skin that may brush by. Those are fun to try to pull out!

And if you need a way to keep chipmunks from tunneling in your rock retention wall, try cactus!


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There’s cactus native to Michigan too, Opuntia Compressa I think it is, in the winter, it all shrive,s up and lays feat, waiting fir spring. As long as it’s in a well drained area, they grow nice, it has yellow flowers.

 

[j.w]

I still have the Cactus you gave me @addy1 or at least I think it's a cactus. It's almost 6 ft tall now. No blooms yet tho. Has sharp long spikes on the trunk and small ones on the leaf edges. Guess when it gets to the ceiling I will have to cut it off!

 

[addy1]

I still have the Cactus you gave me @addy1 or at least I think it's a cactus. It's almost 6 ft tall now. No blooms yet tho. Has sharp long spikes on the trunk and small ones on the leaf edges. Guess when it gets to the ceiling I will have to cut it off!

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Wow that is looking good! I just chopped mine back.

A bit of history, that was a cutting off a plant that my mom gave me years ago, like 40, had it growing in AZ, hauled it to MD sent you a piece. It gets a yellow flower off and on. Sure has stickers on it!

 

[j.w]

Wonder what the actual name of it is? Maybe @Burd knows?

 

[addy1]

Wonder what the actual name of it is? Maybe @Burd knows?

lol I have no clue.

 

[Burd]

That’s gotta be a succulent. Cacti are succulents both not reverse.
I need a better picture.

 

[Burd]

I really need a better pic, does it ooze white milk when you cut it? If so it’s prob a Euphorbia. BTW, many Euphorbias are very poisonous. Don’t have any if you have pets.

 

[addy1]

Yep it oozes white milk. I have had it around my yorkies for years they don't get near it, never have.
Less thorns on the trunk then the pic
@j.w plant is prettier than mine, I just cut mine back. It was banging into the ceiling. The thorns are about 2-3 inches long. The leaves have small thorns/ needles also.

 

[Burd]

It’s prob a Euphorbia. I’ll look through the book. I was looking up a Euphorbia I had, and it said it was the most poisonous of all , I got rid of it at a sale.

 

[Burd]

This?

 

[Burd]

Here’s one w/ yellow flowers.

 

[Burd]

Hers another flowering.

 

[j.w]

Ok @Burd I took a bunch of photo's so maybe you can tell better what it is.

The older bottom trunk is hard and brown like wood but when I first got it the trunk was softer and green. Had to stake it when young to keep it from falling over so not sure how it would have grown if left to it's own devices. I think I remember @addy1 saying it might get yellow blooms some day. Not yet for me tho. It's about 6' tall now.

The newer upper trunk is green and softer. Sharp spines on the whole trunk.

Leaves are flat w/tiny spines here and there and along the edges.

New growth of leaves come off the tips.

Very top the trunk spines are soft if that is what those curvy thing are anyways.

Piece of rebar to tell the size of trunk. It's about 2" across in diameter and 5" in circumference at the lowest bottom part.

Kinda shiny leaves but some is from the flash on camera.

 

[addy1]

Great pictures @j.w mine is short right now but I also have around 6 little ones coming up also.