KATHMANDU: For people who have an interest in gardening but do not have much time to indulge in it, growing cactus can be a good idea because unlike other garden or house plants they thrive even with little attention. “Cactus does not need as much care as other garden plants. It can flourish in extreme weather conditions,” said Kumar Kasaju Shrestha from Kathmandu Nursery.

Cactus has a tendency to grow

even with little care, but a gardener will get wonderful returns if it is

given they pay a little more attention and give it due care.

Cactus gardening also bestows immense pleasure and satisfaction to a person. Cactus being one of nature’s most exquisite plants, you can enliven your courtyard, room and even your home beautifully with it.

Easily manageable

The great thing about cactus

gardening is that a person who lives

in city apartments and has

small rooms can easily fulfil their

craze for cactus gardening. “It is

better to prefer dwarf and semi-dwarf cactus as houseplants,” said

Shrestha.

The slow growth rate of cactus also helps people living in apartments adopt more than a dozen cactuses for a number of years without making indoor gardening look cramped. Shrestha added, “Cactus can be raised both as an outdoor and indoor plant. If a gardener thinks of rearing it inside the house s/he should make sure that it gets enough air circulation and sunlight.”

Growing conditions

The ideal place for growing cactus during winter is either inside the house or damp greenhouse, but according to Shrestha, “As long as cactus does not face extreme cold weather it can thrive in any place and weather condition.” Placing cactus outdoors will need less watering because rainwater becomes enough for its growth. .

Ideal shifting

They always look good as they do not have tender foliage that will fall off if weather conditions become unfavourable. But if one thinks of planting cactus in the garden, one should be careful during winter.

When winter comes a person should be careful enough to lift their cactuses and shift it inside their house. To make this shifting process easy one can directly put potted cactus in the garden ground during springtime and shift it indoors while winter season rolls by.

“The roots of cactus are very small and less in comparison to other plants. Therefore as far as re-potting is concerned they do not require too much attention,” said Shrestha.

Insects and diseases

Like any other plant cactus is also prone to insects and diseases. “More than insects cactuses are prone to fungal and viral diseases.

One can use systematic anti-fungal pesticide which is easily available in market or any other organic pesticide,” said Shrestha. He added, “While making a mixer of anti-fungal pesticide one should be careful about not mixing more than 2 gm pesticide in 1 litre of water.” If the stems of cactus are frequently treated with clean water, pests will not cause any serious problems to cactuses.”

Taking care

Here are a few things that one needs to take care of after planting a cactus and giving it a more attractive look.

Forget some of the myths that you may have heard or imagined about cactuses. You do need to water them and feed them.

Water regularly during the growing season - remember that this can be winter for some species. Thorough watering is better than a sprinkle every day or two. When the soil is completely dry, it’s time to water again. One effective way to water smaller pots is to sit them in a tub of water nearly up to their rims, leaving them there until the top layer of soil is moist.

During their dormant season and in cool temperatures, most cactuses can go without water for weeks at a time. Don’t become complacent and forget that the poor things are even alive. Resume regular watering just before the growing season begins.

When plants are in a growing stage, fertilise about once a month - or every other time you water, if you water every two weeks.

They need all the nutrients that other plants do - nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium - plus trace elements. You can use just about any complete liquid fertiliser or a special fertiliser designed for cactuses.

If you need to repot a cactus, use a piece of rolled-up paper towel or newspaper to remove the plant from its original container. — Agencies

Perfect containers

Cactuses lend themselves to terracotta pots - the attraction’s probably the desert look about both plants and the containers. Terracotta also is porous, which keeps roots from sitting in water; stone and concrete pots also work well for the same reason. Making sure that the container has drainage holes is another important rule - sometimes so obvious it may be missed. Feel free to use a shallow container (just 4 to 6 inches deep) if it looks best for your plants - as the roots don’t go very deep. For a plant with a rounded shape, choose a container that’s 2 inches wider than the plant. For an upright plant, choose a pot that’s half the diameter of the plant’s height.

When you select containers, sometimes bring out the eccentric side in you, be a little creative and plant it in a unique pot. — Agencies