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Thursday, April 11, 2013

when do you need to water a cactus?

The woman who lived next door to my grandmother, Esther, thought of my dad and uncle as family, so she always watched the weather wherever her two boys lived so she could have an idea of how they were.

When my parents settled in the desert, she and her husband bought a couple of small cactus gardens and became really and truly religious about watering based on our weather report.  If the Sonoran desert got rain, the garden got extra water.  When we went months at a time with no moisture, she'd sneak a little water to her garden, but not much.

I was always amazed at how well her little potted garden did.  It survived for about fifteen years.

So when do you water a cactus?  You can either do it like Esther and Joe - or if it is a potted cactus, give it an ice cube about once a week.  The water goes deep to the roots slowly.



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The ice cube is a great idea. We're actually in the desert part of Maui of the South Shore.

Sounds like a fun idea.

Hope you're having a great Friday.

Hunter

Lizzy D said...

Cool post! I thought I was the only person who watches weather elsewhere so I know how everyone is doing!

Both my dad and especially my brother loved cactus gardens..you know, the little indoor kind, like Esther's. And both had a lot of success watering maybe once a month? BUT my brother moved to AZ and oh is he happy! His real, outdoor cactus last week had, he said, literally hundreds of buds. Too bad my email wont open iPhone pictures so I can't share.

I think cactuses [I just can t say cacti, sorry] in bloom are something very special...

r

Dooley Girls said...

H,

I don't think of Hawaii as having much desert because I believe everything in the tourist brochures!

I think desert is sometimes a state of mind - it can be as lush and as full of life as the more moist areas!

Dooley Girls said...

r,

I love that I am not alone watching the weather around the country! I used to read it in the paper and create imaginary trips for myself based on who was sporting nice weather for more than a few days!

Glad your brother now has what makes his heart happy - as long as he doesn't hug them.

L