| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| Moon Cactus getting mushy | 4/25/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: i just bought my moon cactus yesterday and it was nice and solid. and today i noticed it is a bit ...
A: Robb, I apologize for the delay in answering you, I have been having computer issues. That plant ...
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| Severe damge to moon cactus | 4/24/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have had a moon cactus for about 5 years and last night it was knocked over by a racoon. It was ...
A: Matt, I apologize for the delay in answering you, I have been having computer issues. Please see my ...
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| Repotting Aloe Dichotoma | 4/24/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have an alow dichotoma that I need to repot. Is it ok to bury his trunk a bit deeper than it is ...
A: Noelle, I apologize for the delay in answering you, I have been having computer issues. You can, ...
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| Saguaro's --- Trying to learn for purchase | 4/24/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: 1. Why is it suggested not to water them for 7-10 days after their transplant? Contrary to other ...
A: George, Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, have been having computer issues. See my ...
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| sick cactus | 4/22/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: mother gave me small cactus 15 years ago....she died, the cactus didn't, until now.....the cactus ...
A: Marc, It sounds like your plant is rotting from the base up wards. You can take cuttings and ...
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| is my cactus healthy? | 4/22/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have what I believe to be a Trichocerus peruviana that was given to me by a college roommate as a ...
A: AH, I'm not sure why your plant continues to have issues at the growing tip, however, I would like ...
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| Black spots on cactus | 4/22/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have recently bought a cactus which has about 5 spots on it but really liked it, so went along ...
A: Jan, Spots like that are usually caused by damage to the plant, by an insect or some other source. ...
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| Re-potting Lithops | 4/22/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have a lithop and it's getting too big for the pot that it's in. I have never re-potted this ...
A: Amanda, I apologize, but I have a green thumb with everything except lithops! However, I did find ...
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| Not understanding...... | 4/20/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I recently recieved a wonderful cactus for my birthday. Though I enjoy it's beauty, my 3yr old broke ...
A: Kati, It shouldn't hurt the plant, but it can't be removed without damaging the plant. The ...
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| Aloe vera plant care | 4/20/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: i have a few questions for you about growing aloe Vera plants(Some you may not be able to answer) ...
A: Brian, What kind of soil do they need? Usually typical "cactus mix" type soil is perfect. Whatever ...
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| Pruning my Large Aloe Vera | 4/19/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have this large Aloe Vera and the bottom arms are shriveling.There is fabulous new growth in the ...
A: Kristi, Generally speaking, Aloe leaves will just fall off when they are ready to. You can trim ...
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| Barrel cactus cutting | 4/19/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have a large golden barrel that has lots of "babies" both around the base and on the sides. Can I ...
A: Ron, I really don't know the answer to that question because I have never tried it. Barrel cactus ...
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| Saguaro Cactus Seedlings | 4/18/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: Somebody brought me one of those souvenir saguaro cactus kits from Arizona. The kit says they sprout ...
A: Trish, You won't have to worry about it for quite a while. Yours will probably grow faster than ...
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| flowering cacti | 4/17/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: What can I do to keep the flowers that bloom on my cacti to stay open longer?
A: Steven, You can't. They are genetically (in most cases) programmed to only open for 1 or 2 days ...
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| Ocotillo | 4/16/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: last fall I plant 2 6' Ocotillo's from a nursery and to date they haven't changed or shown signs of ...
A: Peter, Actually it is. The nursery should have instructed you to spray the entire plant with water ...
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| broken cactus | 4/16/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: It seems an arm off of our cactus has been hit and broken off. it was still hanging by a small piece ...
A: Dwayne, You can cut it closer to the main stem, should not be a problem. Also, your type of cactus ...
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| cactus and what kind | 4/15/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: It knda looks like a christmas or easter cactus but is much bigger and has a red long big flower ...
A: Fred, I would really need to see a picture to identify it. If you can, send one to ...
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| Saguaro Cactus | 4/14/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: 1 grew from seeds, and 1 from a pup found on the street in Phoenix Arizona. I want to list them on ...
A: Durrie, Sorry for the delay in answering. It depends on what your looking for, but this webpage ...
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| cactus ...cold weather | 4/14/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I live in Illinois..Is there any type of cactus that I can plant and will survive Illinois winters? ...
A: Doug, Sorry for the delay in answering. Yes there are. Check out this website: ...
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| My cactus in a car wreck! Can I help it? | 4/14/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: Greg! Hope you can help me. 20 years ago my father brought me a cactus from the Arizona desert. We ...
A: Sondra, Sorry for the delay in answering. Yes, you can, just let them heal completely (no soft ...
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| large aloe vera with long "trunk" | 4/13/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have a large aloe vera that has a long trunk which has lost most of its leaves. All of the new ...
A: Christian, You can, but the plant my not survive. There are tree Aloes, rosette Aloes and there are ...
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| Rotten Aloe Vera? | 4/12/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: We have an Aloe Vera plant that we keep inside and leave outside during the summer. I broke a stem ...
A: Andrea, I'm not sure why it would have that smell or appearance, unless it is a very old leaf or if ...
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| red grafted cactus | 4/11/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have a red grafted cactus, which is a little over a year old. I live in Wisconsin, so the cactus ...
A: Jason, Unfortunately, that sounds like sunburn. Those cacti are raised in a greenhouse, not direct ...
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| SAGUARO CACTUS BLACK INSIDE | 4/11/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: WHAT WOULD CAUSE A SAGUARO TO TURN BLACK INSIDE AND LOSS ITS ROOTS SYSTEM? would it have a fungus?
A: Marlene, Usually it is cause by either too much water or too much cold or both. We had a very cold ...
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| planting cactus from a cutting | 4/11/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: My husband brought home several 12 ft stalks of a cactus that a neighbor was cutting down and wants ...
A: Barb, First, they should not be in water. They need to dry out before you can plant them. Once they ...
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| cactus | 4/9/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: my friends about 5 miles away from where I live ar giving me a saguaro cactus who can I contact to ...
A: Mike, That depends on where you live. Look in the phone book under nurseries and look for cactus ...
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| broken cactus "arm" | 4/9/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: It seems an arm off of our cactus has been hit and broken off. it was still hanging by a small piece ...
A: Dwayne, It can't be "fused" back on, but you can root the broken piece. Just break it the rest of ...
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| Saguaro Cactus | 4/8/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: We had a three foot Saguaro planted in our yard last year. It seemed to be doing extremely well. ...
A: Harriet, Most of the time, a cactus will split because it has taken up too much water. If you have ...
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| Cactus Replant | 4/7/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have a large cactus that has been in a small pot for years. It is starting to tip over now and ...
A: Greg, The browning may be normal. Most cacti will produce a woody trunk, much like a tree as they ...
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| moving my cactus | 4/6/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: Greg, I have a cactus that is about six feet tall now. I live in Los Angeles and he has grown from ...
A: Kim, Please see below: Would it be okay to cut off enough pads to shrink him down? Yes, that ...
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| Prevention of rots. | 4/5/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I am new cactus enthusiast. I purchase two golden barrel, 10" each. Unfortunately one of them ...
A: I don't think it would be harmful, but I worry about the fungus becoming resistant to the fungicide. ...
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| Healing | 4/3/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: What does it mean to let heal? When talking about replanting
A: Kara, If you are referring to after you take a "cutting", that means the the cut part must scab ...
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| moon cactus | 4/2/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: My moon cactus has arm things with little roots growing off it's side. What do I do with those? This ...
A: Jessica, You can let them grow, as that is the only way for your plant to grow. The red part is ...
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| cactus on drip | 4/2/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have a baby sahauro, mexican fence post and golden barrel cactus on a very light drip a couple ...
A: Brett, Actually, that is too often. What a very light drip will do is cause excessive salt build up ...
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| moon cactus | 4/2/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: i know i should water my cactus 2 to 3 weeks but i dont know how much water i should give it... ex: ...
A: Nick, Water it like you would a normal plant (soak it). But, then let the soil dry out before you ...
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| Prevention of rots. | 4/1/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I am new cactus enthusiast. I purchase two golden barrel, 10" each. Unfortunately one of them ...
A: There are really only 2 things that will cause rot, too much water and damage to the plant (caused ...
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| Aloe plant | 3/31/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have an aloe plant that is about 15 years old. I finally transplanted it about 2 years ago and it ...
A: Louise,, Everything you have described sounds normal. Probably the reason it has stopped growing ...
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| Totem Pole cactus turning black | 3/31/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: ...I have a Totem Pole cactus (Lophocereus schottii) cactus that I bought in AZ a few years ago and ...
A: Tony, It would be best if I saw a picture. Can you send one to me at gregandkat@msn.com ? If it ...
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| Transplant an ocotillo stalk | 3/31/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I have been successful in transplanting two ocotillo cacti. I now wish to remove an arm from one of ...
A: Richard, Ocotillo's are among the easiest to propagate. After you cut off a branch, let it heal for ...
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| complete loss? | 3/30/2007 | Greg Simpson |
Q: I bought one of those cute little sets of three cactus with the unfortunate fake flowers hot glued ...
A: Kelly, Yes, just let the broken piece "heal" for a couple of weeks and then replant in a cactus mix ...
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