Schilderij a dit:I did not buy them from a reputable vendor. We don't have those here.
Here are some more pictures of my two cacti:
George:
Sigmund:
What cacti do you think they are then?
Hi,
Your cactus looks fine, I have similar specimens. That discoloration is permanent but it's nothing to worry about at this point, as long as it doesn't spread. If it does, there is probably something wrong, most likely too much sun. 30% shade netting is recommended in Israel if your plant gets over 5-6 hours of DIRECT sunlight during the day, if you get less than 6, then I wouldn't worry about netting too much with this particular cactus.
I would like to point out that you need a good quality potting mix for optimum conditions since you are growing in a pot. 40-50% perlite is a must or you risk getting some serious root rot and other diseases in that pot due to excess water retention, which will kill your plant.
I use a mix of 40% peat, 15% humus and 45% perlite in my mix packed quite tightly in a pot. This is a rich and healthy mix which contains minerals etc. I also add in there a heaped teaspoon of GHE's Mineral Magic per 4 litres of mix. This is a powder composed of siliceous ooze and clay from the bottom of the ocean, great stuff packed with minerals.
To fertilize I use GHE BioSevia organic fertilizer as instructed, a full dose every other watering during the growing season only, works great and is very complete with microelements etc. In addition to this it's essential for healthy growth and stable soil structure to mulch the top of the soil once or twice during the growing season with some worm humus, easily obtainable stuff.
I highly recommend to stick to organic feeding. I use carbon filtered reverse osmosis @pH ~5.5 (to simulate rain acidity) water/nutrient solution because our tap water is really really hard (calcium carbonate content) and full of chlorine and various yucky stuff. Check your local municipal website to find out what your water is like, but my guess is that the water is mostly the same across Israel. When you water it, do it slowly and when you start seeing water drain through the bottom then you may stop. A single watering should suffice for a minimum of 1 week to 10 days. In my mix and sun exposure I can water with that frequency. Do not allow the soil to get bone dry, this cactus loves water and roots must be kept moist at all times during the summer. During the winter do not allow rain to ruin your cactus. build a small housing from some wire fencing covered with a plastic sheet. At the end of the growing season water it once and do not water at all unless the soil is about to go completely dry (the pot will be very light) If this happens water once and do not water again until temperatures rise. To prevent total evaporation during the winter you can cover the surface of the soil with clay pebbles if you have them or some other small porous rocks.
You don't need very deep pots at all, I would opt for a higher diameter rather than deeper.
Good luck and have fun, any questions just ask but please take good care of this magnificent cactus and it will take good care of you, eventually.
