Cactus or succulents? There's the struggle!

in #gardening6 years ago (edited)
I became an addict. Since I got my first cactus all I can think about is in getting another one. It sounds ridiculous, but it's a fact. I don't know if it's because I found them adorable, or maybe just because they make me company, but I started to like them a lot. I already own two, Cacnea and Ling Ling, but.. I want another one. There's so much empty spaces to feel in my life right now, ironically I find comfort in taking care of my plants. At first you're probably wondering why I got a plant and specially a cactus.. Well, since I'm starting a new life from scratch, I barely have any furniture or any decorative element in the rented department, so I got company and some decor to my livingroom! This kind of plants are great for me, by being plants rooted in arid lands, they hardly need care except for a little water from time to time. A good example for all those people who want to change their decor and immerse themselves in the world of plants, but who are also somewhat clueless.

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Found these beauties on my daily walk.

After being a mother of two greenies, I've got some experience already.. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a clueless person when it comes to gardening. I call them cactus, but thanks to @Nikv I've found they're actually succulents. They've helped me developing some sense of responsability, not mentioning the fact that they actually are good listeners. They just need a small quantity of water, a tiny space in your house and some sun baths and love. I'm still having troubles with the sunbaths since I don't have a balcony in the department, so they don't get direct sun, just reflected light; but they're not that bad.

Cacnea
Ling Ling
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As my first one, Cacnea grew a lot, you can see the thin bumps, don't worry about the tiger.. He's there just to keep him straight.Lin Lin hasn't got any more flowers, I think it has to be with the poor sun/light conditions, but despite that, she has more hairy bumps, look closer.

You can take a look to how they were a couple of months ago in this post.


It's worth saying that I began to take care of them since day one with the hope of remembering that by cultivating a garden, we undeniably cultivate ourselves. Talking to them, spraying water to them, just looking at them is therapeutic. So I'm thinking of getting another one. While talking a walk today I found this really cute greenhouse, with tons of plants of any type, once again: I left empty handed. It happened when I visited the greenhouse where I got Ling Ling, but come on! It's a really hard choice and you know.. With a lot of power, comes a big responsability.

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TThey look so adorable in that wooden box that I want to take them all.

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Can you blame me? It's a hard choice, how can I choose one :(

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Of course one caught my attention!!

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This one, I don't even know what kind of allien is this. Is that a cactus? A succulent? An special one?The only thing I'm sure of, is that it looks like a mushroom or maybe a hat.

There's not a lot to say now, but this is a scream for help. I need help to decide which one should I get. Since I barely know something about them, I ask for advices. Which one should I get? Considering the poor sun conditions, it'll get indirect light, so I need one that doesn't die for not getting sun baths. Also.. I realized I have to change Ling Ling's pot. After panicking for a moment (and of course Googling it) I think I have an idea of how to do it, but couldn't understand which kind of pot is better for her.

Trust me.. It's not fun getting home empty-handed. It gets frustrated when I realize that I'm a whimsical kid that can't decide which toy she wants the more when her parents ask her to choose. Ugh. The lack of knowledge makes the task harder, what if I get a plant that needs a lot of sun and all I'm gonna do is killing her/him?! It's about responsabily, I couldn't live with that.

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Not a happy photo of me getting home with a new companion, no. That's grumpy me seeing my angry self in the mirror.

Any help?

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WOW you have such a good colection of them and yes I think it may well be an addiction LOL

but there are so many worse addictions to have :)

Lol... me? You looking at me?? All my life I thought they were all cactuses... then I learned a new word ~ succulents! Then I still thought anything with thorns were cactus, and succulents only were those with fur or juicy leaf-like structures... Wrong again! Now I've stopped guessing!!! Dangerous territory! 🙊

I still don't get it!!! It's a deep world lol

Lol... very deep...

We are blessed with most types of succulents here in the mountains Lady Vanessa and whenever I like one, I simply take a small piece (branch) off and plant it in a pot. They like direct sun, but can grow in indirect sun as well. Blessings!

Ahahaha, the bug has bitten! The alien is an Aeonium tabuliforme. Nice but expensive and they die after they flower. Try buying the gasteria, they don't need a lot of light. It is this one
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The bug bit too hard!! Alrighty, I'll go back on Friday after work to get Mr. Gasty (it's funny because in Argentina there's a lot of guys named Gastón and their beloved ones call them Gasty). Gasteria reminded me of it. Btw.. How do I change Ling Ling's pot? :( I don't even know how to grab her without harming her!! (Or me).

So if the allien flowers it dies just like that? Oh god you're my gardening Yoda.

The alien belongs to a group of plants that are monocarpic, meaning that they only flower once in their lives. Aeonium, Sempervivum, and Agave are some of the ones that do that although many of them make plenty of babies (offsets) which don't die. Not all Aeoniums do this so they just die.

For Ling Ling, you can wrap her with a sheet of newspaper that you fold a few times to make a band, turn the pot upside down and tap it until it loosens and you can lift it off. But only repot if you see roots growing out of the holes in the bottom. Before that, it isn't necessary and don't water before you repot, it's better to do it dry

Oh i didn't know it was necessary to see roots in the holes. Problems is that she has some spikes that get stucked in the sheet (or my fingers) and they come off her.

If you are careful, you can get the paper off the spines. Your fingers, not so much. That's why I suggested leaving it in the pot. It won't mind

Guess I'll leave her there then, it's safer.

Definitely for your fingers :P

I've always loved the look of succulents! Though I must confess I am not good at taking care of plants. Plus travelling here and there doesn't help. That's why I can't commit for the moment to growing plants or having a pet.