i think i am addicted

Anything relating to Cacti or CactiGuide.com that doesn't fit in another category should be posted under General.
prickle
Posts: 57
Joined: Sat May 30, 2020 3:49 pm
Location: UK

i think i am addicted

Post by prickle »

i have been fascinated by cacti for as long as i can remember (visually), but it is only about a month since i first decided to actually grow some, and only about 2-3 weeks since i actually bought my first cactus ever.
now i have 8 already!!! 4 of them were bought by luck in one pot (was only 3 when i bought it :D ), but i will be repotting them to their own pots tomorrow which will give me a family of 8 in less than 3 weeks.

my daughter keeps laughing at me because i am spending hours and hours almost every day researching my cacti and how to best look after them. she says i am getting old, but i cant stop!! :D

i am not ashamed [-X
bartab
Posts: 263
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:52 am
Location: Danville, California - Zone 9

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by bartab »

I started with a couple of succulents, and then decided I like cacti better. Gave the succulents to my wife. Found out packaged cactus soil is no good, and started bringing home pumice from different sources. Chicken grit, but hated the size and color. Picked up some sieves off of Amazon. Got a different size chicken grit. Then discovered California Gold granite, and found a source which is just the right size. Do I want lava rock or not? Red or black? Why not try both. Coir? Let's try it in small amounts. Oops, this other brand of coir is triple washed instead of double. I'm finally down to pumice, grit, a little lava mixed in, and might add coir for a few plants. Don't even get me to begin on pots. It's worse than deciding on substrate. I sneak plants in through the garage or back gate when my wife isn't around. If one is coming through the post I am sure to keep an eye out for the postman. My trips up to a local grower are quick runs "up to the store". Any extra substrate materials went into my tomato garden. Extra pots are hidden in the garage. You will be broke in a couple of years.
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by hegar »

I am also one of these "lost souls". :)
I started out trying to educate myself about orchids and cacti, because naming those and, if indicated, sending them to a Plant Rescue Center, is part of my job. Well, that got me to start spending a considerable amount of time and made me see the beauty of these plants. In order to learn more about the native cactus population, I joined a local cactus club. The members were all so nice and gave me some of their excess plants. So I started building a cactus collection, and I have not stopped yet! LOL
I am still learning about the cultivation aspects of these plants. My wife, unfortunately, does not appreciate my hobby. She dislikes cacti. :(
Over the years I have purchased quite a number of plants, without her knowing. I do order my latest cactus jewels from Miles-2-Go, but have the plants delivered to a cactus club buddy, whom I pay in cash for them! Talk about an addiction....
Well, it is the only serious hobby I do have and I for one do not believe, that I am overdoing it. It may be called an addiction nevertheless.

Harald
bartab
Posts: 263
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:52 am
Location: Danville, California - Zone 9

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by bartab »

HaHa. My wife is always asking me "Why are there rocks everywhere? Get the rocks off of the kitchen table!" I'm going to repot one later tonight. I'm sure I will hear about it. I was showing my wife my Echinomastus laui sometime back and was telling her how I thought the spines were gorgeous. She just shook her head and walked away.
DaveW
Posts: 7376
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by DaveW »

First rule of buying cacti if you are married is to remove the price off the label or tag.

It's a bit like the old joke of the chap on his death bed pulling his friend closer to him and saying "for gods sake don't let my wife sell my camera equipment for what she thinks I paid for it!"

Most of us do not realise how much our plants have grown over the years and if less common how much they are now worth on the open market. Conversely unless they can grow them outside some columnar plants if they get too tall nobody wants them in their greenhouses and you have a job to give them away unless you can find somebody with a tall greenhouse. Sometimes Municipal Collections with high glasshouses in parks etc will take them and sometimes firms for their entrance reception areas.

Yes if you do have a club in reasonable distance to you they are a good place to keep up your interest. I have been a member of our local cactus branch for 59 years and it's kept up my interest all that time.

You can find many local clubs and societies here for most countries:-

http://www.cactus-mall.com/clubs.html
User avatar
anttisepp
Posts: 1348
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2010 12:00 pm
Location: Suomi - Finland

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by anttisepp »

Nice comments :)
The deficience of place is other problem that probably will come very soon. :)
I like weekend early morning time when family is still sleeping and there's time to spent in greenhouse... :)
User avatar
Adobo86
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Adobo86 »

prickle wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 12:53 am i have been fascinated by cacti for as long as i can remember (visually), but it is only about a month since i first decided to actually grow some, and only about 2-3 weeks since i actually bought my first cactus ever.
now i have 8 already!!! 4 of them were bought by luck in one pot (was only 3 when i bought it :D ), but i will be repotting them to their own pots tomorrow which will give me a family of 8 in less than 3 weeks.

my daughter keeps laughing at me because i am spending hours and hours almost every day researching my cacti and how to best look after them. she says i am getting old, but i cant stop!! :D

i am not ashamed [-X
Hello Mr. Prickle and all the other addicts in this post! :D

I just saw this post of yours and I’m also worried that I might be addicted to Cacti. :-k That’s the main reason I joined this group. I actually started with couple of succulents and just one cactus which I had last 23rd April and I realised that the succulents (non cacti) doesn’t really speak much to me as compared to my spiny friends (cacti mostly and Euphorbias). I all had mine in just a span of days, one after the other. The first ones I got was from an old lady with a nursery at her backyard that sold her cacti and succulents to me at a cheaper price since she knew that I’m just a student. I am picky with how my cacti looks like but I always pity those that are slightly damage that’s why I also end up getting even the slightly damaged ones (with fungi for some, distorted or some with snail damage too). I already have total of 24 cacti when I happened to get my first ever expensive purchase from a local warehouse last 2nd of June and another one just the other day. #-o

Little did I know, today’s gonna be the craziest of all those days that I’ve purchased cacti as I was able to locate a local nursery/collector’s haven and spent $100 plus at a go... I’m like a 2 yr old kid inside a candy shop. Hehehe... ](*,) =D> :P

These are all the purchases I got and I am guessing that I’m gonna be coming back for more as I have lots listed in my Cacti and Euphorbia Wishlist... :mrgreen:
EA0E4C7F-555E-41C4-8E9F-CFC0BDC1A800.jpeg
EA0E4C7F-555E-41C4-8E9F-CFC0BDC1A800.jpeg (47.61 KiB) Viewed 2973 times
F260CCAA-0BFB-4F01-B78E-F0D5630C0E31.jpeg
F260CCAA-0BFB-4F01-B78E-F0D5630C0E31.jpeg (112.88 KiB) Viewed 2973 times
I tried telling my girlfriend and she told me that she’ll burn them when she sees them... Hahaha... I guess we’re all at the same page here. Lols.

On a side not, can anyone help me recognising this single cactus I bought without a specific name in it? It just says Lobivia but no one in the nursery was able to get its full name.

Thanks a lot!

This thread made me feel that I’m not alone in this craziness. If you call it like that... Hehehe...
EBBB1B22-F3CE-487E-94E2-BA89538057ED.jpeg
EBBB1B22-F3CE-487E-94E2-BA89538057ED.jpeg (44.56 KiB) Viewed 2973 times
7B3ACC01-7BE3-41E6-A06E-B9F8E4C09290.jpeg
7B3ACC01-7BE3-41E6-A06E-B9F8E4C09290.jpeg (85.81 KiB) Viewed 2973 times
40BA0631-8A38-49DF-9D83-3A0D76BAFD68.jpeg
40BA0631-8A38-49DF-9D83-3A0D76BAFD68.jpeg (90.9 KiB) Viewed 2973 times
Btw, I wasn’t able to take photos of the nursery/plant collector’s haven but these are photos I got online from their website...
0EA48079-A728-4C05-B8AC-C7A59F896C06.jpeg
0EA48079-A728-4C05-B8AC-C7A59F896C06.jpeg (100.19 KiB) Viewed 2973 times
968E7C67-CA44-4912-818C-063C8614E63C.jpeg
968E7C67-CA44-4912-818C-063C8614E63C.jpeg (109.8 KiB) Viewed 2973 times
Attachments
1B6535F8-83F7-41AC-A57E-5BB8DA190637.jpeg
1B6535F8-83F7-41AC-A57E-5BB8DA190637.jpeg (123.74 KiB) Viewed 2973 times
YOUR FRIENDLY NOOB CACTI GUY. :wink:
MELBOURNE: Hardiness Zone 10
Temperate Region - hots up December to February (summer), cools down March to May (autumn), chills out June to August (winter), and warms up again September to November (spring).
User avatar
Steve-0
Posts: 716
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 2:55 pm
Location: Salt Lake Valley, Utah...high mountain desert climate

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Steve-0 »

Well...I guess I've come to the right place.

Maybe someone should set up a Cactus Addiction Hotline @ 1-800-DONTBUYANOTHER1

And then a Cactus Addiction support group.

How about #CACTI = Cactus Addiction Can Treat Insanity?

My wife started my journey down the rabbit hole with a highly addictive eye candy specimen as a Father's Day Gift....which she "doesn't recall how much it cost". It is a nice golden specimen of the Genus Gatewayus

8-9 years later I had a couple more...maybe 4 total.

And then this year the symptoms spread like wildfire. I now have close to 50 plants!

I thought I was was doomed until I read recently that some on the forum have upwards of 900 cactus...WHAAAAAAT?!?!

Feeling much better now.
Attachments
THE ONE...that started it all. It's a Gateway Cactus.
THE ONE...that started it all. It's a Gateway Cactus.
IMAG2493_1.jpg (58.38 KiB) Viewed 2964 times
User avatar
Steve-0
Posts: 716
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 2:55 pm
Location: Salt Lake Valley, Utah...high mountain desert climate

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Steve-0 »

Good thing I don't have a fishing addiction! lol.
Attachments
Me, posing with an Alligator Gar, about to be released. This was a medium sized one.
Me, posing with an Alligator Gar, about to be released. This was a medium sized one.
P8160198.jpeg (56.31 KiB) Viewed 2964 times
User avatar
Adobo86
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Adobo86 »

I told my girlfriend about the new set of cacti that I bought and shown to her all the 36 cacti and some succulents I have while we were doing a video call and she just flare up and told me that I have to just choose 10 that I really want and get rid of the rest... And told me to take them out of my room... Poor cacti.

I hope she changes her views about them in the future and allow me to happily continue with it... :P #-o
YOUR FRIENDLY NOOB CACTI GUY. :wink:
MELBOURNE: Hardiness Zone 10
Temperate Region - hots up December to February (summer), cools down March to May (autumn), chills out June to August (winter), and warms up again September to November (spring).
User avatar
anttisepp
Posts: 1348
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2010 12:00 pm
Location: Suomi - Finland

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by anttisepp »

More cacti you have easier to hide new ones :D
User avatar
Steve-0
Posts: 716
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 2:55 pm
Location: Salt Lake Valley, Utah...high mountain desert climate

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Steve-0 »

Adobo86 wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 2:54 pm I told my girlfriend about the new set of cacti that I bought and shown to her all the 36 cacti and some succulents I have while we were doing a video call and she just flare up and told me that I have to just choose 10 that I really want and get rid of the rest... And told me to take them out of my room... Poor cacti.

I hope she changes her views about them in the future and allow me to happily continue with it... :P #-o
Over the internet ...this sounds harsh, IMO. I have a Mom and a wife...but neither try to be the other.

Like that fish in pic above ....there are lots more where it came from...just saying.

You've probably heard the punch line before..."I sure am going to miss her." lol...JK...your call.


While typing..."More cacti you have easier to hide new ones".... that's what I'm talking about...and mostly my approach...but then I say...."well, I guess the cactus can go and I'll take up Golf!" That's a "lightbulb" moment everytime.
User avatar
Aiko
Posts: 2369
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:26 pm
Location: the Netherlands

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Aiko »

Adobo86 wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 2:54 pm I told my girlfriend about the new set of cacti that I bought and shown to her all the 36 cacti and some succulents I have while we were doing a video call and she just flare up and told me that I have to just choose 10 that I really want and get rid of the rest... And told me to take them out of my room... Poor cacti.

I hope she changes her views about them in the future and allow me to happily continue with it... :P #-o
I am sure you can have a fair trade off. For every shoe she has you can have a cactus.
User avatar
Adobo86
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Adobo86 »

Aiko wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 3:17 pm
Adobo86 wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 2:54 pm I told my girlfriend about the new set of cacti that I bought and shown to her all the 36 cacti and some succulents I have while we were doing a video call and she just flare up and told me that I have to just choose 10 that I really want and get rid of the rest... And told me to take them out of my room... Poor cacti.

I hope she changes her views about them in the future and allow me to happily continue with it... :P #-o
I am sure you can have a fair trade off. For every shoe she has you can have a cactus.
Hahahaha... The thing is that my girlfriend doesn’t really fancy shoes, bags and clothing... She’s a very simple person. :-k :lol:

I’ll try my best to convince her... For now, I just told her that I’ll stop gathering more for now and just expand my collection when I have my own bigger space to house them in (small greenery just for my cacti).
YOUR FRIENDLY NOOB CACTI GUY. :wink:
MELBOURNE: Hardiness Zone 10
Temperate Region - hots up December to February (summer), cools down March to May (autumn), chills out June to August (winter), and warms up again September to November (spring).
User avatar
Adobo86
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: i think i am addicted

Post by Adobo86 »

Steve-0 wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 3:14 pm
Adobo86 wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 2:54 pm I told my girlfriend about the new set of cacti that I bought and shown to her all the 36 cacti and some succulents I have while we were doing a video call and she just flare up and told me that I have to just choose 10 that I really want and get rid of the rest... And told me to take them out of my room... Poor cacti.

I hope she changes her views about them in the future and allow me to happily continue with it... :P #-o
Over the internet ...this sounds harsh, IMO. I have a Mom and a wife...but neither try to be the other.

Like that fish in pic above ....there are lots more where it came from...just saying.

You've probably heard the punch line before..."I sure am going to miss her." lol...JK...your call.


While typing..."More cacti you have easier to hide new ones".... that's what I'm talking about...and mostly my approach...but then I say...."well, I guess the cactus can go and I'll take up Golf!" That's a "lightbulb" moment everytime.
I just told her that luckily I don’t have vices like smoking, getting drunk or doing drugs... It just so happened that I got hooked with cacti and it’s not a bad thing having plants. She just said, “it’s okay, but what I have now is too much.” Hahaha... #-o
YOUR FRIENDLY NOOB CACTI GUY. :wink:
MELBOURNE: Hardiness Zone 10
Temperate Region - hots up December to February (summer), cools down March to May (autumn), chills out June to August (winter), and warms up again September to November (spring).
Post Reply