Alvares, Rahul; Natural history -- India -- Anecdotes
All through the three days I was assigned simple jobs like watching
over the plants in the main hall, watering the plants, carrying pots
and furniture around, handling the sales of the Green Heritage
booklets, and so on. And with Alexyz around each task was great fun.
On the last day, there was the prize distribution ceremony. I was proud
and happy to receive a special certificate for having assisted in the
Green Heritage Festival. As the fair came to an end the organisers all
felt that it was yet another successful event. I was happy to have been
a part of it. But the fun was not yet over for we all had a barbecue
dinner that evening that lasted well into the early hours of the
morning. We slept only briefly for there remained the final task of
returning the pot exhibits to their respective owners. This we
commenced early next morning.
I had enjoyed my work at the Green Heritage and my stay at Alexyz's
house. I was indeed sad when it all ended. I rested the next day at
Alexyz's house and on the 18th morning, left for home.
Field Work Notes:
Growing Cacti At Home
Cacti are plants suited to the desert and we must keep this factor in
mind always when growing ornamental cacti in our gardens, for it helps
in the survival of the plant. For example, a cactus should never be
watered over its body as it will start to rot. This is because it is
covered with a waxy coating which prevents water loss through
evaporation. When one waters the cactus over its body, the waxy coating
is washed away and the plant begins to rot. The amount of water that
you must supply to the cactus is very much dependent upon the season
and upon the climate of the place. During the summer season one should
water cacti every four days whereas in the rainy season once every
fifteen days is quite enough.
Cacti need a minimum of two and a half hours of sunlight per day.
However they should not be kept all day in the sun because they may
wrinkle in too much of bright sunlight. Unlike other plants cacti
produce carbon dioxide during the day and oxygen during the night.
Hence, they are ideal plants to be kept in bedrooms to freshen up the
air at night.
If the cactus plant is to thrive and prosper, the size of the pot in
which it is grown has to be carefully monitored. The pot should always
be a little smaller than the plant itself because it is only when the
plant has to struggle to survive that it will thrive. If the pot is too
spacious the struggle element is removed and the chances are that the
cactus will die. Cacti are like human beings. When they suffer they
will grow. Similarly if a cactus shows no signs of growth, stop the
watering. It should be resumed only when the plant resumes growth.
The substrata of a cactus pot is ideally composed of pieces of broken
bricks at the bottom, charcoal above it, then coarse sand and pebbles
above it. Leaf mould is the best manure.
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