| Get a Cactus Plant for Your Office |
Master gardener Maureen Gilmer, host of Weekend Gardening, explains why the cactus is a great plant to have around the house or at the office.
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By Maureen Gilmer
Jan. 14, 2008 — "I consider it the highest compliment when my employees go out and start their own companies in competition with me. I always send them a plant to wish them well. Of course, it's a cactus." — Norm Brodsky Norm Brodsky, the business guru for Inc. Magazine, has failed to realize that a cactus is the symbol of triumph over adversity. These plants by their very prickly nature exemplify the ability to adapt and change, just as business must flex with the ebb and flow of markets. In fact, the cactus should become the botanical mascot of American business because it reflects the daily challenges of a free-enterprise system. A living cactus on every office desk is a great way to acknowledge the duality of our work. On one hand, we are forced to arm ourselves for competition and negotiation. On the other, we have the opportunity to use our company to better the world. Ferocious yet elegant, rugged but exquisite, this universal balance is as important in the workaday world as it is in the evolution of a cactus. It's easy to become a corporate cactus cultivator if you know a bit more about these unique plants. They are all succulents, which are species that contain specialized cells that hold water for a long time. Ordinary plants can't store water this way and are thus more dependent on consistent groundwater to keep them hydrated. They need extensive root systems to hunt and absorb the water. Cacti produce rather small, shallow root systems just inches beneath the ground. There they suck up rainwater the moment it falls to earth. This ability to take up moisture faster than ordinary plants is their key to survival in excessively dry climates. It also means that you don't need a big pot for cactus plant roots. Succulents are vulnerable to one thing — rot. Once waterborne bacteria or fungus enters these interior tissues, the rot spreads uncontrollably. In the wild, cacti prefer porous gravelly or sandy soils that water passes through quickly. Very little is left in contact with the succulent roots. Success with cacti depends on soil porosity in your pot. Fast or express drainage practically ensures that you'll never over-water this plant. That is, of course, if you don't let water sit in the saucer for more than five minutes. It's best to keep your cactus in a lightweight plastic nursery pot. Slide this into a decorative metal or ceramic pot with no drain hole. These are known as cachepots. To water your cactus, remove the plastic pot from the cachepot, give it a good soaking and then allow to drain thoroughly. Only when it's no longer dripping should you return it to its cachepot to prevent any moisture accumulation in the bottom. Cacti ship better than any other plants besides bulbs and seeds. That makes them a great buy online. In recent years, cactus collectors have discovered eBay and are selling their extra plants online. Many cactophiles are opening eBay stores. The diversity is great, and the good color in photos of the plants makes it easier to buy than at many independent cactus sellers with freestanding e-commerce cactus nurseries. At eBay, check out Exotic Cactus Collection, where they are featuring hundreds of species, many of them in bloom. This is an important feature to distinguish groups such as the Mammilarias that produce a crown of very small blossoms. Generally speaking, the higher the price for these standard three-inch pot-size plants, the more rare the species. Corporate cacti are a great way to bring nature into the sterile environment of the office without moisture risk to computers and electronic devices. They'll thrive on minimal window light, under fluorescent lights or under a full-spectrum desk-lamp bulb. Let this little gift of nature remind you that the Brodskys of this world don't always get it right. (Maureen Gilmer is a horticulturist and host of Weekend Gardening. E-mail her at mo@moplants.com. For more information, visit: www.moplants.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.) | Get DIY On Your TV. Just follow the instructions to see if DIY Network is available through your cable or satellite provider. |
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