Sunday, April 27, 2014

FLOWERING CACTI

Each year, in April, two of my cactus plants bloom. This is the only time they have flowers and I love them because they are so vibrant and showy. I keep my cacti in a greenhouse window in my bathroom. A greenhouse window is not flat like a regular window. It is like a box that juts out. My window faces south so it gets great sunlight all day long.




Cacti do not need to be watered as often as regular plants. They can often go without water for two weeks! Did you now there are more than 2,000 varieties of cacti? And cactus spines are actually the cactus's leaves!
It is really difficult to get cacti to bloom indoors, mostly because they need intense, long periods of sunlight. Another reason is that some cacti grow slowly and won't mature for decades.

This is true of the very hairy old man cactus, which is native to Mexico. I have one of these too, but will probably never see its whitish-yellowish flower. It takes 20 years before they flower and they usually flower only when they are outdoors. But that's okay, it's messy, carefree hairstyle is flower enough for me!
I'm not sure of my cacti varieties, but I'm researching it and think that perhaps the one above is a pincushion cactus, while the one on the right is still a mystery to me. It's funny that they both have shocking pink blooms.
I really like the green fingers that protrude from the center of this flower.



20 comments:

Tasfiya Kashem said...

Hey Ms. Seitz. This post really caught my eye. I just love the blooming pink flowers on the cacti! They look beautiful! I never knew that cactus plants grew flowers, I only thought they stayed prickly all the time. :) Again, the cacti look amazing with the blooming flowers. I never knew that the box windows were called greenhouse windows, but I have seen them before. The hairy cactus looks so cool! The "carefree hair" on it looks so soft, that I wanna touch it. But then, I would get pricked by the cactus plant. What I thought was really interesting was the fact that some cacti matured in DECADES. I never knew it took that long! You're very lucky to have them. Where did you get your cacti, and how long did you have it, Ms. Seitz?

Also, I did some research on the Brooklyn Grange and learned that it is a 1 acre rooftop farm. That reminds me, do you remember how you wrote about a rooftop farm on the blog a long time ago, like a few years back?? If you remember which post I'm talking about, is the farm on that post the Brooklyn Grange? Grange reminds me about the book we are reading in class, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It reminds me about that book because there is a character in it, a white man named Harlan Granger who owns a lot of land which African Americans sharecrop on. The book takes place in 1933. Well, I gotta go now. It's getting late and tomorrow's school. See you Wednesday! Can't wait! :)

Tasfiya Kashem said...

P.S. I researched and found out that some cacti grow fruits. Also, Ms. Friedman had the Cornell feeders on and we saw so many Red Winged Blackbirds! I know they are also in Prospect Park but I never saw them before. And sorry I couldn't make it to UNC today! I'll come next time. I had to call at like 2:30 but my mom was already driving to school. And she has a major ear ache so she couldn't go back. :(

Ms. Seitz said...

That's okay Tasifya. We planted some herbs and spinach and then collected wild violets...which are edible. As far as my cactus, I get them during my travels to plants stores, botanic gardens, and sometimes even Home Depot or Lowes! I'm not sure how long I've had them, but I'd say at least five years for some of them.

Tasfiya Kashem said...

Guess what? Red Tailed Hawk Egg Number Two hatched!! The third egg is pipping, so nestling number 3 may hatch today!! There's a video of the first two eggs hatching! The little guys are the most adorable little hawks ever! They have such fuzzy white bodies, and the first one kept opening its beak in cries of hunger, while Big Red tucked the third egg under her body tighter. The first and second egg hatched on the same day, except that the first hatched very early in the morning while the second hatched during the day. Things are getting very exciting..... :)

Also, I knew that you could buy plants at Home Depot and Lowe's but I never thought about finding cacti there! When I saw pictures pf fruit on cactus on the internet, they looked like fat red peppers, but shorter. Anyways, I'm watching three cams at once now: Cornell Feeders, Red Tailed Hawks, and the Albatrosses. I love watching the red winged blackbirds on the feeders. I've mostly been seeing red winged blackbirds and mourning doves only. But it's so cool to watch them, I could stare at the cams all day long. :)

Tasfiya Kashem said...

UPDATE: Red Tailed Hawk egg number 3 hatched today! :)

Sarah Awan said...

Hi Ms. Seitz!Due to a positive environment and fresh care my Mexican sun flower is growing as a happy,..well Mexican sunflower.I added it to my window sill and i love watching it grow.20 years to grow a flower?OMG!Tell everyone that good luck in the math test.Too bad the trip on Wednesday was cancelled,oh and can we have another karaoke day!It was a great idea.

Ms. Seitz said...

Sarah - We are going to regroup and go to Brooklyn Grange on June 2. I will hand out new permission slips on Monday. I'm so glad your Mexican Sunflower is doing so well. How many leaves does it have now?

Tasifya: Yes, we are doing the trip to see horseshoe crabs on May 16. Whoo-hoo!

Tasfiya Kashem said...

Hey, Ms. Seitz. Again, I'm super excited for the horshoe crab trip!! I remember one of your really old posts that you did about the horseshoe crabs when you went there with your family. I remember seeing a pic of you holding a crab. I'm so glad all the tests are over! No more worries! :) I'm like obsessed with doing crayon doodles at home. I have a couple of them that I did with my 64 crayon pack. I like crayon doodles, cause they are so abstract. I started today and have about 6 or 7 so far. Also, I'm getting really excited and a bit nervous knowing that middle school results will be coming soon!

Sarah Awan said...

Hi Ms.Seitz!SO SORRY I did not visit the blog.Ms.Friedman started the bird lessons she promised!I am starting to like birds.Today she showed us the bird cam of Big Red and Ezra.The babies are so cute.I was watching just now and Big Red was feeding the babies.Their fuzzy snow white heads are so adorable!I counted the leaves on my Mexican Sunflower and there are 27 including the little ones.My brother sprayed the air freshener called Glade on my plant because he wanted it to smell 'good'!I am mad at him because now the leaves are curling and the leaves are drooping.I am so sad.I was anxious to watch my very own plant bloom and grow.To think I never will.At least my brother had a positive intention.I think.I'm still mad at him though.Ms.Friedman said we will go on a little bird watching trip this Friday.I can't wait!!!Bye!!

Tasfiya Kashem said...

Watching the hawk chicks..... they're napping, it's so adorable! :)

Ms. Seitz said...

Hi girls. I'm glad the tests are over for you too....I still have the fourth grade science test to give! I hope everyone was happy with their middle school acceptance letters.
I also have been watching Big Red and Ezra and agree that the chicks are sooooo cute. The blue herons are going to start to build their nest soon. They were recently spotted being romantic so that's the next step. And Sarah, I can't believe your brother sprayed the plant with air freshener. I was so excited when you said the plant had 27 leaves, but then was sad that the leaves have drooped. Maybe it will still come back. And we can always plant another plant. How about a nasturium? See you Friday.

Sanjida I Afrose said...

ms seitz did you see the rain today it was amazing! i took alot of pictures. sorry i didnt message you in an while because things are boring not much to talk about. oh yeah from the plant sale my young brother bought some marigolds and there are some buds on the plant with the flowers. and i am growing them cant wait til the horse shoe crabs i hope it perfect timing after learning so much about horse shoe crabs and red knots im very excited also we learned alot about crows i have other things to say but my fingers are tired and hurting from type (this is like my 2nd time writing a long comment i think.) :)

Ms. Seitz said...

Yes Sanjida. I did see the rain. I was actually at a wedding when it was coming down. It didn't spoil anything though. And I am also looking forward to the horseshoe crab trip! Let's hope for good weather.

Sarah Awan said...

Hi Ms.Seitz!I am so happy that my plant is growing back!I am gonna write a letter to home depot to make the school look more pretty.On Mother's day I went with my brother and my mom to the Staten Island Mall.I bought her a cake, I made breakfast for her, I bought flowers for her and I bought her a Micheal Kors hand bag.She was so happy.That made me happy.Happy really really late mother's day!!!!!!!!!!We saw a yellow warbler out the window while we were listening to a presentation.It is so cute!Bye!!!

Ms. Seitz said...

You saw the yellow warbler outside what window Sarah? That is quite exciting. I am so worried about Friday's weather for the horseshoe crab trip. It sounds like rain all day. Yuck! Maybe it can be rescheduled, but again, maybe the rain will stay away.

Sarah Awan said...

Hi Ms.Seitz!I saw the Yellow Warbler out the right window.Tasfiya spotted it first because she sits in front of the the window.She yelled,"Bird!!!!"Every one crowded the window.We took turns real quick but we each got a turn.I am so sad we can not go on the trip tomorrow.I heard you rescheduled it.Yay!!See you on Friday!!

Tasfiya Kashem said...

Hey, Ms. Seitz. Sorry I haven't responded in a while. I wish the trip wasn't cancelled tomorrow. :( It was nice seeing the yellow warbler, but it was hopping around really quickly. I heard the song first, before I spotted it. I actually wanted to yell, but didn't want to be rude while somebody was presenting their social studies project. Afterwards, I loudly whispered to Ms. Friedman, "There's a bird singing its song outside the window!" We started looking for more motion and Ms. Friedman identified it as the yellow warbler. Anyways, I hope we get to see the horseshoe crabs on June 16! Ms. Friedman said you two rescheduled it for that day. The suckish part is that they will come out most at 12:30 that day, and we would have to get back to school quickly by 1:15. And that it takes an hour, so we don't have much time. I know the times because Ms. Friedman showed the whole class the note you guys sent when rescheduling. Well, see you tomorrow in class! Bye! :)

Sarah Awan said...

Hi Ms.Seitz!Thanks for the advice on how to write faster when you are taking an interview.I am gonna use that method on Monday when I have arranged a interview with Ms.Fiden about the Gallery Night.Is there anything interesting that you are doing over the weekend?I just came back from Staten Island Mall.Have you ever been there?The best thing about the mall is that you can smell a delicious popcorn.I had a small bag of that popcorn.It is called DocPopcorn.I love it.It tastes so good.My Dad bought me Puma shoes from there.Now I am back.After some rest my Family and I are going to Prospect park for a walk.I'm gonna watch out for birds.So far my favorite bird is the Red-Winged Black Bird.I really love the red and orange feathers on a black background.It really pops out.Especially when it opens its wings.We saw one when we were going birding.We also saw Cardinals and much more.We saw plenty of Robins.Ms.Friedman told us that the Red-Winged Black Birds like to stay near the water.So I will go near the pond.Bye!!!

Ms. Seitz said...

Good luck with your interview Sarah, and yes, I have been to the SI Mall, only it's been a long time. I went out for a special dinner tonight at a really nice restaurant called The River Cafe. It's in Brooklyn on the water. Very very nice.

And I'm sorry the horseshoe crab trip didn't work out Tasifya. I was very disappointed too. See you soon!

Anonymous said...

Ms.Seitz I found a baby bird that couldnt fly I picked it up and put it in my yard its fun to watch it hop around its nearly grown up now. when should I let it go?By the way im MatthewMa.