Madagascar Climate

In the last articles, I mentioned about South Africa climate and here is about the Madagascar climate. I see that many cacti come from there orginially especially Pachypodium also I think this information should be helpful, too.

Madagascar has three main plateaus. The highest point on the island is the ridge of Androna, which is a volcano rising 9,439 feet. There are also three main river basins. The coastline is straight and has sand dunes and mangrove swamps on the southeastern side and estuaries and bays on the northwestern side.

Madagascar is an island off Africa's southeast coast. It is the fourth largest island in the world. It is in the Indian Ocean and is separated from Africa by the 500 mile wide Mozambique Channel.

There are really only two seasons in Madagascar: wet and dry. The hot, wet season lasts from November to April, and the cooler, drier season lasts from May to October. July is the coolest month, having temperatures between 54 and 77 F degrees (12-25 celsius). December is the hottest month with temperatures between 68 and 82 F degrees (20-27 celsius)

Plant Fertilizer Why does the plant need it?

In order for a plant to grow and thrive, it needs a number of different chemical elements. All plants need the same main nutrition for their growth. The most important are:

• Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - Available from air and water and therefore in plentiful supply


• Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (a.k.a. potash) - The three macronutrients and the three elements you find in most packaged fertilizers


• Sulfur, calcium, and magnesium - Secondary nutrients


• Boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc - Micronutrients The most important of these (the ones that are needed in the largest quantity by a plant) are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Every amino acid contains nitrogen.
Every molecule making up every cell's membrane contains phosphorous (the membrane molecules are called phospholipids), and so does every molecule of ATP (the main energy source of all cells).
Potassium makes up 1 percent to 2 percent of the weight of any plant and, as an ion in cells, is essential to metabolism. Without nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the plant simply cannot grow because it cannot make the pieces it needs. It's like a car factory running out of steel or a road crew running out of asphalt.

If any of the macronutrients are missing or hard to obtain from the soil, this will limit the growth rate for the plant. In nature, the nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium often come from the decay of plants that have died. In the case of nitrogen, the recycling of nitrogen from dead to living plants is often the only source of nitrogen in the soil.

To make plants grow faster, what you need to do is supply the elements that the plants need in readily available forms. That is the goal of fertilizer. Most fertilizers supply just nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium because the other chemicals are needed in much lower quantities and are generally available in most soils. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium availability is the big limit to growth.

The numbers on a bag of fertilizer tell you the percentages of available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium found in the bag. So 12-8-10 fertilizer has 12-percent nitrogen, 8-percent phosphorous and 10-percent potassium. In a 100-pound bag, therefore, 12 pounds is nitrogen, 8 pounds is phosphorous and 10 pounds is potassium. The other 70 pounds is known as ballast and has no value to the plants.

So why don't people need fertilizer to grow? Because we get everything we need from the plants we eat or from the meat of animals that ate plants. Plants are factories that do all of the work to process the basic elements of life and make them available to us.

Cactus Diseases

Although we take care of our cacti carefully, it is perfectly sure that our plant will not have any diseases. And when they happen, it will be a serious problem because it can cause the plant die if we don't know how to deal with the disease properly. Today I also give you information of some diseases that always see.




Bud drop: The premature dropping of flower buds. The cause of this problem is primarily environmental. Temperature fluctuation due to drafts is commonly seen as a cause. Bud drop can also be caused by the lack of or excess water and changing light levels. In Christmas cacti, a lack of potassium or an excess of nitrogen can also cause this problem. Sometimes buds fall off a cactus simply because the plant has too many blossoms. Rough handling or turning a plant also will cause buds to abort.It is important to maintain the care that a flowering cactus is used to when it is in bud. Resist moving your cactus to another site if it has buds or open flowers.

Corky scab: Brown, irregular spots developing in older parts of a stem. Most of the spots affect the epidermis of the plant only, so, damage is superficial and only affects the appearance of the plant. More severe or widespread attacks can destroy entire shoots or decrease flower production. Corky scab is normally the result of poor cultivation (i.e. overwatering, poor ventilation).To control, increase light exposure and decrease humidity. The prickly pear (Opuntia sp.) are particularly prone to corky scab.

Etiolation: The abnormal elongation of cactus stems due to insufficient light. Stems may be pale or yellow with unusual spine characteristics. Commonly seen in plants taken from a commercial nursery into a dimly-lit retail environment. This may also occur if a cactus is fertilized while in its normal Winter dormancy period.

To correct etiolation, move the cactus into stronger light. While this will prevent further etiolation, the spindly elongated section of stem will remain as proof of improper care. You may also choose to prune the etiolated stem back to the healthy part; this acts to promote the growth of 'perfectly-shaped' offshoots or stems that may be removed and re-planted.

Rot: Rot is caused by microorganisms: fungi and bacteria. It may affect the roots, stem, and/or the crown of the plant. Typically, the diseased tissue takes on a watery, slimy, soft, and blackened appearance. Damage often starts at the base of the plant and progresses to the top. Plants start to lean, then often collapse and die.

Overwatering, particularly in cold weather when cacti are dormant, is the chief cause of the problem. Cold temperature and plant wounds exasperate the problem.

In theory, rot in its early stages may be checked by moving plant to a dry, temperate environment. It has been our experience that once you spot rot it is already progressed past its early stages. If rot is above ground, cut out the diseased portion of the plant with a sharp knife and dust the wound with a fungicide. In many cases, the top of the plant appears healthy above a rotten base. This healthy top may be cut off, allowed to dry, and then re-rooted in a sandy medium. Remove and destroy infected plants and/or plant parts.

Proper cultural practices help to prevent rot. Sterilizing the potting media and placing a layer of gravel on top of the soil will kill or reduce bacterial damage. Water plants early in the day and avoid spreading disease by splashing water from one infected plant to a healthy plant. In Winter, the normal dormancy period for most cacti, water sparingly.

Sunburn: A change in the appearance in the plant due to too much exposure to the sun. The entire plant epidermis will turn a whitish, yellowish or reddish-brown color. In extreme cases, a
sunburned plant may become sensitive to other diseases.

As mentioned, this disease is caused by too much light exposure. Typically, this occurs when rapidly bringing plants used to artificial light into intense natural light. Epiphytic cacti and seedlings are especially sensitive to sunburn. To prevent, a cactus should be gradually introduced to more light over a period of time. Plants should be placed into the shade, then into partial sun, and finally into full sun; this process may take one month. If you notice signs of sunburn, move the plant temporarily back into the shade. Also, sunburn is exasperated by hot weather and lack of water, so, make sure the plant is properly watered.

South Africa Climate

As many cactus have origin in South Africa, their growth depends on the same weather according their root. The climate in South Africa is different from another part of the world. Therefore, it is good and useful to learn about it also we can know how to take care of our plant properly.

Climatic conditions generally range from Mediterranean in the southwestern corner of the country to temperate in the interior plateau, and subtropical in the northeast. A small area in the northwest has a desert climate. Most of the country has warm, sunny days and cool nights. Rainfall generally occurs during summer (November through March), although in the southwest, around the Cape of Good Hope, rainfall often occurs in winter (June through August). Temperatures are influenced by variations in elevation, terrain, and ocean currents more than latitude.

Temperature and rainfall patterns vary in response to the movement of a high-pressure belt that circles the globe between 25ฐ and 30ฐ south latitude during the winter and low-pressure systems that occur during summer. There is very little difference in average temperatures from south to north, however, in part because the inland plateau rises slightly in the northeast. For example, the average annual temperature in Cape Town is 17ฐC, and in Pretoria, 17.5ฐC, although these cities are separated by almost ten degrees of latitude. Maximum temperatures often exceed 32ฐC in the summer, and reach 38ฐC in some areas of the far north. The country's highest recorded temperatures, close to 48ฐC, have occurred in both the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga (formerly Eastern Transvaal).

Frost occurs in high altitudes during the winter months. The coldest temperatures have been recorded about 250 kilometers northeast of Cape Town, where the average annual minimum temperature is -6.1ฐC.

Climatic conditions vary noticeably between east and west, largely in response to the warm Agulhas ocean current, which sweeps southward along the Indian Ocean coastline in the east for several months of the year, and the cold Benguela current, which sweeps northward along the Atlantic Ocean coastline in the west. Air temperatures in Durban, on the Indian Ocean, average nearly 6ฐC warmer than temperatures at the same latitude on the Atlantic Ocean coast. The effects of these two currents can be seen even at the narrow peninsula of the Cape of Good Hope, where water temperatures average 4ฐC higher on the east side than on the west.

Rainfall varies considerably from west to east. In the northwest, annual rainfall often remains below 200 millimeters. Much of the eastern Highveld, in contrast, receives 500 millimeters to 900 millimeters of rainfall per year; occasionally, rainfall there exceeds 2,000 millimeters. A large area of the center of the country receives about 400 millimeters of rain, on average, and there are wide variations closer to the coast. The 400-millimeter "rainfall line" has been significant because land east of the rainfall line is generally suitable for growing crops, and land west of the rainfall line, only for livestock grazing or crop cultivation on irrigated land

Can Beer Make Plants Grow?

It's said that beer can be fertilizer for plant. Wow! It's so amazing but is it true??? According to Jeff Gillman, an associate professor in the Dept. of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota, he has done the scientific research himself. Beer does, however, get a four-flower recommendation as a slug killer, so long as the traps are set up not only to attract the slugs but to catch them as well. In the fertilizer department, eggshells are a five-flower solution, although they shouldn't be your only source of fertilizer. The author suggests four to five crumbled shells per plant, mixed into the soil around the plant, in the garden or in a pot.

Most of us are familiar with the practice of some gardeners who sprinkle today's used coffee grounds around their plants as additional fertilizer or as a soil acidifier. Dr. Gillman indicates that, to have any impact on the plants, the coffee grounds must be incorporated into the soil. Further, he says, not every plant benefits from the addition of coffee grounds; lettuce benefits quite a lot, while tomatoes do not. There are better soil acidifiers.

One theory around since the early 1900s suggests that it is beneficial for good pot drainage to have a layer of gravel covering the bottom of the container. To my surprise, Dr. Gillman illustrates how this practice actually increases the amount of water in the growing medium above the gravel, as well as hindering the movement of water from the top of the container through the gravel and out of the pot. His advice is to use a good-draining medium in the entire pot, adding perlite if you think it necessary to have even better drainage.

The practice of using dish soap to control insects has been around since the 1700s. He even cites a recipe for a mixture of urine and soap from the early 1800s for getting rid of aphids on melons. Dish soap is thought by many gardeners to be effective in washing off the waxy covering of insect bodies at a fraction of the cost of commercial insecticidal soaps. Unfortunately, the commercial insecticidal soaps have been specially formulated to protect the waxy cuticle of the plant; dish soap has not, and can cause wax removal, leading to loss of water, leaf scorch, and death of the plant. The author's conclusion is that, without first testing your dish soap on plants you are willing to sacrifice, you are playing Russian roulette; moreover, today, more and more soaps are antibacterial and even more harmful for plants than the old-fashioned variety. This is certainly an instance when the extra money spent on a commercial product is money well spent.
By Madeline Wajda

Container and Small Space Gardening

You can make your small gardening space or container come alive with an almost endless array of blooming plants. Sun or shade, or part of both, an in-ground garden, small or large containers, you can have it all!

For in-ground small space gardens: starting from scratch? Take things slowly in the beginning. Try to plan on paper and walk your garden space, perhaps laying down a hose(or two) to identify the size and shape you want, then use rocks, tools or empty pots to mark spaces where plants, shrubs or possibly a specimen tree will be placed. Remember to consider the size of the plant when it matures.

First consider the size of the garden you have to work with and try to resist the temptation to go out on May 1st and buy 22 plants then find out you can only use 15! Secondly, consider the orientation – does you garden space receive full sun, part sun, afternoon sun, part shade, all shade? Next week's article will contain a list of plants for all orientations. Third, consider your soil. If you're using a soil test kit at the Ag Center (670 Old Harrisburg Road, Suite 204, Gettysburg, Phone: 334-6271) and the results will tell you what it may need before you plant in it. Generally speaking, if you have a clay soil, you will need to add amendments like compost and other organic matter like peat. Is your soil sandy? Does water run right through it? You need amendments such as peat moss, manures, compost or organic matter. Using the stryrofoam makes the planter less heavy and easily moveable.

Container: your plant choices are much greater with container gardening. Too much sun? Just move the container. The great advantage of container gardening is Mobility. And just think – you can use one or more containers to hide some unsightly feature in your space such as a utility meter in the ground.

Cactus Show - Sale in Connecticut

Hello! I've not updated my blog for a while because I had to finish my project in the last week and now I'm free!!!!

Now, the spring is coming and that's a very good time for planting and gardening. Meanwhile, there will be sales and garden shows.

I just read a Horticulture magazine and found an interesting show for Cactus and Succulent: Connecticut Cactus & Succulent Society23nd Annual Show & Sale on 31 March - 1 April (Saturday & Sunday) It is created by In the fair, there will be auction and show of cactus, succulent, bonsai, haworthia and etc. Addimission is FREE and first 50 family on each day will get free plant. You can find more information from its website: www.ctcactusclub.com