Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Rick Rack Cactus, 0 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
RUK,,
Thank you for linking this post on "Tropicals" from my original one on the "Orchid Cactus" Forum. Actually, my post started out on another Forum (maybe Houseplants???) but got moved tot he Orchid Cactus Forum by Daves Adm. I am glad it did. Much more appropriate.

Betty (Picabo),

I use dry Kelp Meal in everything when I first pot it up. Learned that YEARS ago! I also water in all newly planted annyals and perennials in the Spring with liquid Sea Weed. Both help immensly in root-development. These products can be found in large Farm Supply stores and sometimes in independent nyrseries. NEVER in any BIG BOX stores!

If you cannot find it, Carroll Gardens here in Maryland has a huge mail-order business and they carry all of the "unusual" stuff. It is owned by Allan Summers--our local Gardening Guru. Just go to carrollgardens.com . I am sure you can find your way to where to order by following all the links. You can also sign up for the FREE weekly newsletter. Lots of good information in there.

Kachinagirl,

I coppied out the picture of your blooming Rick-Rack cactus. It is amazing! Looking at it, it seems that a lot of the blooms are coming from the skinny ends.............and I cut all mine off this Spring because I always thought they were ugly!!! :-( I AM rooting them all and they are all growing.....I will be happy to share some. I have a bunch of these from this year and I still have 3 pots left from last years rooting. They are growing well. If you are interested, send me a d-mail.

Everywhere I have read that the Rick-Rack is not easy to bloom.
I will try the banana peels. Years ago I read that they can also be cut in pieces and put in the "vase" of a Bromiliad as fertilized. They are just hard to get out when they have turned to black mush.

Lets keep up this sharing on information on this plant, OK? I will definitely watch this thread!

here is the "Mama" doing SO well this Summer. This is the one I trimmed and am also watering it more. The other one is my Hoya Carnosa (see the flower???). Yesterday I fertilized it with some Fish Emusion and Epsom Salts--just because I was doing that to all my Brugs and flowering pots.

My yard ends where the split-rail fence is. The Brug you see is a Rosamond. BIG! No buds yet....The house is my back-yard neighbors.