Saw this at Home Depot, the black stuff is a spongy tar that's sealed over the surface of the pot. It's totally impenetrable and if you push down on it you can feel the spongy peating soil underneath. There is a hole in the bottom so I guess the only way to water it is through the tray, but it doesn't look like the cacti like this arrangement.
The one cacti I bought from them was locked in a peat brick. It was vascularly damaged nearly half way up it's body. I broke it free and it seems to be reversing. But all their cacti are pretty much dying like these are.
I've bought one or two of these arrangements before, except the ones I got had a layer of varnished/epoxy covered gravel on the top. I removed the gravel layer and separated the plants out to individual pots. They're all doing quite nicely now and you'd hardly knew they came from something like that.
-Dan
Happy growing!
There is always one more glochid. Somewhere. My C&S blog
Seems kind of amazing how these nurseries are doing this though, they must know better right? Or is it just that they only raise them to a certain point before the poor soil and weird coverings start killing it?
CactusFanDan wrote:I've bought one or two of these arrangements before, except the ones I got had a layer of varnished/epoxy covered gravel on the top. I removed the gravel layer and separated the plants out to individual pots. They're all doing quite nicely now and you'd hardly knew they came from something like that.
Yup my hubby got me a pot with several in it once that had the same varnished/glued gravel in it had a heck of a time getting um outa the pot and seperated once repotted they are doing great. Told hubby never do that again he said "but hun i know you can take better care of them and they just called me out saying take me home NOW."
A rescue dog is never to old to learn to be a real dog.
coldcactusmontreal wrote:Seems kind of amazing how these nurseries are doing this though, they must know better right? Or is it just that they only raise them to a certain point before the poor soil and weird coverings start killing it?
It is a business not a hobby to them. If they can make money doing it they will. As someone else mentioned the idea is along the lines of it being a temporary display much like a Poinsettia. Anyone wanting to grow them long term couldn't keep them in that pot for too long anyway as the plants will get too big. Home Depot has a good return policy so I'd take it back to them and get a refund.
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
I guess so but sometimes I wonder how much more money they're making by doing it so wrong. I guess this display has some curb appeal to some people. But I think people who like plants _in_general_ would be turned off by this sort of thing. But I guess they're not trying to appeal to that. And as for soil is it that much cheaper to use the crap they use?
Bulk production methods make it more important to use a cheaper mix. If they can save even 1 penny per pot, then that'll be thousands of pounds saved in total. And to make a good quality soil mix for cacti it is a lot more expensive than using a soil mix which is adequate, but not ideal. Even a high quality compost is very cheap. One quote I found through a quick search came to 8p per litre. And for perlite? 25p per litre. So it's way cheaper to base your soil mix off of a compost or peat. And the plants will grow okay for the first year or two, then they get shipped out to garden centres or box stores to be sold. Then they don't care, as long as money has changed hands.
-Dan
Happy growing!
There is always one more glochid. Somewhere. My C&S blog
coldcactusmontreal wrote:Seems kind of amazing how these nurseries are doing this though, they must know better right? Or is it just that they only raise them to a certain point before the poor soil and weird coverings start killing it?
It is a business not a hobby to them. If they can make money doing it they will. As someone else mentioned the idea is along the lines of it being a temporary display much like a Poinsettia. Anyone wanting to grow them long term couldn't keep them in that pot for too long anyway as the plants will get too big. Home Depot has a good return policy so I'd take it back to them and get a refund.
Ironic you mentioned poinsetitia.. I have two of them that survived.. One I got from the DBG, from their holiday display that was neglected at the school for more than a year. IT was dry as a bone, but I watered it and one day the teacher was like take it home with you. lol So I did. It's still a live. People don't water them and they die.. (right now both of them are growing like crazy and green.. )
Here's to you, all you insidious creatures of green..er I mean cacti.
I would guess it is more a transport ruse. They will get more bowls intact without loosing their contents to the retailer and the retailer will have less mishaps with bowls tipping over and un-potting the plants if they are stuck down. As is often said they are usually just bought as ornaments or presents for people and often finish in the bin after a few weeks, even if the plants do survive and thrive. To many recipients they are the equivalent of cut flowers to be enjoyed for a week or two then dumped when they are in the way or get dusty.
Even worse is when people treat animals in a similar manner, buying a puppy for their kids at Christmas and then when it proves a nuisance or too much trouble to look after, abandoning it in the New Year.
once repotted they are doing great. Told hubby never do that again he said "but hun i know you can take better care of them and they just called me out saying take me home NOW." 
