If you read my last blog post you know I recently purchased a succulent. I have only watered it twice since I transferred it to a glass container. I’m trying not to be overly fussy with it. Everything I’ve read says that these plants really don’t need or want that much TLC.
I have come across a few articles that recommend placing activated charcoal in the succulent’s container. Apparently this is supposed to act as some sort of filter. Of course I’ve also read that moss does the same thing and I’ve already taken care of that. I have also read that it’s important to get succulent plant food. I haven’t done that yet. Quite frankly my plant seems to be doing pretty well, so I am almost afraid to mess with it too much.
Expanding My Garden
Encouraged by the progress of this first plant, I decided to take a chance on creating a small, open terrarium. I’ve seen so many beautiful images of others’ terrariums that I really wanted to try to create one of my own. So I went to Lowe’s to look over their selection of plants. There were a lot of cactuses to choose from and a decent selection of succulents. I didn’t see any brightly colored ones but I’m hoping those will become available once the weather warms up a bit more.
Looking over the various options that Lowe’s had to offer, I found several reasonably priced plants. The most I spent on any one plant was about $4. The cheapest? $1! Yes $1 plants! They were on clearance and appeared to still be in excellent shape! I bought 3 of these. I mean, what did I really have to lose? I bought 2 at around $4. So overall, I got 5 plants for about $11. And this time I remembered to snap a picture of the names of the plants before I transferred them to another container!
Bargain Buys
One of the plants I bought on clearance is called Lithops or Stone Faces. This plant felt a little unstable and wobbly both before and after I transferred it to another container. I don’t know if this has something to do with the roots, or if it is even normal. I haven’t done the research yet. The good news is that this plant’s condition hasn’t gotten worse in the short time I have had it. I’m taking that as a good sign.
Another one of my clearance plants is called Pachyveria Royal Flush. I have high hopes for this little guy. As soon as I put this one in the windowsill it perked up. Transferring it to another container only seems to have improved its appearance. I can’t tell that it has grown any, but it has only been a few days. (I never said I was patient).
$1 also bought me a succulent called Echeveria Chroma Hybrid. This one has a few banged up leaves, but it doesn’t appear to be too far gone. Like the Stone Faces succulent its condition hasn’t deteriorated, so I’m hopeful.
I’m thinking that these clearance plants might especially benefit from some succulent food, so I plan on purchasing some soon. Once I do I’ll post an update on their progress.
Worth the Extra Bucks?
I bought a Split Rock succulent at regular price. I thought it would be a nice complement to the Stone Faces plant. As you can see, this succulent has thick, hardy leaves. It doesn’t appear to be much healthier than the plants I purchased on clearance, but still an inexpensive find.
Buyer Beware
I’m less thrilled about my other regular priced purchase. I felt I needed a colorful plant to make my terrarium pop a little so I decided to pick out a cactus. Let me preface this by saying that these plants were stored in terrible lighting. Had it not been I definitely would have picked out a different one.
The cactus I purchased is called a Blue Barrel Cactus. Now, there is nothing wrong with the actual plant. It seems perfectly healthy. However, the main reason I chose this particular cactus was for its pretty purple flower. That was a BIG mistake!
Once I got my plants home I noticed something strange underneath the flower on my barrel cactus. It looked a lot like glue, but why would there be glue on a live plant? The plant’s label provided two clues – the words “Blue Barrel Cactus” and “Straw Flower.”
I first looked up Blue Barrel Cactus, which really didn’t offer up any plausible explanation for my plant having a glue-like substance on it. Straw Flower, on the other hand, produced infuriating results.
Apparently it is common practice, particularly in chain stores, for cactuses to have straw flowers glued to them. Though some cactuses actually do produce flowers, these straw flowers are fake. Presumably they are put there to make the plant a more attractive buy – mission accomplished.
Research straw flower cactuses and you’ll find numerous accounts of disgruntled customers who have also been fooled by this marketing ploy. Luckily the “flower” came off pretty easily, though there are still remnants of it on my plant. The bulk, however, ended up in the trash.
Keep an eye out for my next post where I’ll be taking you through the process of putting together my first terrarium.
What about you, do you have any tips for selecting quality succulents or cactuses? Have you ever regretfully purchased a straw flower cactus?