Progating aloe and saving cacti aka KC has no idea what she's doing but watch her try!

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(Edited)

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So, I have been neglecting an aloe plant for the past few years, but she's pretty forgiving. She produced a lot of pups and it seemed to be crowding her pot, so I went and bought some new pots. Then I pulled the pups and went and bought some more because she produced a lot of pups. I will still probably be repotting some of these aloe again in the future. I still dont know for sure if this is true aloe vera or the aloe vera chinensis type, both look similar and have medicinal properties. Chinensis is edible, by the way. I believe what I have is Chinensis, but if anyone can tell please let me know.

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So I let the pups sit out for 24 hours before replanting them, they were green and perky, then a few days later this happens...

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I know browning is going to happen when they get progated, but these are too dark, what is going on? I consulted the internet and came to two conclusions. Too much water or too much sun. So, the photo up there was taken directly after I decided to move them into the shade. Withheld water. Five days later, these are the propgated aloe.

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Clearly burnt from the sun(oops), but lighter than before and recovering. I almost killed the aloe babies by accident. Now that they're greening up and I will be growing them some before passing them along to other people who need some aloe in their lives.

So lesson learned, don't leave propagated aloe in the sun.

My cactus rotted
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My sea urchin cactus (Echinopsis, also known as hedgehog cacti) have been in a downward spiral in the last few years and rot became more apparent over time at the base of the cacti. No pretty pink cacti flowers in two years, I made a move to throw my babies out, but wait...the cacti were clearly heavy and still alive. So I repotted two that looked unrotted and cut the rot from the other cacti and placed them on top of the soil. Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best!

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18 comments
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Fingers crossed for the cactus! Would be a shame to lose such beautiful flower.
Make sure you don't water it until it starts to grow roots.
Fingers crossed :)

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Yes! No water, I also put honey on them to encourage them to root. I will have an update soon, I'm hopeful that they'll make it, as I may have to cut the other two! Thank you!

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Oh I never heard about the honey trick!
You put it on the cut wound?
Please tag me when you post an update. I am curious to see how they are doing :)

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Yes, on the cut wound. It's thought to be a root stimulator, like root growth powder.

I'll make sure to do that!

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Do you let the wound dry out first?
I am curious to try it when I have a chance.

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Yes, you dry like normal, then dip (or I like to get a spoon and spread) in honey, then place in dirt. You have to make sure that you're using raw honey, because sometimes honey we purchase from stores can have added sugar and water in it, that isn't what you want for the cactus.

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Okay thank you!
I always try to buy honey locally from honey people. Shop honey doesn't even tastes the same.

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In the cannabis world, many growers use aloe gel in the way you used honey on your aloe. Aloe gel stimulates root growth and healing. It's funny that aloe would need something (like bee spit) to heal, given that it's used to heal other plants and animals! :D

Also, congrats on the large payouts you've received so far! That's incredible. You're at level 50. To reach 50 and make the amount of income you've made in just your first 3 posts, it took me over a year of posting full time, documentaries and full length edited videos and photo albums, research articles, garden updates, activism reports, memes, and so on. Hopefully your good luck will hold because what you've witnesses thus far is atypical. At least you got a warm welcome!!

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Honey has also antifungal and healing properties for succlents, cacti, and get this, rose cuttings on top of root growth stimulation. Like aloe gel, certain types of honey(and beeswax) also have medicinal and health properties for humans. Funny how a byproduct and a plant have such similar properties.

I came into this with very few expectations with some enthusiasm from a friend and a need for a stress outlet. I honestly love writing and it very much didn't start out as a side hobby(started as a journalism major)but it's kind of where life led. With resources(like a good camera), I could probably make better quality content, but this is an interesting adventure. It does feel validating of things I wanted to do, so I do hope it holds out, but regardless it is fun and an interesting learning curve. I need all the hive training I can get! Thank you!

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Heheh yeah I have a strange relationship with honey. I've always loved it, but when I found out it was insect puke I felt weird about it. Then I decided I was okay with it again, learned it had some vitamins and health benefits, etc. Then I went vegan, but not dogmatic vegan (like avoiding pearls and stuff), just vegan for the animals (I don't want to cause harm to sentient beings). I decided that bees are not sentient. They're similar to mosquitoes and bedbugs in terms of intelligence, and I'd gladly kill those on sight. But then I went off honey as part of a "fully vegan" kick with my wife. During that, we conceived (a surprise after 10 years together), so we stayed fully vegan for the pregnancy, no honey in the house. Now that he's born, we don't want honey around, because it can be toxic to babies before 1 year old (bacterial infection that only harms newborns). But then, the pandemic hit, and we relaxed certain things in order to balance our budget and remain stable. Food prices skyrocketed. We're disabled and can't drive, so we have to carry groceries home on foot, and many stores around here were closed or limited hours etc. We decided honey was okay again. And we found some really tasty Canadian stuff, real honey (not from bees fed sugarwater in chinese factories).

So yeah, honey is good! :D

Enjoy yourself and best of luck!

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(Edited)

Strange relationships with honey are good! I've had one too. Both of my parents we're diabetic, the only thing honey ever went on is ham. After they passed, I started to do my own shopping and going to local farmers markets(something I'll be writing about soon.). Lots of apiaries at these farmers markets and as I am diabetic myself, I learn that natural sugar can be eaten, if you're smart about it.

I had a very interesting conversation with an beekeeper at the market once. We were on the debate on if honey was vegan or not(I think about this a lot, mostly because I've had friends who were both vegan and vegetarian. They get in fights over it), Honey alternatives do exist and are pretty good(the one made of apples is very tasty, by the way). He told me this story of how his wife went full strict vegan and the question came up. He said she fretted about it. His view on the whole thing was that he didn't smoke his bees, he needed them and they needed him, so didn't feel that there was any harm in them eating the honey.

Honey is definitely a no no for children. Honestly, I think most children should keep away from it until age five when everything in the growth process starts to slow down and there's less likely to be a development of allergies to it.

Do you live in an area that has a CSA so you can get veggies and possibly grains? Sometimes it might be slightly pricier, but they could possibly deliver to your home in the meantime, leaving a smaller list when you get to the market and much easier for you to take hone.

Thanks again!

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Another tasty honey alternative is agave nectar. And as a Canadian I have to mention maple syrup!

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It all looks good. Perhaps use a grittier mix for your cacti to prevent further rot incidents

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Ah! Someone noticed. Haha! Unfortunately i'm going to have to cruise to other local nurseries because I can't find cactus mix anywhere I've gone. Or I'll have to mix some myself! That'll be a project!

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I use washed silica sand and gravelly sand from the street

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