Jardinerong Sunog (the Burnt Gardener)

If it's any gauge, the number of people I see on social media lamenting about their cacti turning into masses of jelly says that even with the more commonly available types, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding regarding the growing of these otherwise easily cultivated plants. And if many hobbyists, particularly the beginners, can't even get past the more standard types, then how can we expect the cactus scene to develop further? In many plant bazaars, I frequently see people huddling over some rather pricey specimens only to overhear them say "I can't even keep most of my cacti alive, so if I buy that, it would just be like throwing away my money." It's not atypical to find stalls still displaying so many of their offerings on the final day of a plant show. And no, it's really not about the price of these plants as even the more expensive ones are still within the range of most collectors. It's about the experience of the vast majority of...

Two of my fraileas opened up their buds yesterday a little past high noon, and I had to scramble for quick photos as the flowers are typically short-lived and the sun is burning brightly overhead, which made photographing plants quite uncomfortable (even a burnt gardener needs to stay in the sun for as little time as possible). Species from the genus Frailea are popular due to their small sizes and their large yellow flowers, which only open during the hottest and brightest days. When temperatures and light aren't ideal, the flowers stay closed and self-pollinate, a condition termed as 'cleistogamy'. Cleistogamous plants have flowers that either do not open or, if they do, open very slightly. When Frailea flowers do open, these are often autogamic, or self-pollinating. This means that seeds are eventually formed even without the flowers getting pollinated. All my fraileas are grown in a purely mineral mix and exposed to the elements, without any overhead protection. W...

And so after a visit to a garden center or a mall, you found a commercially made potting mix and promptly bought it, to be used as media for your succulents. Upon reaching home, you take a photo or two of the product and post it on social media, asking people if what you have purchased is suitable for use for succulents (which makes mo sense at all, considering that you already bought the said product. You are just committing what is termed as confirmation bias- in your mind you were convinced that you were correct in your decision, and would like others to have that supposition confirmed, which feels good). Predictably, answers you obtained are just variations on a theme: that the potting medium you have at hand, which is coconut coir based, is perfect for cacti and succulents, but you need to add some specific amount of sand and/or pumice to make the mix free draining. Satisfied with the answers to your query, you picked up the cutest pots for your plants, had them potted up, and f...