Stay Sharp and Accentuate Your Strong Points

A Cactus belongs to the plant family Cactaceae.  The word cactus comes from the Ancient Greek work κάκτος.  Theophrastus used this word for a spiny plant whose identity is now not known. 

Cacti can have a spherical, columnar, cylindrical, or disc shape.  They typically have characteristic small bumps called areolas where sharp or soft spines grow. Cacti need between 10-14 hours of light a day. 

Cacti have a variety of uses.  Many species are used as ornamental plants.  Others are grown for fodder or forage and the fruit of some cacti are used for food. 

Both cactus pads and cactus fruit can help fight infections. Cactus pads and fruit are high in fibre which can lower the cholesterol levels in the blood. Prickly pear cactus is promoted for treating diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity and also for its antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.  

Many people have cactus as house plants and wonder how often they should water them.  Cactus have water-storing characteristics in their leaves and stems which allow them to survive in dry habitats but they still need water to survive.  Overwatering will stunt growth but under watering causes shrivelling.  Brown or black spots and mushy stems are signs of an overwatered cactus due to a fungal infection in the soil.  If these symptoms appear, it is time to carefully cut them off with a knife.  

It is not a good idea to spray a cactus with water.  Moisture left sitting on the cactus can cause rot and other diseases.  Water the plant from the bottom.  Whenever the pot feels light, place the potted cactus in a shallow saucer filled with about half an inch of water.  Leave it in the saucer for about 30 minutes or until it sucks up the water.  

The best time to water plants is about 10:00 PM after the hot summer ground has had a chance to cool off.  Potted cactus can be watered earlier if they are not overheated by the afternoon sun.

Most desert plants bloom at night.  The flowers of the desert plants get pollinated during the night time.  Night-flying insects and moths help in the pollination and increase reproductions. 

These are the sayings on the bookmark called Advice from a Cactus.

• Get plenty of sunshine

• Accentuate your strong points

• Be patient through the dry spells

• Conserve your resources

• Don’t desert your friends

• Wait for your time to bloom

• Stay sharp!

These are my comments about each of these sayings. 

• Get plenty of sunshine - Sunlight is essential for good health and well-being.  Sunlight provides vitamin D and supports bone health, lowers blood pressure, prevents disease and promotes good mental health.  

• Accentuate your strong points - Focus on your strengths.

• Be patient through the dry spells - Dry spells are periods of time when there is little or no productivity.  Be patient.  The daily plodding and slogging when you don’t feel like it, produces the fruit of perseverance in your life. 

• Conserve your resources - All the things we need to survive come from natural resources.  Conservation is the practice of caring for these resources so all living things can benefit from them now and in the future. 

• Don’t desert your friends - Friends are your greatest treasures.

• Wait for your time to bloom - Every flower blooms in its own time. You don’t need to run someone else’s race.  You blossom in your own time.  

• Stay sharp! - Most cacti have sharp spines.  Stay sharp. Keep learning something new.

Have a great day everyone.  Stay Sharp and Accentuate Your Strong Points. 

# living life abundantly  # published author  # travelling tuesdays