Cactus Bears 30 Jin of Fruit After 5 Years of Care, Packed with Nutrition, Gardeners Say It Was a Huge Win
Cactus is a fairly common plant, though many gardening enthusiasts do not think much of it, feeling it is not as pretty as flowering plants nor as lively as foliage plants. But the cactus is well worth growing. Why is that? First, this potted plant is indeed easy to grow and can thrive with little day-to-day care. Second, it can bloom, and its flowers are no less vibrant than those of other flowering plants. Third, once it bears fruit, the fruit is highly nutritious and excellent both for eating and for display! A few days ago, a devoted cactus lover told me that after growing cacti for four or five years, they finally produced fruit, and just a few pots together yielded 30 jin of fruit.
Do Potted Cacti Bear Fruit Easily?
Many people know that cacti are simple and low-maintenance to care for, and with proper care they can even produce bright, vivid flowers. But bearing fruit is not an easy matter. Why is that? Because cacti grow very slowly. A young small plant generally takes two to three years just to grow up, and during that time bearing fruit is very difficult, and it may not even reach the stage of flowering. Put it this way: if ten people are growing cacti, only about two or three will manage to get them to fruit. If you have gotten your cactus to bear fruit, then congratulations, fellow gardener, it shows your plant-growing skills are top-notch.
What Value Do the Fruits of the Cactus Have?
I remember when I was little, my family also had a pot of cactus, but back then I did not know how to care for it. A large pot of cactus only bore one or two fruits. As a child I did not dare eat them. Not only were there many spines on them, but after peeling open the fruit and tasting it, it felt sour. In fact, that is just how cactus fruit is. Once ripe, the flavor is generally a mix of sweet and sour. Its nutritional value, however, is extraordinary. Cactus fruit contains high amounts of vitamin A, B1, B12, and D3, and its antioxidant capacity is 7 times that of vitamin, and it can promote cell regeneration, circulate qi and invigorate blood, and strengthen resistance.
How to Care for Potted Cacti So They Grow Faster and Bear More Fruit
When it comes to caring for cacti, besides the daily essentials of light, watering, and ventilation, fertilizing is key. Only when nutrients are sufficient will the cactus be able to branch out and spread its leaves and grow freely. As for fertilizer, if you have barnyard manure or chicken and duck droppings at home, those are best, because this kind of organic fertilizer, after fermentation, is most easily absorbed by the roots of plants and is more efficient. Of course, if you do not have any or cannot stand the strong smell, you can absolutely use cooked and fermented soybeans instead. Fertilizing should generally be done once a month. If you find organic fertilizer troublesome, you can also buy some potassium dihydrogen phosphate flower fertilizer and dilute it with water to pour on the plant.
How Do You Eat Cactus Fruit?
Cactus fruit can generally be eaten directly. For a more refined way of eating, you can also use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and then mix it with a little honey to drink, which is also very refreshing. However, gardening enthusiasts should be careful not to get pricked by the cactus spines when eating. Finally, a small note about caring for cacti. Many gardening enthusiasts never repot their cacti, thinking they do not need much nutrients or soil, so they just leave them in a small pot. This is not okay. At least once every half year, you should repot them, as this helps with flowering and fruiting.
That is all for sharing these little facts about cacti. Gardening enthusiasts, be sure to grow a few pots of cactus, because fruit of such high value is not easy to come by, and if you buy it, it costs several tens of yuan per jin!
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