BCSS Macclesfield & East Cheshire Branch

Newsletter December 2005 - A Book for Christmas

I almost forgot. I bought a superb little book in the Huntington shop. Simply called “Cactus” by author Elisabeth Manke, its 160 pages are packed with 275 stunning colour photographs. Translated from German into American (so eg it’s color not colour and buds have “gotten big”) and aided by excellent layout making its contents especially accessible this book is packed with practical hints for the average grower. TIP and INFO boxes in the vertical margins attractively present their wares. Presumably most American growers have larger houses than here because Manke refers to “houseplants” and seems to address those with large window sills and conservatories rather than heated detached greenhouses. But for attractive yet concise presentation of useful information compiled by an amateur enthusiast this book will take some beating.

As usual, general cultivation is covered first. It’s certainly intriguing to be advised how to attack mealy bugs indoors (where chemical spraying is inadvisable) : “cooking oil ......smothers the eggs and the insects. After that carefully wash off the affected cactus with a weak detergent solution. During these operations always be sure to cover the soil carefully with foil so that no insects can get into it”. Fifteen years ago a research chemist at work advised me to use meths but never mentioned washing off so maybe Manke’s alternative remedy will kill the bugs but not the plants! Corking, scale insect damage and fungal infections are illustrated and discussed too. Then each main genus is profiled with origin, habitat and extra specific cultivation notes. For example “water Echinopsis only when the buds are bigger than 1 cm”. Do you have a hairy Old Man cactus ? A Cephalocereus TIP box advises “Give the dusty cactus a shampoo, but then it has to be blow-dried!” Brief notes on several hundred species sometimes comment on winter temperature, soil requirements, how much water when, and so on. No, it isn’t on sale in UK bookshops. But Amazon.co.uk list it at only £8.75 - an absolute snip. If wanted, ISBN number 0-7641-1226-0. As orders over £15 are post free maybe two folk could order together and have a happy Christmas.

David Poole