Tuesday, June 29, 2010

It's gone all floppy

A few weeks ago I reported on how Sparky Ma's little cactus in a Mexican-themed earthenware pot had mutated and was on the verge of taking over the kitchen, and then, quite possibly, the world. In contrast, mine was a happy and healthy if somewhat unremarkable six inches fully erect. The cactus, I mean. Filth.

What a difference a few weeks can make, though, because while mine looked like this just at the beginning of the month…

Happy cactus

… it subsequently went like this…

Sad cactus

…And now looks like this:

Dead cactus

For some reason this last pic reminds me of the slightly squished tail of a squirrel who had an unfortunate altercation with a fast moving car. Oh, and while I'd love to claim that the steady onset of darkness in each successive photos was a subconscious attempt to portray the end of this little cactus' life, it actually had more to do with the fact that I took the last picture later in the evening and there's no flash on my iPhone.

In contrast, one of my other little cacti has actually begun going mad-bonkers crazy and growing new, um, arm-things all over the place. Between that one's sudden growth spurt and this one's sudden demise it's been a bit like the horticultural equivalent of The Picture of Dorian Gray

What have we learnt here then? Well, not to take pictures of cacti, to be honest. It seems they have the same sort of 'it's stealing our soul!' reaction as the first dumb people who were captured on film. So, while I'd love to show you the one that's been growing like crazy, I daren't for fear I'd get home from work one day to find it's thrown itself out the window or something.

10 comments:

Inexplicable DeVice said...

You monster! What have you done to it!

* screams like a 50s film siren and faints *

Tim said...

I lavished it with care!

Princess said...

You cactus killer!
over watering is not a "kindness" in the cactus world Tim..you have drowned the poor little thing with love. Causing it to become all fungussed and rotting from the roots up. Shame... Shame.

CyberPete said...

How very ER. Life and death in the same episode.

The pot is still cute. My plants are burnt by the sun, dehydrated to the brink of death and not at all pretty. It looks like night of the slightly living dead.

Inexplicable DeVice said...

Well, should you find me asleep on your windowsill one morning, I don't want you lavishing me with the same kind of care!

Tara said...

Poor cactus. It does look a bit like roadkill in that last photo.

I stopped watering one of my plants, because there's a mushroom growing out of the moldy soil. The leaves look great and the plant is still growing, but I think my plant was trying to tell me something.

Tim said...

Princess - NOOOOOOOOO! I'd barely watered it at all in the last couple of months. I think it took offence to the amount of attention I was paying the cactus that is growing and decided to off itself in revenge.

Cyberpete - Then water them! But *glances back to Princess* not too much…

Inexplicable Device - Don't worry, I'd be calling the Police.

Tara - That's … bizarre! Pluck the mushroom out!!

iPandah said...

Well, I'm sure it's sad and everything but I pretty much just laughed all the way through that! Sorry T-Moth :0o

CyberPete said...

Wow what a nifty trick. You really should host a garden programme segment on potted plants.

You are really blowing my mind Yoga.

Tim said...

iPandah - Well, at least my cactus' sacrifice wasn't in vain!

Cyberpete - Get me a TV deal IMMEDIATELY.