Cactus Basics: A Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation and Care

by Tony Mace, Suzanne Mace

Anyone can grow extraordinary and exotic cacti and succulents with confidence, using this fully-illustrated, inspiring and practical new guide. In its 80-page A to Z directory, gardeners encounter every strange and beautiful species and sea-urchin-like astrophytum ; woollily bearded espostoas ; fiercely golden-spined ferocactus ; bizarre-shaped tree-like cactus; hallucinogenic peyote ; 40-feet high pachycereus , hanging donkey’s tails; statuesque aloes, and ground-hugging, jewel-like flowering conophytums . Displacing the myths and legends, such as these plants don’t need water or light, it offers comprehensive easy-to-follow instructions on building a collection; pests and diseases, seed raising; repotting; greenhouse cultivation; equipment; and more.

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2006

Reviews

[Sushie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slim book that manages to be, to beginner me anyway, comprehensive!
I checked it out because my spouse's beloved cinnamon pear (opuntina rufida?) cactus is badly ailing after a stint at my sister's and I wanted to see what an expert had to say about how to propagate or otherwise rehab the plant.
I immediately discovered my google advice on how to propagate this cactus was wrong, what the cactus's latin name even was, and that it probably was suffering from cold and over-watering. Thanks to this book one of the small pads I took from the sad plant is making a careful recovery.

[Craig Bolton]

Cactus Basics: A Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation and Care (Pyramid Paperbacks) by Tony Mace (2006)