If you have a garden and you have decided to decorate it, but what you do not want is to spend hours taking care of it, it is best to place one with plants that hardly need water and that adapt to everything. In other words, you may be looking for how to make a cactus rockery.
Wait, don't you know what it is? Don't worry, because we are not only going to tell you what a cactus rockery is, but we will also help you to know how to make one in your garden.
First of all, what is a cactus rockery?
The first thing you need to understand is what a cactus rockery is. It is a solution that is carried out on uneven terrain. Instead of leveling them with a machine so you can plant, they are left as they are and stones are combined with plants, usually cacti and succulents, which offer a special view (at first, when they are small, not so much, but later it is impressive).
To place a cactus rockery the most important thing is to know the ideal location. And it is that, only those that are located to the south or west are the best. The reason is that you have to find an area where they receive a lot of natural light and at the same time are sheltered from the wind.
How to make a cactus rockery
Now that you have a better idea of what a cactus rockery is, let's get to work? To do this, you must know that there are certain steps that you must take to achieve that goal.
clear the ground
We start with the most tedious and largest. Once you have chosen the land that you are going to use as a rockery, you need to “clean it up”. Namely, You have to remove all the weeds that are on the ground.
This is important because these herbs not only will they make your garden look ugly, but they can "steal" energy from it to the plants you place.
We know that once you remove them, in a short time they will come out again. In this case you can consult a nursery, or a professional, to use a product that eliminates them without damaging the rest of the plants, nor the soil.
make the earth softer
Taking into account that you are going to plant to create your garden, something that you must weigh is whether the land you use is suitable or not. Imagine that you have a garden and you know that the earth is pure and very hard rock. As much as you want, if you don't treat those soils they won't help you to plant anything.
What you have to do? well try dig a little so that the earth is softer and lighter. This will also help you know if it's okay or not, and at the same time, you can mix it with rooting soil as well as aggregate (which is best for cacti and succulents).
Keep in mind that the fact that it is a rockery does not mean that everything has to be stone. It will actually have substrate, but then a layer of stones is added, usually calcareous (such as limestone), as well as granite. Of course, it is recommended that they be irregular, with different sizes, so that they are not completely buried, but remain visible.
A mistake that is often made is, after this step, to go on to plant. Actually, it's not the best thing to do but you have to wait a few weeks to locate the plants. The reason is that the land has to be settled and well regulated. And that implies a waiting time.
In addition, the best time to plant is in spring, so if you prepare the ground in January, more than enough time will have passed so that, when the weather opens, you can already place the plants.
Place the plants
This is perhaps the step that you are going to look forward to the most, because it consists of planting each of the plants, such as the monkey tail cactus, which is one of the most interesting for rockeries. Make sure everyone has their space. The hole should be about 30 centimeters in which, if you have done it right, you will have a part of aggregates and another of substrate for rooting.
When putting the plants try not to be too linear. Place them scattered, yes, taking care that there is a balance between colors and types of plants. For example, those that are going to grow more, place them at the ends of the garden, and if possible as far back. On the other hand, those that are barely going to grow, leave them closer and in the center.
Some recommend that, when you finish, you water. But not us. The plants will be very stressed at this time and it is best to leave them alone for about 24 hours before watering them (unless you see that they are short of water). In this way, you do not also subject them to irrigation, which must be moderate.
If you see that it is still cold or that there may be frost at night, using a little bark will solve it because you will protect the part of the roots.
Cactus rockeries, just cacti?
It is possible that you have the doubt if in a cactus rockery you can only place this type of plants and not others. Actually, it is recommended that you only focus on cacti and succulents. But the truth is that sometimes they can be combined with others such as shrubs or dwarf conifers. Large trees are not recommended because they have very strong roots. and that are distributed below, preventing those of the plants from developing well (because they can conflict or directly lose against the others).
Among cacti and succulents, you have many to choose from. It is recommended that you always choose those that adapt well to your climatic zone, and not get so carried away by how they look. Yes, we know that they will attract more, but if they die in your garden, the only thing you will get is having to work more planting, removing and replanting others.
Finally, you should know that making a cactus rockery doesn't have to be just outside, but inside the house you could also put it in a terrarium or in a planter or area of your home where you can decorate with soil, stones and plants. Of course, take into account the lighting they will need.
Has it become clear to you how to make a cactus rockery?