- Have you ever understood the internal structure of a cactus?
Today, let me show you the longitudinal section of the cactus ball
Firstly, today's vertical cut is a solid rooted red sun, which grows every year.
Cactus has no leaves, and its spines are formed by the evolution of leaves
according to environmental needs. They originated in dry, high-temperature, and year-round water scarce areas. In order to survive, they have evolved spikes to reduce water evaporation, maximize water loss control, and prevent death even if there is no water for a long time. If you water too much, it is difficult for the water to evaporate quickly and it is easy to cause root rot.
The vast majority of cacti have long and thin fibrous roots, aimed at absorbing surface water as much as possible over a large area. The root system is mainly a transport tissue used to transport water and transport the water absorbed by the root hairs to the cactus above.
Use a knife to cut open the cactus, so that you can see its internal structure. Adopting a longitudinal cutting method can provide a good view of the anatomical structure from top to bottom. You can see the white medullary core inside and the green water storage part outside. The medullary core is equivalent to its spinal cord, which is like a pillar supporting the center of the cactus. The growth point is located in some very tender meristem tissue. If this area is removed, the cactus will not grow taller, but will have more lateral buds at the bottom. It is equivalent to removing the apical advantage of ordinary plants after cutting off the apical buds. So similarly, when grafting cactus, the rootstock cactus is also cut to this position, its growth point is removed, and nutrients are supplied to the scion above. After obtaining this nutrient, the growth point of the scion grows faster.
The water content in the body of a cactus is often as high as 90%, and its main component is the juicy transparent structure, which is the water storage tissue. The stored water in the cactus can sustain the survival of plants for 1-2 years (excluding seedlings). So many flower enthusiasts often leave a certain potted ball (excluding seedlings) in a corner, without watering it for several months, and even discover it a year later. They are also surprised by its drought resistance because even in long-term water shortages, it does not die, it is just wrinkled. This is why during the winter dormancy period, the adult cactus can completely cut off water for the winter. And cutting off water in winter is also to allow it to rest and accumulate strength, so that it can bloom better and grow better thorns (edges) in the coming year