Monster Blanket

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This Monster Cactus is all warmed up. It reminds me of Linus in the Chistmas Pageant as a Shepherd with his blanket wrapped and draped around his head from the Peanuts cartoon.

The reason he's wrapped in a blanket is because we recently went through a cold snap. When the temp drops below 30F (-1 C) we need to cover our cactus, or at least the tips of those with protrusions. For cacti like that, some people simply put stryofoam cups over the tips to protect them.

I cover mine as completely as possible using torn up sheets, towels, clothes, even wash cloths. But it's dicey work. I think that's why, despite the warm up in nignt time temperatures, I haven't uncovered Linus and my other cacti.

You see, needles and spines get embbed in those coverings and sometimes even the work gloves aren't enough protection.

In addition, when I try to remove (or cover) them, the cacti will cling to the cloth anytime it comes into contact with it, whether you want that piece there or not. It's a delicate matter to move the cloths around into position (or remove them) without tugging or harming the plant you are working on.

I use the same coverings from year to year and they are just covered with needles so it's an extra challenge to fold and store them. The work goves can only be used for that task because they are embbed with needles, too.

It's all so much fun. But they need sunlight so maybe I'll uncover them tomorrow...or not. The wind seems to have gotten it started for me.