Welcome to this article that will be talking about why a cactus plant will have a pretty thick and hardy stem. Some people might even call this the spine of the cactus plant and without some of the features it has the cactus plant might look very different.
The stem is simply put thick because it will hold a lot of extra water. This is the feature that makes it able to grow in places where the conditions are very harsh and the access to water is very limited.
Follow along and we will together learn even more about this fantastic plant and what makes it so fantastic to grow for beginners.
Why Are The Cactus Stems Usually Very Thick
Just like we said at the beginning of this article here, the cactus plant will have a very thick stem because it uses it for storing water when water might be very very limited. This is the feature we mentioned in the beginning that makes cactus plants able to survive in environments like a desert.
The stem will have a stem within it that holds the water. From here the water will get dispersed throughout the entire plant. The plant will usually grow very slowly because of this. Since it has to be very conservative with the amount it uses.
The cactus plant will get a lot of the water it needs from deep underground. It will grow one long deep root that is meant to drain water from these underground storages. But they are very limited of course and need to be supplied.
They get supplied when the rain finally comes. Which in some places might not be more than once or twice per year. you might also notice that the stem will have thorns growing from it. These will also have a very important role, just like the stem has.
They will catch any water that is condensing from the ground when the weather and temperature are very hot. This is the second reason a cactus plant can grow in conditions like a desert.
Does your cactus plant grow curly spines and you wonder if this is happening? Here we’ll be diving deeper into this interesting topic, Cactus With Curly Spines.
How Does A Thick Stem Help The Prickly Pear Cactus
A thick stem on a prickly pear cactus plant will help it a lot. It is the reason why it can survive harsh conditions where other plants could not. if you have read the segment above here you might already be versed on this.
But the stem will actually have a smaller stem within itself that holds water. This water has been collected during the weeks or even months when it could access some. This then gets stored here as we said but then gets dispersed throughout the plant.
This process lets the plant continue to grow and survive when there hasn’t been any rain for many many months. Although the speed that the plant might be growing at will be very very limited.
From the stem, there will be direct access to the main root that is growing straight down. This rot is vital because it’s where the water supply will come from. It will have access to some water storage that might be found deep beneath the surface.
Are you worried the thorns on a cactus plant might be poisonous? In this article we talk about some stuff you need to be aware of, Can Cactus Thorns Be Poisonous.
Why Should You Not Touch The Stem Of Cactus
The stem of the cactus plant might have some thorns on it that will be pretty painful if you get stung by them. But they will not make you sick, fortunately. The stem is the spine of the plant and the place where excess water will get stored.
As you can see it’s a very important part of the entire plant and what will be the reason a plant like cactus can survive in environments like a desert.
