Today I will talk about a practice that I was able to observe in street markets, municipal markets, and streets... in the city where I live (Cumaná, Sucre state, Venezuela), and that has to do with the sale of cacti.
The extraction of cacti from the natural environment is not a sustainable business, it is a theft or dispossession of nature, as well as a scam to the client and an act that should be repudiated by all.
It is crucial to keep in mind that these people do not guarantee the survival of the plants since in their desire to earn quick money, they do not let the plants scar and take root.
No person calling himself a cactus collector can support this type of business. Cultivating and marketing cacti is something very serious that requires effort, time, and money, as well as a level of scientific knowledge about these plants that guarantee their proper handling and cultivation.
Do not waste money on cuttings that will not survive without their roots because these unscrupulous people go to the mountains, extract species that grew in the natural environment without carrying out the proper procedure, and then offer it to the public without having invested any effort in preservation and cultivation.
The following photo was taken in the Cumaná Market and the first corresponds to a cutting from the rootless top of a Pilosocereus Lanuginosus which was offered for sale by an unscrupulous dealer.
This other image corresponds to the same cactus in its natural environment
Image Source
If we are lovers of the world of cacti, we should not invest money in native species, supporting their commercialization, since these plants can be enjoyed admiring them in their natural state whenever we want.
Since we live in an arid area in my city, we can go for a walk in the mountains or go hiking, listen to the birds singing and see the cacti in their natural environment. This is priceless and something that we must preserve with great zeal.
We should support those who offer you plants grown from seeds or cuttings grown by themselves.
Enjoy all the information that every grower knows how to give.
I'm Thelooter, I hope you are always blessed.