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12 www.DesertMessenger.com December 16, 2020 Gardening with Dennis The Humble Cactus $ 19. /mo. 99 where available ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY Blazing Fast Internet! CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100 Offer ends 1/31/21. 2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE "All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification. 190 CHANNELS Including Local Channels! America's Top 120 Package for 12 Mos. MO. FREE * Requires eAutopay discount and includes Hopper Duo DVR ($5 discount for 24 months) or Wally/211 SMART HD DVR INCLUDED * Requires eAutopay discount and includes Hopper INCLUDED FREE STREAMING ON ALL YOUR DEVICES YOUR DEVICES FREE VOICE REMOTE The DISH Voice Remote with the Google Assistant requires internet-connected Hopper, Joey, or Wally device. Customer must press Voice Remote button to activate feature. The DISH Voice Remote with the Google Assistant requires 1-855-820-5828 By Alex Taft Cactus, like many desert plants and trees, are protected by Arizona law. In my mind they are as exotic as orchids and sometimes as sur- prising in their variety, colors and the different places they choose to plant themselves. Dennis was a cac- tus explorer. He taught about them in his master gardening classes, but always acknowledged that longtime Quartzsite resident Shirley Phillips was the master of all things cactus. Shirley is a master gardener and un- derstood that cactus are very serious about their orientation. They plant themselves and thrive where they get a little relief from the sun each day, can benefi t from rain run-off and seem to grow in stands. If you see one type of cactus, you will see oth- ers of the same kind nearby. What is a successful orientation for one cac- tus works for many. There is a stretch along I 95 between Quartzsite and Parker on the west side of the road that looks like the hedgehog cactus decided to have a party. There is a grove of them. Obviously, it is a hap- py place for hedgehogs. If you decide to take a cutting from a cactus in your yard, it is best to pay attention to what direction the cutting is facing and where its shade and sun come from and try to replicate that setting. The cactus will grow better and bloom better as a result. Saguaros are particularly sensitive to orientation. The stand of saguaros in Celia's Gardens, do- nated by ADOT is an excellent ex- ample of transplanting. Cut the cactus off at a joint and set it upright, under a tree or patio where it can dry for a few days to a few weeks, depending on the size of the cutting and how well watered it has been. The best time to do this is between March and September, when the weather is warm. The warm weather stimulates rooting. Be sure to plant in sandy soil. Too much water, especially with a cut- ting causes rot. Cactus varieties are nutritional and medicinal. Nutritional for birds and bunnies as well as peo- ple. Cactus jellies are popular. How to make them can be found in a book at the library called, "Fruits of the Desert" by Sandal English. The pads can be used in salads and are sold in grocery stores. It is interest- ing to note that opuntia varieties of cactus have nutritional compo- nents that normalize blood sugar levels in the system. Night blooming Cereus is a cactus that is easily overlooked, because when it is not in bloom, it looks like a grey dead stick coming out of the ground. You can fi nd them growing near creosote or an ironwood, get- ting that vital bit of shade that al- lows them to grow. The fl owers are exotic, huge and look like an orchid. This is also a medicinal plant. It as- sists with heart arrhythmias and treats stress. For more information on the nutritional and medicinal values of cactus, try "Herbal Medicine of the Desert Southwest" by Charles W. Kane. The Quartzsite library has it. This is one book I actually discovered before Dennis did. We both used it as a reference in our master gardening classes. The humble cactus is a big subject that necessitates more than one chap- ter. Dennis left copious notes that blend with my studies from a folk medicine perspective. Learning about cactus and how vi- tal it is to our desert landscape and all of us who live here or visit here is an adventure in appreciation that all is not what it seems. It is the end of the year for the Food Bank and what a year it has been. We started out just fi ne and then the vi- rus hit. The food bank changed its method of distribution to a drive thru to make it safer for everyone. It was a lot of work for the volunteers to reorganize everything and costly adding a check-in shed, tables, shelv- ing and more. But it worked and we found everyone likes the drive thru. We got busier and busier as the year went on. Luckily many good people stepped up and volunteered to make it happen. Then the delivery truck decided to blow an engine part that was just too expensive to fi x. The county stepped up with a used truck but it will only last so much longer and needs repairs. So, we are looking for a good used truck. All the expenses destroyed our budget. Many generous individuals, too many to list here but are listed on our website, donated to keep us up and running. The Quartzsite Community Bible, Alliance Church, Covenant Lutheran, Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, and Queen of Peace Church came through with their do- nations and hours of volunteering. The Town and County donated to keep us going along with nonprofi ts like QIA and Senior Center Bingo. Grants were written but fundraisers were canceled except for the Santa's Workshop, which was safely run to help raise much needed funds. Local businesses donated and raised funds like the Horizon Community Bank and Pilot gas. Both the Road Run- ner and Coyote Fresh donated to keep us running. The Farmers Market donates its vendor fees to help keep our doors open. A big Thank You to all who help to keep us going! Friends of the Quartzsite Food Bank is a 501c3 nonprofi t for tax write-offs. We are an AZ Tax Credit Charity which means you can take off dollar for dollar up to $800 off your AZ taxes. Donate and for info go to Quartzsite- FoodBank.com. Mail a check and make it out to: FQFB, PO Box 4671, Quartzsite, AZ 85359. 480-286-8373. Food Bank Hours Tues & Thur 8-noon Picture Id needed. Thank You from FQFB and all our hard-working volunteers! Food Bank update

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