Arrrgggg!!!!

Discussion in 'Plant Pests, Diseases and Weeds' started by eileen, Aug 25, 2006.

  1. eileen

    eileen Resident Taxonomist Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    A bloke and his family were on holidays in the United States and went to Mexico for a week. An avid cactus fan, the man bought one-metre high, rare and expensive cactus there. On arrival back home Australian Customs said it must be quarantined for 3 months.

    He finally got his cactus home. Planted it in his backyard, and over time it grew to about 2 metres. One evening while watering his garden after a warm spring day, he gave the cactus a light spray. He was amazed to see the plant shiver all over, he gave it another spray and it shivered again.
    He was puzzled so he rang the council who put him on to the state gardens people. After a few transfers he got the state's foremost cactus expert who asked him many questions. How tall is it? Has it flowered? Etc.

    Finally he asked the most disturbing question. "Is your family in the house?" The bloke answered yes. The cactus expert said get out of the house NOW, get on to the front nature strip and wait for me; I will be there in 20 minutes.

    Read the rest of this story and others here:

    http://www.snopes.com/horrors/insects/cactus.htm#refs
    and scroll up to the top of the page.
     
  2. Frank

    Frank GardenStew Founder Staff Member Administrator

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    :eek: That's truly horrifying but thankfully at the end of the article it dispels the myth as false. Phew!

    I think I need a whiskey to settle my nerves.
     
  3. Primsong

    Primsong Young Pine

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    I love snopes - one of the most useful sites ever. I've never seen this tale go by, though I even took some classes in folklore in college - it's a good one! I love the firemen torching his entire backyard, what a great detail, ha!
     

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