Help with Old Man of the Andes

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tampasal Zephyrhills, FL Nov 27, 2003

We have what is turning into a very nice Old Man of the Andes. Furry little guy for sure. We saw ones at the Florida State Fair winning awards that frankly, in our humble opinion, don't hold a candle to our guy.

We want to enter ours this time, but one little problem. The hair seems dirty to me, especially after a rain. Is there a safe and natural way to clean up the hair and get the bright white color back?

Thanks

Post #718876
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Crasulady2 Valley Village, CA Dec 04, 2003

I have been thinking of doing this myself. Try a little soap suds, like Ivory, shampoo and rinse. The soap should not hurt the plant. Try it on another cactus before trying it on your pet. The judges will really want that (hair) white and thick. It must be perfectly groomed, use a tooth brush for this process.
The top dressing must be spotless, and new. Put it through a strainer so all the pebbles will be the same size. Make sure the plant is under potted for show, no gimmicks. (no colored gravel) A simple pot for show, you want the plant to really shine, and actually say 'look at me I'm the prettiest' it must get the judges attention.
Crasulady

Post #723598
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tampasal Zephyrhills, FL Dec 06, 2003

Thanks for the advice. Will give it a shot. :-)

Post #725349
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Crasulady2 Valley Village, CA Dec 06, 2003

We had a group of these we couldn't sell, so I added blue and pink ribbons to the hair. I almost got killed by the curator. They are judged by thickness of hair, and length as well. Age plays biggest factor, and on how well it is grown. 50 points for well grown. 5 points for staging,
age I think 20? Make sure no spines are missing, not dirty at the base of the plant. Underpot it, the pot must not be too big for the plant. Try to get a low pot, no pink, yellow, turq. Top dressing must be spotless and all the same size. Use a very small size gravel. Enough, Norma

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