Broken chips, bottom of the bag

Our baby ocotillo has established its root system. I've never managed to grow one of these, my favorite desert plants, from a seed. But a friend gave me a cutting from hers, and I stuck it in the dirt and misted the stalk daily. It grew a leaf or two to prove it was still alive, and eventually the leaf turned yellow. So instead of misting it, I watered the dirt it was planted in, and just as they do in the desert, it leafed out within an hour or two, to take advantage of the "rain" it had just received.

Some day, if I take care of it, this little baby should grow to a magnificent tree. Yes, the ocotillo is not a cactus, it is a tree. You can tell when one is alive by looking for a green stripe running its length. The little curly "thorn" is actually a future leaf. The thorn on the end is where the plant will grow taller next time it rains.