A century-old, 200-kilogram cactus fell in the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden. It was being lifted using levers.
A giant cactus, nearly a century old, collapsed in the Peter the Great Botanical Garden of the Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The plant couldn't support its own weight. About the incident reported Chief Agronomist of the Komarov Botanical Institute Evgeniya Romanova.
"In broad daylight, with a crash, right before the eyes of visitors, an Echinocactus Grusonii collapsed. The largest of the 'mother-in-law's ottomans,' planted in 1926, was nearly a century old, 90 cm tall and 55 cm in diameter." — the local emergency specialist described.
Simply lifting and returning the plant to its original position proved impossible; the gardeners had to resort to levers. They secured the cactus with a "belt" made from an old hose, with a steel cable inside. Only then were they able to lift the giant. It is now securely held in place by a cable slung over a ceiling beam. Managing the cactus was no easy task, and the workers were injured by its large, tough spines.
A year ago, a large agave named Salma collapsed in the greenhouse in a similar manner. It took several months to recover, but she's now fully recovered.
Photo: Evgeniya Romanova
