Caring for Your First Cactus? Here’s What You Need to Do for a Healthy Growth

Succulent plants get into the florists’ radars due to their resilience to sudden temperature changes and low air humidity which is often the case in warm rooms during winter. If you wonder how to grow cactuses at home, count the peculiarities of the different species, as well as their development and blossoming rhythm.

Choose your preferred cactus varieties to grow

Cacti are defined in two separate basic groups according to the main differences in their origin and requirements to grow – desert and forest. Most cactuses belong to the desert group and originate from the warm half-desert areas of America.

When creating a desert ecosystem – an unusual gardening decoration idea, some cactuses (especially the ones that dislike direct sunlight) can be grown together with others, faster-growing succulents that originate from the deserts and the mountains of the old world (Alpine rose, Eleven o’clocks, Aloe, Dracaena).

This whole thing, however, should be coordinated with the yearly and seasonal cycles in the growth and development of concrete plants.

Many cactuses take water in over the span of many years from the environment through their underground root system, as well as with their upper parts in the early morning when water condenses.

In order to protect themselves from being eaten, some cactuses developed physical (thorns) or/and chemical (building up of toxic or psychoactive compounds) defence mechanisms.

The cactus fruits usually have bright colouring and a relatively higher number of alkaloids due to their low water contents. Apart from that, cactus fruits contain a certain amount of carbohydrates.

In the Rio Grande region and the Sonora desert, there are animal species which feed exclusively on the psychoactive cactuses’ fruits without any major negative influences on their normal life cycle.

Preparations and planting tips

Once you have the right cactus varieties to grow in mind, it’s time to move to the most important part – planting them the right way.

Choose a proper cactus pot

Ceramic pots work best with cacti. However, you can work on the pot comfortability and add a few tweaks:

Get the cactus soil ready

Cactuses need soil that is not prone to waterlogging and can drain easily. Therefore, the clay content in it is best to be low. Getting soil directly from your garden is not a good idea as it can be contaminated with pests and diseases. There are also specific hadry cactus varieties that can grow outdoors and, therefore, could potentially perform well in such soil.

Better play it safe and get a specialised cactus potting mix or try to prepare one yourself. With a great mixture that provides enough phosphorus and potassium, the cactus can blossom in about five years.

Mix the following:

Plant the cactus in the pot

That’s quite simple and straightforward. The most challenging part would be avoiding the cactus spines, so definitely wear thick gardening gloves. Some gardeners even use tongs when transferring the plants but even simple gloves will be enough to protect you.

1. Fill the pot with the cactus-specific soil mix.
2. Make a shallow hole in the centre and place your cactus there. The roots of a cactus do not grow deep but rather spread around the base of the plant and in proximity to the surface.
3. Backfill around the base gently but firmly.
4. Once planted, water sparingly—just enough to settle the roots.

Where to place a cactus plants in a home?

In a moderate climate country, the best place would be a room or a terrace with a southern view. Some species, on the other hand, do not like direct sunlight and need a bit of shade or a room facing west.

If you have only a north-facing room, though, you might need to install artificial lighting. In order to create the perfect garden spot for the cacti, you can do the following:

When growing a cactus in a northern or western room, the plant begins to bend towards the light, and if you spin it around every week, it will gain a spiral shape.

The cactuses endure temperatures in the amplitude of 8 to 38 °C without any problems, however, they can also endure -5 and 45°C, for a while. When they grow outside, the choice of species is limited, but some families (Trichocerus, Ophunta, Coryphantha) are appropriate for the purpose.

How to look after your cactuses

Compared to other plants, cacti are considered low-maintenance. So chances are you will do just fine looking after them even if you’ve never cared for plants before. Still, there are a few important factors that need to be considered at all times.

Light and temperature conditions

Place your cactus collections in the sun. This could be window sills facing south-west, with provided access to enough fresh air. If growing a cactus indoors in a northern or western room, the plant will begin to bend towards the light, and if you spin it around every week, it will gain a spiral shape.

The cactuses endure temperatures in the amplitude of 8 to 38 °C without any problems, however, they can also endure -5 and 45°C, for a while. When they grow outside, the choice of species is limited, but some families (Trichocerus, Ophunta, Coryphantha) are appropriate for the purpose.

Watering

Cactuses do not need a lot of water during winter – just on the warmer winter days. They can become dormant during that season, so even if you water them once a month that would suffice. The cactus can endure temperatures below zero, so no need to worry about them dying.

During spring and autumn you can water once every 10 days. However, do that only when it’s not raining. During summer – once every 5-7 days will be enough. If the pot is plastic, or the cactus is already large in size, the watering should be done twice less.

When watering, it’s preferable to pour the water into the saucepan to avoid moisture saturation and potential root rot. Some thornier species, however, react better at watering with a spray bottle.

If the water contains lots of limescale, you will observe white residue on the plant. Use rainwater in such a case.

Fertilising

For newly developed plants, add liquid fertiliser every ten days. It is best to use a fertiliser with a high amount of potassium carbonate and phosphorus. This will stimulate the formation of beautiful flowers. Bone meal fertiliser is an appropriate organic option for the cactuses.

How long does a cactus take to grow?

Cactuses grow and develop extremely slow. On average, it could take six months to several years for these hardy succulents to show visible development. While other plants with similar size complete their life cycle within one or a couple of years, some cactuses (Lophophora) can live a decade or two before blossoming for a short time and giving fruit.

This apparent glacial pace is not without purpose, cacti have evolved to preserve energy and water in tough conditions, sacrificing quick growth for life.

During winter, the cactuses do not need much warmth. However, if you place them in a heated room, this negatively impacts their blooming cycle. They feel well in a greenhouse, as well as in a sunlit room, but they can be grown even if the lighting is artificial.

Some species can even grow annually outside on the open air, directly on a small hill of gravel, sand and stones in the corner of your garden.

How to propagate cactuses

Cactuses reproduce most commonly and most easily in a vegetative way, spontaneously or just after their body sustains damage. Then a bud grows out of the broken thistle. You can break thumb-sized thistles and replant them, too.

Cactuses can continue to grow from 5 up to 25 years before they even start flowering. They form seeds even more rarely than that. The easiest option is to use the vegetative way of reproducing, by rooting a branch of the cactus.