How to Grow Cactus: Essential Tips

Cactus Growing Tips

Introduction

Growing and propagating cacti is relatively easy and can be very rewarding. For the most part, there are three environmental variables to consider to ensure your cactus growing experience is a success. These are:

• Land

• Waterfall

• Light

We'll examine these three conditions in more detail shortly, but first, let's note that there are at least two distinct groups of cacti. There are desert cacti , which are certainly the first type that comes to mind whenever the word "cactus" is heard. However, there are also jungle cacti , which grow in rainforests and other environments that most would consider the least likely habitat for a cactus plant. I'll discuss the growing conditions for each group separately, starting with jungle cacti.

Jungle Cactus

Jungle cacti include species from genera such as Acanthocereus , Disocactus , Epiphyllum , Hatiora , Hylocereus , Lepismium , Rhipsalis , Schlumbergera , Selenicereus , and perhaps a few others. Almost everyone has seen at least one representative of this group, even if they weren't aware that the plant was actually a cactus. The most common of these are the holiday cacti: Easter Cactus ( Hatiora gaertneri) , Thanksgiving Cactus ( Schlumbergera truncata) , and Christmas Cactus ( Schlumbergera x buckleyi ). These plants are all true cacti, despite their lack of large spines and inability to withstand harsh desert conditions. Now, when we associate "cacti" with any of these plants, it doesn't seem unusual that they require different care to grow than the stereotypical image that comes to mind when we think of the Cactaceae family.

Land

Most jungle cacti are epiphytes or lithophytes, meaning they grow on trees or rocks, respectively. This type of plant obtains its nutrients from the air or from dead leaves and other debris that may have collected in crooked branches, cracks, or crevices. It's important to note that there are no parasitic cacti. Those that grow on trees do so for support, but do not steal nutrients from their host. For best results, we'll want our soil to mimic these natural conditions.

Some good ingredients for creating a potting mix suitable for jungle cacti include orchid bark, perlite, all-purpose potting soil, peat moss, coir, pumice, and oak leaf mold. I haven't tried them all, but I've found a mix that works very well for my plants. I start with coarse orchid bark (about 25%), mix with all-purpose potting soil (25%), peat moss (25%), and the rest is mostly perlite with maybe 5% coarse gravel. I've heard enough people suggest that coir is a superior substitute for peat moss, and I've recently experimented with it, but I haven't used it long enough to say if it actually works better. The most important aspect of the mix is ​​good drainage . Perlite helps provide this by keeping the soil loose and airy, as does orchid bark. Orchid bark also tends to retain more moisture than perlite or gravel. Pumice can be substituted for perlite.

Keep in mind that orchid bark will eventually decompose into soil. This will create a very rich soil that may not be as effective at maintaining healthy roots. It's a good idea to repot these plants every 2 or 3 years with fresh potting mix. The best time to do this is shortly after the plant finishes flowering. This is when it will be ready to start growing again. You could also add some fertilizer to the new mix, such as bone meal and/or Osmocote.

Waterfall

It's no coincidence that I listed water as the second item on the list. This is because well-drained soil is essential to prevent water from rotting the plant's roots. With the right soil, however, watering is actually very simple. I water my jungle cactus about once a week. This is a good rule of thumb, but there are exceptions. During prolonged hot, dry periods, I may water twice a week. Conversely, when it's cool and rainy, I might switch to every two weeks. I grow all my cacti outdoors, a privilege afforded by my location in Southern California. Indoor plants should have less variation in watering needs. For those who live in colder regions, you may find that you need to water your indoor jungle cactus more in the winter than in the summer due to the drier air caused by heating.

The easiest way to determine if it's time to water is to stick your finger in the top 1/2 inch of soil. If the soil is dry, go ahead and water. If it's not, wait! Don't leave your jungle cactus without water for too long. If the stem segments are wilted and the soil is dry, it probably needs watering. Be careful! If the plant has been overwatered, the stems will still appear wilted, but the soil will be moist. If this is the case, don't water it anymore. An overwatered plant will start to turn yellowish, then increasingly mushy and dark reddish brown, like a rotten apple. This happens because the cells have absorbed so much water that they have ruptured and are now dead and decaying. This usually happens at the tips first. This will continue even after you stop overwatering, but often you'll have enough left to start over.

Light

Jungle cacti can survive in a wide range of light conditions. However, we'll assume the goal isn't simply for them to survive, but to thrive. For plants to thrive, the amount and intensity of light are key. In my experience, the ideal conditions for jungle cacti are full morning sun and then shade in the afternoon . All the plants I have in this ideal condition show robust, healthy growth.

There are three other lighting situations that aren't ideal, but are often necessary due to space constraints. These are: morning shade/full afternoon sun, full shade, and full sun. Let's explore these conditions further. It might seem that morning shade and afternoon full sun produce the same results as full morning sun/afternoon shade, but this isn't the case. This is because the temperature is cooler in the morning than in the afternoon, and for many plants, afternoon sun is a bit too intense, causing them to often take on a yellowish, sickly appearance and may develop spots. In full sun, these symptoms will be even more noticeable. As with most things in nature, there are exceptions, and some plants actually prefer full sun and thrive there. In full shade, plants will have a healthy, dark green appearance, but their stems will stretch and become thin as they try to reach more light.

Light is not only essential for healthy stems, but it also triggers flowering in many species. Under ideal conditions, a particular plant may exhibit fantastic growth with many show-worthy stems, but it won't flower. In this situation, exposing the plant to longer, more intense sunlight will stimulate it to flower. Don't forget that plants can get sunburned just like people. If you have a plant that's been mostly shaded, simply don't place it in direct sunlight, or you'll certainly end up with a severely scarred cactus. This is also true for desert cacti, which naturally thrive in extremely hot, intense sunlight.

Desert Cactus

Desert cacti originate from the arid regions of the Americas and surrounding islands. There are no native Old World desert cacti, and only one jungle species is found in Madagascar. Despite this, many people imagine cacti growing in the pure sands of the Sahara Desert with virtually no water. This common misconception should not be in your mind when preparing an environment for your desert cacti. We'll shortly explore the requirements for growing healthy desert cacti. First, let's summarize the different types of desert cacti you might encounter. There are small, rounded, flat, or cylindrical plants; there are shrubby, segmented, and creeping types; and there are the large, columnar, tree-like giants. Although even within each of these groups, growing conditions vary from plant to plant, I'll generalize as much as possible for a successful, all-around growing environment.

Land

The perception I mentioned earlier about cacti growing in pure sand isn't shared by any successful cactus grower. Most cacti prefer rocky, nutrient-rich soil with good drainage. To create a suitable growing medium for our desert cacti, we'll use some of the same ingredients we used for our jungle cacti, as well as a few new ones. These are perlite, pumice, all-purpose potting soil, rocks, sand, peat moss, coco coir, and gravel. After trial and error and advice from other growers, I've settled on a simple, well-draining mix. This mix is ​​60% pumice, 20% coco coir, and 20% supersoil (topsoil) . The pumice can be replaced with perlite or vermiculite, and the coco coir with peat moss. I'd recommend using only 10% peat moss, not 20%, if you're not using coco coir, and making up the difference with more supersoil, pumice, or even sand. This is because peat moss tends to be quite difficult to rewet and can make your mix impenetrable. For larger pots or direct-to-soil mixes, I like to add 5 to 10% lava rocks, 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm). I've had great success with this, but it can make digging or transplanting more difficult because you'll be hitting the rocks with your shovel or spade. Some people use worm castings for extra nutrients. I always mix in a little Osmocote slow-release fertilizer and sometimes bone meal.

Remember, there's no single perfect mix. Ultimately, you'll have to experiment with different ingredients until you find one that works for you. Just remember that cactus roots need airy, well-draining soil that re-waters easily. Use whatever material is most readily available locally. A simple way to determine if your mix is ​​suitable for cacti is to check each time you water. Water shouldn't sit on the surface and slowly drain through the mix. Instead, the water should quickly soak through the pot and exit through the drainage holes at the bottom. Always make sure your pots have good drainage holes and that water can't pool at the bottom.

Waterfall

Their ability to survive in extremely hot, arid, and hostile habitats is a truly remarkable attribute of cacti. However, the idea that cacti don't need water or that they must actually avoid it to survive is undeniably false. The reality is that water is essential to the life of all cacti. Their reputation stems from their ability to survive in areas where water is scarce or infrequently available. Most desert cacti can withstand long periods of drought. This is because the last time water was available, they stored as much of it as possible in their tissues. Furthermore, cacti contain many characteristics that allow them to retain that moisture and avoid drying out in the heat of their environment.

Desert cacti are designed to thrive in their native environment, which most likely bears no resemblance to the environment you'll be growing them in. Even so, when it comes to watering cacti, there's no reason to artificially create drought. Whether potted or in the ground, a good time to water desert cacti is whenever the soil is dry . In hot, dry areas like Southern California in the summer, watering once a week is acceptable. In more humid or cooler areas, it may take three to four weeks before the soil dries out enough to warrant additional watering. The key, therefore, isn't to avoid watering, but rather to avoid overwatering. That said, it's always better to underwater than to overwater. Avoid watering if the soil is still moist. There are exceptions to every rule, and just like choosing the right soil, you'll need to experiment to find the best watering regime for your plants.

Light

Unlike jungle cacti, desert cacti typically prefer much more light. My desert cacti, which are planted directly in the ground, receive full sun all day and love it. My potted plants, seedlings, and newly rooted cuttings only receive half a day of sun. Sunlight will quickly kill off plants that aren't established. Therefore, it's unwise to move cacti to full sun until they have a healthy root system. Even if potted plants are established, full sun should be avoided. This is because the sun will heat the roots in the pots to much higher temperatures than roots in the ground. This isn't a natural condition, and roots aren't designed to survive high temperatures, so make sure your potted plants don't overheat. One way to prevent this is to use white pots instead of black ones.

If you're growing your potted plants indoors, it's highly unlikely you'll find a spot where your cactus gets too much light. If anything, the opposite will be true. If natural light is limited, you can use full-spectrum fluorescent lights to supplement or replace sunlight. You can get about 24 square feet of growing space under four 74-watt tubes for less than fifty dollars. It'll be easy to tell if your cacti need more light. Cacti that aren't getting enough light will exhibit spindly, elongated growth (etiolated). If you're unsure what normal growth should look like, look for images of your plant online or from other sources.

Conclusion

Growing cacti can be a lot of fun and doesn't require a lot of effort. Creating the growing environment that works best for you will likely require some trial and error. Once you've determined the best combination of soil, water, and light for your location, the cacti will do the rest. Cacti come in a wide range of unique and/or unusual growth forms. I've had a lot of fun growing cacti. I hope this information helps others find enjoyment in this hobby as well.