Cactus Plant Care

Cactus grow in deserts and need very little water. These are the main reasons which make growing and maintaining cactus plants a fairly easy job. Here are the standards that one needs to maintain when caring for cacti.

Light is one of the basic requirements for plants. If you want your cactus to flower, then provide it with filtered light. To achieve this, keep the plant inside the house, near a window through which a lot of light streams in.

So, do a little background research for information on cacti that you have in your garden or home. If you want to set up artificial lighting, use 1 watt incandescent bulb and 10 watt fluorescent light. Provide the plant with approximately 16 hours of artificial light.

For potted cacti, here is one of the best tips to know the perfect watering time. Insert a wooden pencil deep inside the pot. Take out the pencil. If there is damp soil sticking to it, do not water the plant. Only if the soil is dry, water the plant. By practicing this method for some time, you will get an estimate of watering period for the plant.

Buy plant food, such as a mixture of nitrates from a nursery. You can feed the plant thrice a year, that is during the spring, summer, and fall. If your plant has grown considerably big, since the first time you fertilized it, then all the nutrients in the soil must be replenished.

So, either repot or change the soil. Before using a fertilizer, research the individual cactus's fertilizer needs. Succulents plants mostly don't need any fertilizers, as they are very tough.

Store small cacti in clay dishes. After the cactus grow to a medium size, move them to pots. The size of the pot should be a bit larger than that of the root ball. It needs soil that remains moist but not wet. Always use a light soil mixture for cactus.

Prepare a light soil mixture, using 2 parts of commercial soil and 1 part gravel and add perlite or any other soil amendment for good drainage. Sterilize this soil mix in an oven at 180º F for 30 minutes. When moving plants with thorns, make sure you wrap the thorny areas with paper to avoid any injuries.

Most cacti need a dry environment. They can tolerate temperatures between 45 to 80º F. The area where they are kept should be well-ventilated. Maintain a dry and low humid air around the plants.

Cacti can get infected by pests easily. For pest-control, change the soil of the plant on a regular basis. Buy a commercial soil mix and sterilize it in the oven. If there is a lot of pest damage, use a pesticide spray. Rotting is another health problem, caused by over-watering and manhandling. Follow proper watering regime and avoid wounding of the plant.

Maintaining a cactus is a fairly easy job, and they are best suited for busy people. They make great as houseplants as they don't require much watering and make your home look beautiful. There are several species of cactus and succulents from which you can choose. So, buy some of these and create a beautiful garden.