When we think of cacti, a series of plants with thorns that grow naturally in deserts immediately come to mind. In addition to that, you have to know that they are very easy to care for, so that we often find a great variety of species decorating homes.
However, problems can arise over time if they do not receive the care they need. Can anything be done to avoid it? Of course. Next we are going to offer you a series of tips so that you know how to care for an indoor cactus.
Place your cactus where the light shines
All the cacti that you want to put at home, they must receive a lot of natural light. The ideal would be to have them in a room with large windows that keep it with good lighting throughout the day, or even on the balcony. The only thing we would have to keep in mind is that we must rotate the pots so that all parts of the plants receive the same amount of light every day.
Use a substrate that drains well
akadama
It is one of the most important things, since the roots of cacti quickly rot if the substrate does not drain properly. Already in the first transplant, which must be done as soon as you buy them (except if it is autumn or winter, which then we would have to wait for spring), you have to put a very porous soil. A suitable mix would be peat black mixed with perlite 50%, but if there is high humidity in our area, it will be more advisable to use pumice, river sand or even akadama.
Water only when the ground is dry
When growing cacti indoors you have to control the watering a lot, and check that the soil is dry before watering it again. To do this, we can introduce a thin wooden stick and see how clean it comes out: in the event that a lot has adhered, we will not water because it will still be wet. Another thing we can do is weigh the pot once it has been watered and again after a few days: since wet soil weighs more than dry soil, we can be guided by this difference in weight to know when to water.
It is not advisable to put a plate under them or put them inside a pot. These plants do not like to have 'wet feet'. If we put them on, we will remove the water ten minutes after watering.
Fertilize them to grow
From spring to late summer you have to pay them with a compost for cacti, either liquid or granular. The instructions specified on the package must be followed at all times to avoid overdoing the dose, which could cause significant damage.
Change them pot once every two years
Cacti are very slow growing plants, so from year to year they may not have changed much. But if we want them to continue growing it is convenient that we remember to transfer them to a pot about 2-3cm wider than the one they have in spring. This way, your root system can continue to expand and, therefore, can continue to develop.
Do you need more info? Click here 🙂.