I’ve always liked cacti and succulents. I think, in big part it’s because I associate them with happy holidays in warmer places like the Canary Isles.
Cactus Garden in Lanzarote
They’re very easy to keep, if you follow a few simple rules, and they make ideal houseplants. In my opinion, the best houseplants thrive on neglect and that’s very true of cacti and succulents.
Their natural home is poor soil in arid, hot climates where they’re lucky to get watered, never mind the attention many houseplants need to thrive. In a window where things can get warm on a sunny day but quite chilly at night isolated from the room behind curtains, they’re getting similar conditions to a desert’s hot days and cold nights.
Christmas Cactus – unusually, this cactus benefits from the occasional misting.
Cactus or Succulent?
Technically, all cacti are succulents. Both have evolved to live in a harsh, arid, hot environment by ‘holding their breath’ in the heat of the day and exchanging gases in the cooler night. This is to conserve precious moisture. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.
Generally, succulents have smooth, fleshy leaves but cacti are leafless with thick, ribbed or cylindrical stems. Some succulents may have thorns or spikes which grow directly from the skin, but cacti have areoles. Which are small, cushion-like bumps where spines grow.
Regardless, both are looked after in the same way.
Pots for Cacti & Succulents
Cacti and succulents in Artketty shallow bowl from Amazon
You can plant into a normal houseplant pot, but this can be a problem if you overwater the plant. Almost guaranteed to kill your cactus, too much water or sitting in wet compost will cause it to rot.
A normal houseplant pot has a solid base to prevent water draining onto furniture or shelves, etc. But special pots for cacti and succulents have a drain hole, so they need something under them like a plate to prevent that damage.
Where I want to use a normal houseplant pot, without a hole in the base, I plant into a normal plastic pot. Then I put some gravel in the base of the exterior pot to keep the internal pot off the base, before placing the plastic pot into the houseplant plot.
An hour or so after watering, lift the plastic pot out and drain any water from the houseplant pot. If you’re finding water, you’re watering too much but it’s very easy to do.
Often cacti are grown in shallow bowls. Some, but not all, succulents develop large, deep root systems but cacti have shallow, wide-spreading roots. In the right spot, a shallow bowl with a number of plants looks fantastic. A miniature desert.
This Echinopsis puts on a spectacular flower display.
Location
Basically they want somewhere sunny and dry. A south-facing window is great but beware strong sunlight through glass which can cause scorching. Outside there is air movement, even on a still, windless day, which helps take away excess heat.
You can help plants in danger of scorching by setting up a small fan or, just move them during the hottest part of the day.
Avoid kitchens and bathrooms, they won’t like the constant humidity. Don’t place cacti in dark areas, far from the window.
Growing Medium (Cactus Potting Mix)
You can buy special cactus potting compost, but it’s very easy to make your own. I’ve often seen it suggested to use perlite to lighten cactus compost but I don’t. Perlite, being very light, tends to come to the surface and looks unsightly.
My cactus mix by volume:
- 2 parts horticultural sand
- 2 parts sieved multi-purpose potting compost
- 2 parts medium vermiculite
- 1 part horticultural grit
Mix well. If you’ve not got vermiculite, you can replace with perlite or an extra part of horticultural grit.
Planting
Start with a thin layer of grit or gravel to ensure drainage. Then fill with the growing medium. Firm down well. With cacti, just sit them into the surface to cover what roots there are. Succulents deeper root systems need covering but avoid planting the body under the surface.
Finally, cover the surface with grit or decorative gravel.
Watering Cacti & Succulents
If the growing medium is damp, you only need to give a small amount of water to settle things down. If it’s bone dry, then give a little more but don’t soak the compost. Remember, more cacti are drowned in the house than die of thirst.
In winter, lightly water once a month, even if the compost seems bone dry, resist the urge to water. Once spring arrives and daylight hours increase to over 12 hours, water more frequently, every week or two is usually plenty.
Cacti and Succulents
Feeding Cacti & Succulents
Cacti don’t need, or want, much feeding. I’ve had good results by feeding once a month from spring to autumn with S-Chelate 12 Star or S-Chelate Cultiv-8 mixed with Baby Bio. The improvement with the micro-nutrients in S-Chelate is remarkable. But don’t over feed, your cacti don’t want too much of a good thing!
