How to Take Care of a Cactus for Beginners

Cactus is the latest trend in decoration. It is an ideal plant to give as a gift because it is beautiful and requires little care. Find out how to take care of a cactus and so that it grows healthy and strong.

There are some recommendations that can be super useful if you want to learn how to care for a cactus. It is a fairly simple task because it does not require much attention. What’s more: it is the ideal plant if you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to it.

How to Prepare Soil for Cactus

To begin, it is important to prepare the soil where the cactus will be planted. This step does require a bit of time and information because it is key to the proper growth of the plant.

Mix a part of the black soil with organic compost, which can be a mixture of coconut fiber, dry leaves, bark, and peat. You can also add charcoal to the mixture to prevent the development of fungi, which is a very common pest that makes cacti and all plants of the succulent species sick.

    Place the mixture in a large pot and fill it leaving about 5 cm free above so that the plant grows better.

    Make sure the soil is loose and aerated so the water drains well each time you water it.

How Often Watering a Cactus

Barely moisten the soil. This step is key because abundant watering will only cause the cactus to rot and die. The ideal frequency of irrigation is 1 time per month in winter and, in summer, 2 times per month.

How to Take Care of a Cactus for Beginners: Light

Cacti need to be in an environment with lots of natural light. If they are inside the house, it is best to put them near a window, so that they receive a lot of indirect light as well. If they are outdoors, they resist the sun and heat well, but if you put them indoors in a gallery it is better because they will not suffer an excess of “watering” when it rains.

blooming cactus
Blooming Cactus at Colorado Grand Canyon, USA.
saguaro cactus
Saguaro Cactus, Arizona, USA.
cactus snow grand canyon
Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA.
cactus snow arizona
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA.

About Julia Morgan

We are the Morgans, Henry, and Julia, both agronomists from the University of Michigan, where we met. We are experts in putting our hands in the soil and developing organic foods and improving production processes for decades. Likewise, we have worked for companies such as Mondelez International, BASF, Monsanto, etc. currently in our role as science writers for TheGardenStyle.com as well as advisors in promoting large scale food growing in urbanized areas. In this website, we share what we are most passionate about, gardening and farming. Enjoy and see real photos on our website. We hope that all our advice will be useful to you and that you will become an expert gardener.

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