No Special Techniques Needed in Planting Cactus
No Special Techniques Needed in Planting Cactus
Cactus adds an interesting element to your home, especially if it is filled with regular household plants. They have character with their different colors, blooming flowers and interesting shapes and spines. It is these spines that you must be careful of when planting cactus in an indoor pot.
There are really two reasons why you may be planting cactus: it grew too large for its present container so you are transplanting it, or two, you just bought a small cactus and need to transplant it out of its dinky store container. Either way, there are a few tricks you can employ to avoid being a human pincushion when planting cactus.
Avoiding the Pricks
First of all, it is important to note that you do not want to transplant cacti often as it is a major shock to them. Planting cactus in new containers is best done in the spring when they are fresh out of dormancy. Use a small fork to loosen the dirt around the immediate base area of a small cactus so that the roots come up easily.
Then, using a pair of tongs, you can gently grasp the cactus to pull it out of its present container and use a small paintbrush to gently brush away the remaining soil clinging to the roots. This is especially important so that the cactus will better acclimate with its new soil and provide a clean new base if you are transplanting due to bug infestation of the soil.
With larger cacti, use newspaper and wrap it around the prickly spines gently and with a pair of gloves, slowly work the cactus out of its old container. Planting cactus is not without its share of boo-boo's as sometimes the spines do go through the newspaper, so you still have to be careful!
The Best Soil
You can take the easy way out and purchase a cacti soil mix when planting cactus in new containers or you can easily mix your own as well. The typical mixture for cactus soil is equal parts sand and potting soil. Depending on the cactus (read the directions that came from the store), sometimes you can put tiny pieces of lava stone or some other porous rock to aid in better drainage and a better soil balance.
When you are planting cactus into a new pot, you will want to put some cactus soil in the container but leave room for your cactus planting. Allow the base of the cactus to be somewhat level with the lip of the container and then add more soil as needed to completely fill the container and anchor the roots and cactus plant.
General Cacti Care
When planting cactus, keep in mind that it will need plenty of bright sunlight and also the warmest spot in the house as most of them do not like temperatures under 70°F. Water the cactus about once a week, allowing the soil to become completely dry between watering. Planting cactus takes a light hand but the beauty and presence it brings into your home are lovely.