The mother-in-law cactus or gold ball cactus, which comes from Mexico, is just as popular as the Christmas cactus and can therefore often be found in living rooms at home. Caring for this cactus is relatively easy, so the plant is also suitable for beginners.
How do I care for a mother-in-law cactus?
The mother-in-law cactus needs a sunny location, cactus soil or a mixture of soil, clay granules and sand, plenty of water in summer and sparing watering in winter. Fertilize monthly with cactus fertilizer from April to September and leave the plant without fertilizer in the winter.
How to plant the mother-in-law seat
The mother-in-law seat thrives best in special cactus soil or a mixture of soil, sand and clay granules in approximately equal parts. The granules should be permeable so that no waterlogging can occur. In order to get a beautiful spherical shape, the gold ball cactus needs a lot of light. Otherwise it will grow more in height than in width.
In the summer, the gold ball cactus is welcome to move into the garden or onto the balcony. However, you should slowly accustom it to direct sun. At first, only put the cactus outside for a few hours. A place protected from rain is ideal.
How to water and fertilize the mother-in-law seat properly
During the growth phase in summer, the mother-in-law seat needs a lot of water, but it should drain well. Therefore, a drainage layer in the pot is important. Simply place a few shards of pottery over the drainage hole before adding the soil to the pot.
Fertilizer is good for your mother-in-law from April to September. It is best to use special cactus fertilizer (€5.00 on Amazon). However, one dose per month is sufficient. Immediately after repotting or replacing the soil, no fertilization is necessary for a few weeks. The fresh soil contains enough nutrients.
The mother-in-law seat in winter
If you gave your mother-in-law a place in the garden in the summer, then remember to bring the cactus back into the house in the fall. The change is necessary at the latest when the temperatures are permanently at 5 °C to 10 °C. In winter, water your mother-in-law seat only moderately and avoid fertilizer at all.
The most important things in brief:
- easy care
- Location: as sunny as possible
- Soil: cactus soil or mixture of soil, clay granules and sand
- water abundantly in summer, sparingly in winter
- Fertilizer: Cactus fertilizer monthly from April to September
Tip
The mother-in-law likes to spend the summer in a garden spot protected from the rain. However, he should slowly get used to direct sunlight.
