Cacti are indestructible, forgive many care mistakes and enchant us with a beautiful blooming period. Proper planting plays a central role in ensuring that the prickly survival artists feel comfortable far away from their homeland. Here you will receive compact, practical answers to important questions.
How do I plant a cactus correctly?
To plant cacti, choose a sunny, warm location with a mineral-humous cactus or succulent substrate. Wear thorn-proof gloves and remove old substrate before adding a drainage layer and cactus soil. After 8-10 days of regeneration time, water with lime-free water.
Where do cacti want to grow?
The vast majority of popular cacti are native to the sunlit, hot steppes and dry deserts of South and Central America. Therefore, select the location according to the following criteria:
- Sunny, warm window seat with shade in the blazing midday sun in summer
- Ideally from May to September on the sunny balcony under a rain cover
- From November to February in a bright, cool location with 5 to 12 degrees Celsius
Only leaf cacti, such as the Christmas cactus, are satisfied with a partially shaded location.
Which substrate is best suited?
Please only use special cactus or succulent substrate (€26.00 at Amazon) from specialist retailers. If you would like to mix the soil yourself, we recommend a mix of 40 to 60 percent humus and 40 to 60 percent mineral components, such as pumice gravel, lava granules or expanded clay. Commercially available potting soil is completely unsuitable for cacti.
What should you pay attention to when planting?
Cacti from the garden center or supermarket are rarely in the right substrate and suitable pot. By planting the plants professionally immediately after purchasing them, you will give your new roommates a warm welcome. How to do it right:
- Put on thorn-proof gloves
- Unpot the cactus and remove the substrate with a root claw or wooden stick
- Pour a thin layer of expanded clay into the new pot as drainage
- Pour the mineral-humous cactus soil on top
Plant the cactus at the same depth as it was in its previous pot. After 8 to 10 days of regeneration, water the plant with lime-free water. If the cactus has buds and is about to bloom, please wait before watering. Watering is only carried out when the buds are about to open.
How do cacti propagate?
There are several options available to you to propagate cacti:
- offshoot
- Kindel
- Cuttings
If you already have a we alth of gardening experience and a lot of patience, sowing seeds is another option for breeding.
Repotting cacti – When is the best time?
Since cacti grow slowly, changing to fresh soil and a larger pot is only necessary every 2 to 5 years. The best time is between March and May, when the plants have finished their winter dormancy. At this time the substrate is still dry, so the work is easy to do.
Tip
A variety of magnificent cactus species, such as Opuntia or Echinocereus, are hardy and can be planted in beds. The succulents feel best in a sunny, rain-protected location. Plant the reinforced exotics in spring in a lean, coarse-grained, sandy-dry soil in which mineral components dominate.
