Cactus growing tips

Are you wondering how come cacti you buy in the store die within six months? Sometimes a bad care can be to blame, but another factor may be at play here. Some of these plants have gone through the so-called “live canning” process, which basically means that cacti only last a limited time. When this time is over they simply die. Well, they have been designed this way and the reason is simple. You have to buy a new cactus to replace it…

High-quality cacti

This is why you should buy cacti from growers and not from supermarkets. Private growers will give you plenty of good advice to ensure that your cactus is happy for a long time. However, if you have a cactus from the supermarket and you want to make it last, you need to follow certain procedure to save a plant that has been impregnated with glycerine and other preservatives. So, take a new flowerpot pot and get to work.

Photo: Pixabay

Soil

The substrate that comes with store-bought cactus is usually very poor and you must enrich it with special fertilizers. The very same store usually offers these fertilizers and the reason is the same. Profit. Some substrates made for cacti may contain a peat base. However, cacti only need about 10% of peat in soil. So, you should prepare your own soil using humus and sand. You can also add bits of red bricks, small stones, perlite, vermiculite.

Roots

First, take purchased cactus out of the container and put it on its side. Gently loosen the roots from the peat: small thin roots may break off, but try to keep the root system well branched. Do not remove too many roots. Only cut roots that show signs of damage and shorten those that are too long. Treat the cuts with aluminium powder or wood ash. You may let the cactus lie on its side with roots exposed for two to three days. This will break off the very fine roots. Do not worry. They will be replaced by new ones.

Flower pot

The material of the flower pot is not important at all. There are many designs and appearances but your cactus really does not care. When replanting, make ensure that the root neck (the part where the roots leave the stem) is not blocked, as this may cause rotting, which can kill your cactus. Make sure that water flows easily through the substrate and the best way to ensure this is to make a two-centimetre thick drainage layer at the bottom of the pot.

Transplanting

Hold the cactus over the flowerpot and gently and evenly spread its roots. Put it in and add the substrate so it reaches the root neck. Compact slightly. The root neck should be 1.5-2 cm below the top of the pot rim. Arrange small pebbles, coarse sand or broken red bricks or clay pieces around the root neck.

Source: https://vsaduidoma.com/pl/2018/08/07/posadka-kaktusov-sovety-professionala-shemy/

Preview photo: Pixabay