How to Take Care of a Cactus Indoors

When we think of cacti, a series of plants with thorns that grow naturally in deserts immediately come to mind. Besides that, you have to know that they are very easy to care for, so much so that we often find a great variety of species decorating homes.

However, problems can arise over time if they do not receive the care they need. Can anything be done to avoid it? Of course. Next we are going to offer you a series of tips so that you know how to take care of a cactus indoors.

1. Place your cactus where the light shines

All the cacti that you want to put at home must receive a lot of natural light . The ideal way would be to have them in a room with large windows that keep it with good lighting throughout the day, or even on the balcony. The only thing we should keep in mind is that we must rotate the pots from time to time so that all parts of the plants receive the same amount of light.

Alternatively if your place do not receive a lot of natural sunlight, we recommend using cactus grow lights to supplement their growth.

2. Use a substrate that drains well

It is one of the most important things, since the roots of the cactus rot quickly if the substrate does not drain properly. Already during the first transplant, which must be done as soon as you buy them (except if it is autumn or winter, which then we would have to wait for spring), you have to use a very porous soil. A suitable mixture would be black peat mixed with 50% perlite, but if there is high humidity in your area, it will be more advisable to use pumice, river sand or even akadama.

3. Water only when the soil is dry

When growing cacti indoors, you have to control the watering a lot, and check that the soil is dry before watering it again. To do this, we can insert a thin wooden stick and see how clean it comes out: if a lot of soil has adhered, do not water because it will still be wet. Another thing we can do is weigh the pot once it is watered and again after a few days: as wet soil weighs more than dry soil, we can be guided by this difference in weight to know when to water.

It is not advisable to put a plate under them or put them in a cache pot. These plants do not like to have ‘wet feet’. If you put them on, we recommend removing the water ten minutes after watering.

4. Fertilize them to grow

From spring to late summer, they must be fertilized with a cactus fertilizer, either liquid or granulated. The indications specified on the package must be followed at all times to avoid overdoing the dose, which could cause significant damage.

5. Change the pot once every two years

Cacti are very slow growing plants, so from year to year they may not have changed much. But if we want them to continue growing, it is convenient that we remember to transfer them to a pot about 2-3cm wider than their current one in spring. This way, their root system can continue to expand and, therefore, can continue to develop.