New joining in the planting family? Planning on growing and taking care of a cactus? Good job. Cactus is one of the best plants for a trainee planter. Any housewife or a full-time jobaholic can take care of this plant. Some people love arts around their house, while others prefer showpieces like house plants from Floom. But plants like roses might look good, but they require the extra hand to stay perfect. On the other hand, cactus requires the least amount of effort to stay in perfect shape.
Why you should grow and care for cactus plants
Cactus are found around deserted areas due to their adaptation to low quantities of water and extreme heat. With a survival age of over one hundred years in the wild, this plant is the one you don’t have to worry about. This plant is not a tough nut to crack like making snake plants bloom.
A cactus plant may not require a lot of care and effort; however, this plant cares for you. This plant provides multiple health benefits to human beings.
Cactus juice is used in multiple creams and lotions due to it’s high quantity of Vitamin C, A, & E. Cactus juice helps in making your skin fresh and reduces aging of the skin at an amazing level. Not only that, it also works as a moisturizer for human skin and has amazing toxin-fighting abilities.
Cactus juice is not only beneficial for your skin but also your health. A health freak who worries and cares a lot about their health should have a cactus plant at their home. These cactus plants are an amazing replacement for all the harmful medicines out there. Cactus fruits help in fighting cholestrol and fat levels in the human body with various other diseases like stroke.
Due to the amazing quantity of nutrients cactus holds, it helps in tackling high blood sugar, which saves you from diseases like diabetes or stroke. In short, if you properly care for a cactus, it will remember and help you back.
How can you care for a cactus plant properly?
Even easy-to-care plants like cacti have some instructions that you should not forget. Easy or not, they are still alive plants that will need something for survival. Leaving them empty in dull places with no light and absolutely no water will cause a proper burnout for them.
The Perfect Plant
Most of us know cactus plants due to their spikes. But there is a lot more than spikes in cacti. With more than 500 species around the world, caring and growing might be easy, but selecting the one you want will be a little complicated task.
Cacti like Ginsa Maru are one of the easiest to care for cactus plants out there. Ginsa Maru requires a good amount of sunlight but requires very low quantities of water. Other cacti, like orchid cactus plants, are easy to grow and look beautiful at the same time. Other easy-to-maintain cactus plants are Barrel Cactus, Prickly Pear Cactus, & Mammillaria.
Soil
Cactus soil is a mixture of potting soil and succulent soil. The reason for using this specific soil is the water drainage strength. Cactus cannot manage a high quantity of water, so the soil has to be quick in draining water. If the pot is found with a good quantity of water every time, it will eventually die.
Using a pot with a drainage hole is also mandatory, so the water flushes out and does not stay with the plant for a long time. The soil of cacti consists of organic and inorganic materials and can be made at home; there is no need to run to stores for it. A mixture of grit, pertile, and pine bark is enough to make soil for cactus plants.
Proper Lighting
Cactus plants love the sun, so please fulfill their needs. Cactus plants need fresh and undisturbed sunlight in order to grow properly. Primarily found in deserts, these plants can thrive in low quantities of water but not in low quantities of lighting.
If you live in an area where lighting can be an issue, artificial lighting is a good way to keep your plant fresh and growing. However, since they enjoy warmth, keeping them near air conditioners can cause serious damage to your plants.
A solid 6 hours of sunlight is compulsory for the cacti to stay sharp. Leaving it near a window with uninterrupted sunlight is perfect, and no movement is required.
Water Level Alert
You may think that, like all plants, cacti require water at all times to stay fresh and healthy. But, in the case of cactus plants, you should be cautious of the water level at all times.
The major point of cacti being an easy-to-care plant is the water level. The majority of us forget to water plants very often, but this is not an issue for cactus plants. The major thing you have to take care of in cactus plants is the low water level.
Watering cactus plants should take place after every 2-3 weeks in the winter. In summer, check the top 2-3 inches of layer, which needs to be dry in order for more water. In cases of wet top layers, frequent watering will rot the roots of plants, eventually causing the plant to die.
Temperature
Cactus plants are the king of warm weather. They can tolerate heat from deserts; being house plants can be rough due to their high temperature addiction. Giving them a summer vacation can be very healthy for them.
A proper summer vacation for the love and care of cactus plants is outdoor placement. Take your cactus plant outdoors and keep it in direct sunlight in the summers to keep it fresh and healthy.
The winter season can be alarming for the cactus plants. Provide proper filtered lighting for their survival, and reduce the number of times the plant is provided water. The water will be evaporating slowly during winters, and constant refills will be very harmful.
Fertilizing
Cactus plants are not much of a hungry plant, so they require a low volume of fertilizing. Still, no fertilizing is a no-no for cactus plants. Fertilizing will help in keeping every plant around the world fresh and healthy; cactus is obviously one of them.
For proper care and nurture of your cactus plant, fertilize it once a month. Use fertilizers that contain a higher level of phosphorus and potassium and lower levels of nitrogen. With this pace of fertilization, the cactus will always look fresh and healthy.
Common FAQ’s on proper care of a cactus plant
Can a cactus plant get sunburned, and if it does, how to recover it?
Yes, even the kings of sunlight can get sunburned and will fade in color if sunlight is provided directly for more than the required hours. In order to recover your burned baby plant, place it in shade or cover it with a heavy fabric so sunlight can’t directly hit your plant.
Is it easy to deal with pests on a cactus plant?
Even these “built different” plants have some weakness. Cactus plants can be easily harmed if pests are involved, due to the loving environment they are provided with. If pests become a problem for your plant, do work on these tips.
Use a cotton swab with 70% rubbing alcohol and rub directly on the pests to get rid of them. While others can be removed with the help of insecticidal soap and a little spray from a water jet. Introducing ladybugs can help in getting rid of those mean spiders.
