Light and air:
1. Succulents and Cacti should be kept in airy and lighting position around the year. A south-facing window is ideal for most types.
2. Few other succulents like Aloe, Gasteria, Haworthia etc. will be quite happy in under the shadow.
To keep them healthy, succulents should get sunlight falling on it for at least a part of the day. That means they need low light, either in morning or at afternoon sun. Only for 4 to 5 hours sunlight is enough.
3. If you have the north-facing window, which never gets any sunlight, try to install a plant light, or create an artificial light, using the mirror or put your plants outdoors in the sunlight.
4. Some Epiphytic cacti such as Christmas & Easter, Rhipsalis etc. are suitable for North-facing window. These plants give you better flowers under these conditions.
5. Never bring the cactus home and place it in the bright sun, cactus burns under the sun just like people.
Water for Cacti and Succulents:
1. Succulents need water when they are dry in the summer. Allow the plants to become dry before watering again as they don't like wet feet all the time.
2. Sprinkle can help keep the plants free from dust and look healthier. Exceptions are the rosette types where water gets trapped and cause rotting e.g. Echeveria.
3. The jungle cacti or epiphytes such as Orchid cacti or Christmas cacti need water every time.
4. In the winter, from November to February, most plants need no water at all, unless kept at a high temperature when a little water is needed to prevent undue shrivelling.
Food:
When you bring the plant home, most of the time it is in a small pot and it probably has grown there for a long time, which means it has used probably all the nutrients in the soil. So think about re-potting and setting up feeding program. Most cactus-like several small feedings than one large feeding. The other way is to give the plants food three times a year (spring, summer, fall) with a dilute solution of plant food like (5-10-5). This should do them well for the year.
When you bring the plant home, most of the time it is in a small pot and it probably has grown there for a long time, which means it has used probably all the nutrients in the soil. So think about re-potting and setting up feeding program. Most cactus-like several small feedings than one large feeding. The other way is to give the plants food three times a year (spring, summer, fall) with a dilute solution of plant food like (5-10-5). This should do them well for the year.
Flowers:
1. It is a myth that the cactus flowers only every seven years. Once the size of the bloom is reached, they bloom every year and some even bloom twice a year. Many cacti reach flowering size in two years, while some take ten years to mature. The latest plants are usually grown for their attractive thorns and flowers.
2. To produce flowers, cacti need a period of rest and fresh dry winter. A cold room is ideal for this. Given this rest, every season, and lots of sunshine, many varieties bloom on a window ledge, but there are some that produce better results in the greenhouse or conservatory. To facilitate successful growth, we give you the following - Echinopsis, orchid cactus (Epiphyllum), Gymnocalycium, Mammillaria, Rebutia (Aylostera) Notocactus, and also Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera).
3. Bloom has been greatly helped by regular feeding with a fertilizer high in potash during growing season. Each tomato fertilizer is ideal. Feed them every third watering.
Re-potting time:
1. When you cannot see any soil from the pot or if the cactus covers the pot, you need to re-pot.
2. The best way in this matter is a vessel two times bigger than the earlier post after 12 months.
3. In the larger plate, a good, gritty, porous compost is required as a mixture.
4. To make your own mix, we recommend 50% horticultural sand, 30% clogging or barren land, 15% perlite or pumice, 5% peat moss or potting soil. A slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote (NPK 18-16-12) can be added, which provides nutritional needs.
5. Move the plant away from the high ground of compost (peat/compost of leaves) content that tends to decompose in a year or two. Coir (coconut fibre) holds better the structure and serves as the renewable resource.
1. It is a myth that the cactus flowers only every seven years. Once the size of the bloom is reached, they bloom every year and some even bloom twice a year. Many cacti reach flowering size in two years, while some take ten years to mature. The latest plants are usually grown for their attractive thorns and flowers.
2. To produce flowers, cacti need a period of rest and fresh dry winter. A cold room is ideal for this. Given this rest, every season, and lots of sunshine, many varieties bloom on a window ledge, but there are some that produce better results in the greenhouse or conservatory. To facilitate successful growth, we give you the following - Echinopsis, orchid cactus (Epiphyllum), Gymnocalycium, Mammillaria, Rebutia (Aylostera) Notocactus, and also Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera).
3. Bloom has been greatly helped by regular feeding with a fertilizer high in potash during growing season. Each tomato fertilizer is ideal. Feed them every third watering.
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1. When you cannot see any soil from the pot or if the cactus covers the pot, you need to re-pot.
2. The best way in this matter is a vessel two times bigger than the earlier post after 12 months.
3. In the larger plate, a good, gritty, porous compost is required as a mixture.
4. To make your own mix, we recommend 50% horticultural sand, 30% clogging or barren land, 15% perlite or pumice, 5% peat moss or potting soil. A slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote (NPK 18-16-12) can be added, which provides nutritional needs.
5. Move the plant away from the high ground of compost (peat/compost of leaves) content that tends to decompose in a year or two. Coir (coconut fibre) holds better the structure and serves as the renewable resource.
