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Cacti

I was at Walmart today and was strolling by the plant section and saw a bunch of cacti sitting out. I have never tried growing a cactus before, but they seem like they wouldn't be too hard. They are some pretty unique plants too. I read that the biggest thing not to do is overwater them.

Anybody else grow them?
 
the ONLY cactus i can grow is the tropical/rainforest kind. i have never been able to grow the desert species. so im pretty sure there is more to it than keeping them dry. i know they need lots and lots of light but other than that i dont know. cacti are one of those that yah have to try for yourself and see if yah can grow them. no other way to know for sure.
 
I have killed so many cacti that I'm afraid to visit my parents, who've moved to Arizona.  I think the regional flora might seek revenge.

But I have two cacti now and one, a sort or barrelly cactus, blooms a lot.  It's maybe 3" tall and is in a clay pot slightly smaller than the cactus.  The the mix is a combination of sand and the seed starting mix I make.  It got knocked over about 1 1/2 years ago and I nevere refilled the pot, which is half empty.

The other cactus looks sort of like a collection of spiney fingers up to 4" long sprawling out of a pot maybe 1/2 the size of the cactus.  I don't remember what the mix is.  I put the cacti out with my orchids and Neps for the summer and make no effort to keep them out of the rain.  But with so little stuff around the roots, there's little that can happen to them.
 
True overwatering particularly at this time of year is the kiss of death. To prevent overwatering you need to go back to your soil mix. My soil mix is essentially one half potting soil and one half pea gravel(not really pea gravel but similiar size). When you take a hand full it feels like you have a hand full of rock. Thats when you know it is right. For most types of desert cactus in this potting mix water once a month (during winter)completely until water comes out the bottom holes of the pots. In the growing season I normally water once a week. Just like CPs and everything else. when you know a few basic tricks of what your plants like its is smooth sailing after that. Paul
 
I grow cacti and their soooo easy to grow. I have 5 of em right now growing on the windowsill (it's winter here) and their doing fine. Cacti are sort of confusing in a way that each species varies. Some like bright bright sunlight and some like it on the cooler shadier side. My aeionium (sp) got blisters on it's leaves last summer from the sun. I brought it inside and the blisters disappeared. On the other hand Some of my other Cacti get brightly colored in bright light. My Sedums get hot pink in the bright sun and their green right now. You really just have to experiment. Most cacti have similar watering needs. But some are different like Lithops absolutely DESPISE WATER. But all of my cacti I water once every two weeks. Now remember they are inside right now and if they'd be outside in the hot summer I'd probably water it once or twice a week. Other than that Cacti are pretty simple to grow. I've killed many more CPs than cacti. Hope that helps you if you decide to get some.

By the way, IMO Home Depot has a much better selection of cacti then Walmart. They are pretty cheap too. Not in the best condition but cacti are pretty easy to revive. They are very hardy.
 
Thanks guys. All of that is helpful.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]By the way, IMO Home Depot has a much better selection of cacti then Walmart. They are pretty cheap too. Not in the best condition but cacti are pretty easy to revive. They are very hardy.

I'd love to look at home depot.......but the closest one is about 4 hours away. Walmart is the best we have here
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I did get four of them, a pair of two different kinds. I have absolutely no clue on what they are. I will try and post some pictures of them tomorrow.
 
Yeah, what's so hard about growing cacti. My whole front yard is full of them. Well, the whole area around here is chock full of them too. Some are many tens of feet high too. I didn't have to plant them and I don't need to water, fertilize, or in any other way tend to them.
 
I also have many cacti about 6 plants only water once a month let the dirt dry out all the way before rewatering. I also use cacti dirt sold at walmart allows for well dranage
 
Not an expert on cacti, but I do maintain one of those round clay pots with the 3-cacti variety from Lowe's on my windowsill, in direct sun with the window sometimes closed and sometimes open almost every day, and I water it maybe once a month.
 
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