Simple tips to take care of your succulents and cacti!

Today we will try to give some important tips for care to have with your cacti and succulents!

Care guidelines vary widely depending on the specific conditions of your garden, meaning the care to be taken in a warm and dry environment is very different from the care instructions for cool and humid places. Generally, cacti and succulents like to be kept warm and with dry soil. Cacti are very tolerant to circumstances below ideal, but with the best conditions produce the best results.

It is difficult to provide precise rules regarding the watering of cacti and succulents. Cacti should not be watered during the dormancy period, which occurs during the winter months. During winter, keep cacti dry, especially if they are kept in an environment with a very low temperature. Cacti should be watered during active periods.

A typical irrigation scheme (if the plants are protected from rain) can be: once in January, once in February, twice in March and 2 to 4 times a month during the growing season for cacti and 3 to 6 times for succulents, depending on both cases on the weather conditions.

Enough water should be given to absorb the entire soil. Excess water should drain freely. During the summer occasional rains do not cause damage, plants prefer rain to tap water. During a prolonged period of rain, however, cacti should be placed in a protected area.

Technically, the water should be free of chlorine, but tap water will suffice. Chlorine water may leave white spots on the cacti.

Cacti and succulents require regular feeding during the growing season (spring-summer). They need a balance of minerals. Potassium (K) to encourage flowers and fruits, Phosphorus (P) for good root growth and Nitrogen (N) for vigorous growth. Any commercial fertilizer for domestic plants serves, but an ideal proportion of nutrients is: 20% nitrogen, 20% potassium, 20% phosphorus and all other trace elements.

Adult and succulent cacti grow well in hot climates at a minimum temperature of 15C. Cacti usually need direct or filtered sunlight to perform photosynthesis. Natural light can be complemented by an artificial light source such as fluorescent lighting.

Cacti adapted to survive in rocky, sandy or claysoils with limited nutrients. However, the ideal substrate or the vase mixture has to drain quickly and still retain a little moisture. Always use a mixture with sand, the volcanic stone is optimal to ensure correct drainage. Most cacti prefer a slightly acidic soil.

Succulents generally better tolerate a simple, peat-based substrate, perlite and mixtura for succulents that you can usually find on large commercial surfaces.

Fortunately the cacti and succulents are very tolerant of imperfect conditions. As long as they are provided with minimally correct conditions and be careful in watering they will do the rest! 🙂

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