Caring for Cacti!!!

[swanprincess]

I have three very small cacti who don't seem happy at the moment; they were sold in little pots with soil in, (I got them in August) should I re-pot them, and if so what kind of soil do I use?! Also, how often should a cactus be watered? They're looking a little droopy & seem to have kind of shrunk, so I'm not sure if I've watered them enough (however in the summer, their soil was dry to the touch but they appeared waterlogged, so I don't want to accidentally drown them!)

 

Sorry for the randomness of this question and thanks for any advice

[Jan McNulty]

I think it depends on the type of cactus.  I've got one in a 2 inch pot that my nieces bought me about 10 years ago.  From about two inches high it is now about 5 inches high and usually flowers once a year.  I have never repotted it and hardly ever water it!

[2dancersmum]

Does depend on the type of cacti but most are practically dormant over winter and rarely need watering.  Through spring and summer, generally water once a week - unless it is very hot - give them a good amount of water so that it comes out of the drainage holes in the bottom.  My husband used to have quite a few cacti and they were very difficult to kill off as they survived even if we forgot to water them .  We never repotted either but I would check if yours are getting root bound as I know the experts do suggest repotting on a regular basis and the retailer probably sold them in the smallest container possible.

[taxi4ballet]

Garden centres sell cactus compost in small bags in the houseplant section. You can re-pot them without getting pricked by folding newspaper into a long strip and using that to wrap around the cactus. When watering them, don't let them stand in water, let it run out through the drainage holes in the bottom.

[LinMM]

Cacti need plenty of grit in the mix with the soil!!

 

Have a look you may just need to add a bit.

 

Normally at this time of year they shouldn't need much watering but are they on a South facing window sill do you know?

[LinMM]

Yes another thing is with cacti it may be better to water them not directly into the actual pot but into the pot container/ under plate......so they can absorb the moisture throughs their roots.

 

They would really hate sitting in water though so just a bit once a week should be enough!

[Huddsballetmum]

Would love to be able to help Swanprincess but I can and have managed to kill cacti - am useless with plants ha ha!

[Sunrise]

I killed a lot of my first cacti through overwatering and poor drainage - they looked fine until I took a close look one day and found they had either rotted, or dried out and hollow in the middle!. I know better now to leave them alone, especially over winter. Now I'm back to moistening the soil once a week and they have come out of dormancy and are growing new leaves :-) You could try some cacti pellets to help perk them up. And you can buy any kind of growing medium online/on Amazon as well.