Some of the most common houseplants people try to keep are cacti and succulents. Although often sold as “low maintenance” these plants can actually be a little tricky for some people because they require some special conditions. In this post we’re going to be taking a look at cactus and succulents, what makes them unique, and how to grow them yourself.
Also a quick note that all cacti are technically types of succulents, but since most people think of them separately, I’ll continue to address them that way.
The common characteristic of most cacti and succulents is that they originate from very dry (usually hot and bright too) climates. In order to live in these areas, they have developed several strategies to survive under harsh conditions. The first and most obvious (especially with succulents) is that these plants store lots of water inside themselves. In deserts, it can often be weeks without rain, and because plants need water to survive and photosynthesize, these plants have adapted to store large amounts of water within their leaves and stems that they can draw from during dry periods. This is why you see many succulents with very thick, fleshy leaves because they are full of water. Additionally, most cactus have some sort sharp spines that allow them to protect their inner water reserves from thirsty animals.
These plants also have some other special adaptations such as a modified version of photosynthesis called CAM photosynthesis to reduce water loss (This isn’t a plant science class, but if you’re interested you can read more about CAM plants here). Many of these plants also have an extra thick layer of wax (called the cuticle) over their leaves, again to prevent water loss.
Now you’re probably saying “Ok… I really don’t care about the evolution of succulent plants I just need to know how not to kill them”, but this background information is actually important because it all leads to the same conclusion: Succulents and cacti come from desert conditions.
Desert conditions are usually bright and they’re usually dry, so the best way to care for your cactus or succulent is to replicate those conditions. You’ll want the brightest spot you can find in your house (Ideally a south facing window) or perhaps a grow light. Placing your succulent or cactus in a place without enough light will at best slow the growth and usually lead to the plant getting super thin, pale, and weak (a process called etiolation-see below image) before it finally succumbs and leaves you wondering what you did wrong.
The other part of that desert condition replication is usually what people mess up: Keeping it dry.
When a succulent is watered, it takes up large amounts of water and stores it in its leaves. Then it uses that water for its natural processes until the leaves start to get depleted. So while the plant still has plump leaves that are full of water, it doesn’t need you to water its roots. However, they are still living things, so when those leaves run out of water, its best to give the plant a nice soaking to allow it to rehydrate itself. This means you may not need to water for weeks at a time if the leaves are still firm and plump. Too frequent of watering can lead to the roots of the plant rotting off and eventually kill it.
The other thing that goes hand in hand with watering is the soil. Again, think about a desert, the soil isn’t rich and moist, its dry and full of coarse sand and rocks. This means that when it does rain, the soil doesn’t stay wet for long, as the water can drain right through. For best luck with your succulents or cactus, you should try to replicate this. Avoid cheap commercial potting mixes as they will hold too much moisture and drown your plants. You can read my post about potting mixes here in which I talk about how to mix your own and things to consider for specialty plant species like cacti and succulents. The main thing to remember though is that a good succulent mix is course and drains well. It would probably look something like this:
A final tip is that many people find terracotta pots to be more forgiving when growing these types of plants because the terracotta is porous and allows water to evaporate out the sides which can help prevent the dreaded root rot. That being said, any pot can work as long as it has adequate drainage.
So in summary (or for those who didn’t read this and just skipped to the end), to grow happy healthy succulents and cactus you’ll want to keep these things in mind:
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- Give them as much light as you can. If possible, add a grow light.
- Use a coarse, well draining potting mix made specifically for cacti or succulents.
- Use at minimum a pot with drainage holes
- Water deeply only when the soil is totally dry and the plant has begun to get a little soft and wrinkly.
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None of these things are particularly difficult, and overall these plants are really easy to care for if you can just meet a few basic conditions. Despite this, many people struggle with these plants, and its usually because they’re forgetting these plants come from deserts and aren’t doing a good job at simulating those conditions.