Do you also want to give your cactus or succulent the best care? We have identified the three most important points in this blog. This way you can take good care of your plants, and you may have a friend for life. Some cactus species can easily outlive us. The three essential points when caring for your cactus and succulent are light, water, and nutrition.
Light
Most cacti and succulents are real sun lovers, so always prefer to place them in a place with direct sunlight. There are a few exceptions, but these cacti and succulents also need a place with a lot of light. These plants usually grow in nature under another larger plant. As a result, they do not receive direct sunlight from the sun. You can find out which species this is the case in the care description at the bottom of the product articles.
If you would like to place your cactus or succulent plant outside so that it enjoys the sun, you should definitely do so. Most cacti and succulents like this a lot. In the beginning, be careful of sunburn. This is actually the same as sitting on the beach all day on the first hot summer day without sunscreen. So let them first get used to the brightness of the sun by building this up over a few days.
Cacti and succulents that are not winter hardy can be placed outside from early May to late October. Please note that there is no night frost. So give your cactus or succulent a light to sunny place, and they will be happy.
How do I know if my cactus or succulent is getting enough light?
Cacti and succulents will show you this automatically, they will continue to grow in the same shape and colour. Does the plant suddenly grow long and elongated? Or does the new growth have a much lighter green-white colour? These are two clear signs that you should put your cactus or succulent in a brighter place.
Water
Cacti and succulents grow in places in nature where there is not much water. There can be no water for months and then suddenly a lot of it. Sometimes so much that they simply wash away. This is (fortunately) different in our house. Watering varies by season. In summer, your cactus or succulent will like it if it is watered more often than in winter. When you water a cactus or succulent plant, two things are important:
1) When the soil is still wet (this also applies to the soil at the bottom of the pot), you do not need to water the cactus or succulent yet.
2) Water in proportion to the size of your cactus or succulent. Cacti and succulents do not absorb more water than they are big. Part of the water you give evaporates and part is absorbed by the plant. If you give too much water, the soil will remain wet/moist for an unnecessarily long time. Cactus and succulents don't like to be wet for a long time.
There are differences in how regularly a cactus or succulent plant needs water per season. That is why we have indicated this for each product in the care description.
Nutrition
A cactus or succulent could survive without nutrition. In nature, there is no one who gives them tasty plant nutrition every now and then. But that doesn't mean that your cactus or succulent can appreciate a little nutrition sometimes. This helps them support growth and keeps the plant's health good. The latter is useful for pests and fungi. We recommend nutrition once a month during the growth period. More frequent nutrition is really not necessary for cacti and succulents. If there is too much nutrition, the plants will take on a bloated appearance.
The growth period is again stated at the bottom of each product article in the care description.
Looking for good cactus and succulent plant nutrition? View our cactus and succulent plant nutrition HERE.
