Cactus & Succulent Care

How much water do they need?

Not much. A thorough watering every two to four weeks is plenty. Consider factors that affect your home’s humidity, like your local climate and the time of year, when determining a watering schedule for your plant. Succulents will be thirsty in hot summer months, but can go several weeks between watering in winter (their dormant season). The best thing to do is check the soil every few weeks. If it’s totally dried out, go ahead and water. If not, hold off on the extra H2O. The worst thing you can do is OVER water these juicy plants. Resist the urge to douse them once a week like your other house plants.

 

How much light do they need?

Succulents thrive in hot places with plenty of sunshine, so a sunny windowsill is the best place for your indoor succulents. Your plant will be happy as long as you can give it at least indirect filtered light for at least four to six hours daily. If your space is very dimly lit and there’s no sunny window in sight, consider watering less frequently.  Succulents have a natural tendency to stretch if it’s too dark, so if you start to see elongated growth try to move your plant to a brighter location.  Just be careful not to put them in direct outdoor sunlight or they may get severely burned from the sun.  This is especially important in the heat of the Summer.

 

Wait, what about fertilizer?

Fertilizing isn’t totally necessary, but it will help your slow-growing succulent get bigger more quickly than watering alone. A general purpose 20-20-20 fertilizer will do the trick. Cut it to ¼ strength and use with every watering from March through mid-September.  For indoor items such as terrariums or container gardens we don’t recommend fertilizing unless your goal is to grow the plants quickly. 

 

Rooting in Cuttings

If you’ve placed an order for cuttings, they’re very simple to root in.  Please allow 1 day for the plants to “breathe” after you take them out of the box.  After that, you can place them on potting soil that has good drainage, allowing the medium to dry between waterings.  Within 1-2 weeks your cuttings will root into the soil and will begin to grow!

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Will my cactus reflower each year?

The short answer is YES! Though fleeting, cactus blooms are beautiful and worth a bit of extra effort to get the plant to flower – usually anytime from mid-spring to late summer. We recommend keeping your cactus in a cool, dry place from November through late February. Let the plant dry out thoroughly during this time. Then begin your regular watering schedule in March and wait for the amazing show your plant has in store!