Cactus

[IronFist]

Hey,

My friend gave me a cactus at the end of last semester when he moved out. I gave it to my friend, whose mom is a botanist (hobby, not profession) and she transplanted it into a new pot and put cactus soil in it cuz it was getting freaking huge and wasn't in a big enough pot. Now that this semester has started, she gave it back to me.

Ok, so how do I take care of it? I know they don't need much water, and they need a ton of sunlight, which may be hard cuz I live on the bottom floor of my apartment so I'm halfway underground. But, I don't want it to die. It's big, there's like 2 or 3 different types of cactus in the pot... one is like 3 feet fall, and grows straight up (although it's being supported by a tomato pole because of an accident transporting it). The other one is more expansive and curvey and only about 8 inches tall.

Anyway, how often should I water it or whatever to take care of it.

Are cactii (?) as good to have in your house as other types of plants?

IronFist

[dwid]

"Anyway, how often should I water it or whatever to take care of it."

Overwatering is the surest way to kill a cactus. I would suggest you water it like once a month, maybe once every 3 weeks if its in a really dry environment. When you water it, I would suggest pouring water over the whole plant and keep pouring until water starts to come out the bottom of the pot. Cactus soil is loose, so it doesn't retain much water.

"Are cactii (?) as good to have in your house as other types of plants?"

Cacti are awesome. They are hardy *******s, difficult to kill for even a lunk head like myself. As far as them being as good as other plants, I don't understand the question. They're more pointy than other plants, so if you like pointy, then I guess that's good. ;)

[Fish of Fury]

yeah, what dwid said...
just make sure when you water it you let the water drain away fully, cos if it sits in water/wet soil it'll die

[IronFist]

How do I let it drain away fully?

I just kinda water it and that's it. I don't flood it or anything. Probably 5-8oz of water at a time... and the pot is like maybe 14" across by 7 or 8" high.

IronFist

[joedoe]

Does the pot it is in have drainage holes in the bottom? If so, make sure the excess water drains away out of the drainage holes - don't let the pot sit in the water.

[IronFist]

I don't think so. It's in a cardboard box right now so I can't see the bottom.

Worst case scenario, what if it doesn't have holes? There's no plate or anything under it so I suspect there are no holes. Then what?

IronFist

[joedoe]

Options:

1) Be careful about the amount of water you give them
2) Don't be careful and run the risk of overwatering them
3) Drill some holes in the bottom
4) Transplant them into pots with drainage
5) Kill them now and end their suffering

Other than that, I don't know.

[IronFist]

Thanks.

IronFist

[dwid]

Move the cactus into a pot with a drainage hole. When you water it, move the pot to the shower or sink or something. Pour water on it until water comes out the bottom. Cactus soil is loose, so you can't water it like you do ordinary soil. Leave the cactus draining until water stops coming out the bottom. Then return it to wherever you keep it. You'll want to have a pot with some kind of saucer preferably to catch any leftover drainage. If there is no drainage hole in the current pot, there is a high likelihood of the cactus dying. An overwatered cactus is a disgusting thing. They sort of start to collapse under their own weight.

Good luck!