Cacti make a dramatic statement in hot, dry climates. They also make an easy-care houseplant for those of us whose thumbs are slightly brown-tinged. The key to maintaining succulents and cacti is neglect. Overwatering can be fatal, but if you don’t baby them too much, cacti are remarkably simple to maintain.
The spines of cacti are not poisonous, but they can irritate skin and cause infection if bacteria get into the wound. For that reason, wearing your Dig It Handwear® gloves is an absolute MUST when handling these pokey plants.
What you’ll need:
- 3-8 small cactus and succulent plants
- Large, shallow flower container
- cactus potting mix (or regular potting mix and sand mixed together in a 50/50 ratio)
- gravel
- Dig It Handwear® garden gloves
1. Line the bottom of a shallow container with gravel and cactus potting mix
2. An inch or so of gravel at the bottom of your pot will help with drainage. Add 2 or 3 inches of cactus potting mix and make indentations for your cacti. Keep your cacti warm while you work… they don’t like the cold!
3. Use your Dig It Handwear gloves to take the cacti out of their containers.
4. Beginning with the largest cactus, ease each plant gently out of its old container. Wear Dig It gloves and use tongs to lift the plants, so you don’t get stuck.
5. Arrange the cactus.
6. Place the largest cactus in the center of your pot. Arrange the rest of the plants around the largest center plant, before you pat down the soil, stand back and take a look from different angles to make sure you like the arrangement from all sides. Then use the back of a spoon to press the soil down around each plant.
7. Add gravel for decoration
Add gravel around the base of the plants to cover the potting soil. This gives a more natural look to your planter.Water the plants.
8. Mist the soil or sprinkle it lightly with lukewarm water. Repeat after the potting mix has looked very dry for a few days.
