Content

• Method 2 of 3: Caring for your cactus
• Method 3 of 3: Troubleshooting Common Cactus Problems
• Tips
• Warnings

1 Collect seeds from existing cacti or purchase commercial seeds. When it comes to obtaining seeds for your cactus, you have two options: buying seeds from a gardening store or supplier, or picking yourself from a cactus you already have in your possession. Here, you are essentially choosing between price and convenience - store-bought seeds are cheap and pre-packaged, while self-harvested seeds are free but take a little more work to collect.

• If you buy seeds, you shouldn't have too many problems finding where they are sold. Many traditional gardening shops sell cactus seeds, although online shopping sites will make it easy for you to browse hundreds of varieties before ordering.
• If, on the other hand, you want to collect your own seeds, start by looking for seed pods or fruit on a cactus. As a rule, these are brightly colored lateral processes on the main body of the cactus that carry the flower. When the flower falls, the seed pod or fruit is ripe and ready to be harvested (assuming there has been pollination).

2 If you are harvesting seeds from cactus seed pods, collect the pods. Remove the seed pods or fruit from the cactus before they dry. The boxes should not be full of moisture, but should still be damp to the touch on the inside. The seeds themselves, which are in a box or in a fruit, may differ in appearance from cactus to cactus. Some seeds will be distinctively black or with reddish dots clearly visible from each other, while other seeds may be so small that they look like sand or dust.

• One good indicator of maturity is when the boll is detached from the cactus. "Ripe" bolls with mature seeds should be torn off with a slight twist of the hand, leaving the inner fiber / cotton on the cactus.

3 Next, collect the seeds from the pods. After you have collected all the mature pods from your cactus, it's time to remove the seeds themselves from the pods. Start by using a sharp knife to cut off the tops of the pods. Next, cut off one side of the capsule, exposing the seeds. Finally, remove the seeds by carefully scrubbing the inside of the pod.

• Getting tropical cactus seeds may be different from getting desert cactus seeds, but the general concept is the same - pluck the fruit from the plant and open it to expose the seeds. For example, the seeds of the Christmas cactus, a type of tropical cactus, can be harvested with fruits similar to blueberries and by squeezing or tearing the fruit open it to produce small black seeds.

4 Sow the seeds in well-drained soil. Whether you have purchased seeds or are harvesting them from an existing cactus, plant them in clean, shallow containers filled with suitable soil. Moisten the soil thoroughly before planting, but do not let stagnant water remain. Next, spread the seeds over the top of the soil (without covering them). Finally, cover the seeds with a very thin layer of soil or sand. Cactus seeds have only a small amount of stored energy and, if planted too deeply, will not reach the surface before the energy runs out.

• It is important to use well-drained soil for planting your cactus, especially if you are dealing with a desert species. Because desert cacti do not receive large amounts of water in their natural habitat, they can be susceptible to root diseases if moisture in the soil is not allowed to drain. Try using high quality potting mixes high in pumice or granite for exceptional drainage.
• If the soil you are using for planting is not pasteurized (this should be indicated on the package), you may consider heating it on a stove at about 150 ° C for half an hour. This will kill any pests or pathogens in the soil.

5 Cover the container and place it in the sun. After you have moistened the soil and sowed the cactus seeds, cover the container with a transparent lid (like a plastic wrap) and place it in a place where the seeds will receive a good amount of sun - a sunny window is a good place. Sunlight should not be intense or constant, but it should be bright for at least a few hours every day. The transparent lid will trap moisture in the container as the cactus begins to sprout, allowing the light to reach the cactus.

• Be patient as you wait for your cactus to sprout. Depending on the type of cactus you are growing, germination can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.
• Tropical cacti are grown in a shady environment under a jungle canopy and thus tend to require less sun than desert cacti. You can usually grow a tropical cactus in a brightly lit area that does not receive direct sunlight. For example, hanging pots under a shaded canopy are a great spot for tropical cacti.

6 Keep tropical cacti at a steady, warm temperature. While desert cacti in their natural environment are regularly exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations (from very hot during the day to very cold at night), tropical cacti enjoy pleasant, constantly warm weather. Therefore, it is a wise idea to grow tropical cacti in an area where they will not experience strong, direct sunlight during the day or cold at night. Try to keep tropical cacti at 21-24 ° C - greenhouses are great for this.

• Unless you live in the tropics, you should probably grow your tropical cactus indoors, where the temperature and access to sunlight are much easier to control.

Method 2 of 3: Caring for your cactus

1. 1 When the first thorns appear, let the plant air out. A few weeks after you have planted new cactus seeds, your seedlings should begin to germinate. Cacti tend to grow rather slowly, so it can take a month or more. After all, you should be able to see the first tiny appearance of your cactus thorns.When this happens, let the cactus breathe by removing the clear cover for a day. As the cactus grows, you can leave the cover on for longer periods until the plant is well established and no longer needs cover.
   • It should be noted, however, that this will increase the rate at which water evaporates from the soil. This means you need to start watering. Try to do this carefully - don't let the soil dry out completely, but never leave standing water in the container from over-watering.
   • Note that many tropical cacti will not have thorns, so in this case, simply remove the lid as soon as the seedlings sprout.
2. 2 Repot the cacti when they are well established. As noted above, cacti grow rather slowly. Depending on the type of cactus you have, it should take 6 months to 1 year to grow to the size of a large ball. At this point, it is a wise idea to transplant the cactus into another container. Like most potted plants, keeping a cactus in a container that is small for it can cause the plant to be hungry for nutrients, inhibiting its growth and even killing it.
   • To transplant a cactus, use sturdy gloves or a shovel to remove the whole plant, roots and everything from the growing environment. Place it in a new, larger container with the same type of soil, compact the soil around the cactus and water.
3. 3 Give the cacti shade to help them recover from the transplant. As you can see, the aerial part of your cactus grows, as well as its roots. As your cactus grows larger and larger, which can take years, you may need to replant it several times. However, since the transplanting process can be stressful for the plants, it is important that you allow your cactus to "recover" after each transplant. Instead of keeping the transplanted cactus in a location where it receives a good amount of sunlight, try to keep it in a shade or partially shaded area until its roots recover. Gradually bring the cactus back out into the sun for a month or so.
4. 4 Water infrequently. Rooted cacti have less vigorous watering requirements than most other indoor plants. Although they require water, they have a reputation for being hardy plants. Most desert cactus species require little water once they are fully rooted. While individual cactus species may differ in the amount of water they need, a good general rule of thumb is that the soil should be completely dry before watering. Depending on the temperature, this means waiting a month or more between waterings.
   • Remember that cacti grow slowly, gradually. Thus, they do not need very much water. Watering more often than necessary can cause problems for the plant, including root diseases that can kill the plant.
   • Tropical cacti are an exception to this rule, as they naturally acclimate to a more humid environment than desert cacti. While you can water them more if you have a tropical cactus, you should still wait until the soil is dry before each new watering.
5. 5 Fertilize young plants during the growing months. Although, as noted above, cacti grow slowly, their growth can be supplemented during the growing months of the spring and summer period with the application of light fertilization or plant nutrition. Cacti generally require less fertilizer than other plants - try using a diluted liquid fertilizer solution once a month. Mix a small amount of liquid fertilizer with an equal amount of water, and then use this mixture to water the cactus as you would normally.
   • The exact amount of fertilizer to use can vary depending on both the type of cactus you are growing and its size.Specific information should be on the fertilizer packaging.

Method 3 of 3: Troubleshooting Common Cactus Problems

1. 1 Prevent rot by avoiding over-watering. One of the most common problems when it comes to potted plants is fungal rot (also called root rot). This calamity usually occurs when the roots of a plant are in contact with moisture that cannot properly dry out, it becomes stagnant and encourages fungal growth. This can happen with most potted plants, but desert cacti are especially sensitive as they naturally require only a small amount of water compared to other plants. The best cure for rot is a preventative measure: just avoid over-watering in the first place. Generally better underwater than over water when it comes to cacti. Also use good quality soil with good drainage for all cacti.
   • If your plant rots, it may become bloated and soft, brownish and / or rotten, with possible surface breakdown. Often, but not always, this condition moves upward from the bottom of the plant. Treatment options for post-rot rot are limited. You can try removing the cactus from the pot, cutting off slimy, blackened roots and dead tissue above the ground, and replanting it in a new container with clean soil. However, if the root damage is extensive, the cactus will die anyway. In many cases, it is necessary to discard the rotted plants to prevent the spread of the fungus to neighboring plants.
2. 2 Increase sun exposure gradually to treat etiolation. Etiolation is a condition in which a plant experiences weak, painful growth because it lacks light. Etiolated cacti are often thin, brittle and pale, and light green in color. The etiolated part of the plant will grow towards the adjacent light source, if any. Although etiolation is permanent, in the sense that painful growth that has already occurred cannot be reversed, future etiolation can be limited by providing the plant with sufficient sunlight.
   • However, do not immediately place the etiolated cactus in an area with intense, direct sunlight. Instead, gradually increase the amount of sun for the plant each day until you notice that it is growing normally. Exposing any plant to dramatically increased sunlight can be stressful to the plant when you expose an etiolated cactus to that level of sunlight - it can be fatal.
3. 3 Avoid phototoxicity by limiting sun exposure after using pesticides. If you've ever noticed that you've got a particularly bad tan after being in water, you've experienced something akin to phototoxicity - a dangerous disease that can affect your plant. After the oil-based pesticide is applied to the plant, the pesticide oil remains on the surface of the plant, acting as a kind of "tanning lotion" by increasing the intensity of the sun's rays. This can cause those parts of the plant where oil is present to burn, turn gray and dry out. To avoid this, place the cactus in a shaded area for a few days until the oil-based pesticides do their job before returning the cactus to the sun.
4. 4 Do not be intimidated by natural clogging. One aspect of the life cycle of cacti that most people are not familiar with is the “clogging” process, in which a hard, brown, bark-like surface slowly begins to develop on the lower parts of a mature cactus.While this condition may seem serious because it replaces the natural green surface with one that appears to be dead, it is not really a sign that the plant is in danger and is generally ignored.
   • Natural blockage usually begins at the base of the plant and can slowly creep upward. If the "blockage" starts elsewhere on the plant, it could be a sign of a problem. For example, if the appearance on the top of the cactus and the side facing the sun is damaged, but the base of the cactus is not affected, this may be a sign that the cactus is receiving too much sun, and not as a result of natural clogging.

Tips

• If you want to grow many cacti, you can grow them all in the same container, at equal distances from each other. When each has grown to the size of a large ball, transplant them into their own containers.
• When replanting a cactus, use the same potting soil in each pot.

Warnings

• Use thick gloves to deal with any cacti that have needles on them.
• Look out for parasites on cactus, especially mealybugs, which often appear as white clumps. Pick them up with a stick or skewer and use a pesticide to remove insects in hard-to-reach areas.
• Use a pesticide similar to malathion to kill red spider mites and worms that look like brown spots.