Cacti

Cacti are very easy to grow and do not require much time to take care or occupy much space in your house. Therefore, this plant is very suitable for modern homes. Collecting cacti has become a popular hobby. Although cacti plants are an easy-to-grow kind of plant, it doesn't mean that you don't have to take any care of it at all! There are some basic things you should know when growing cacti plants:

Tubs: You should choose tubs which don't retain too much water and the underneath holes should be big enough so that your cacti plants will not be waterlogged. Moreover, you shouldn't put too much soil into the tubs because substances which are needed for your cacti can flow out when you water.

Water: Cacti plants don't require much water. However, water helps cacti clean, healthy and strong to cope with insects. A good schedule of watering will help a cactus grow well in all its life. You can notice when your cacti need water by observing the dryness of soil in your cacti plants tubs. When it looks very dry, it's the time you should water the cacti. In different seasons, they require different amounts of water. In winter, you should water once a week and in summer, twice a week. However if it rains or the humidity level is high, you don't have to water them.

Temperature and light: The plants need to be in a place which is full of air and light. The most suitable places to put your cacti tubs are on balconies or by windows. In addition, cacti plants grow the best in temperatures of 15-28oC.

You may want to put your cactus plants in your living room or bedroom for decoration. However, you should bring them back to the sunlight after 2 or 3 days because your they won't grow very well without the help of sunlight. In addition to that, they are flowering, you shouldn't bring them into an air-conditioned room as the flowers will die very quickly.

Flowering Cacti for Your Home

Most people don't think of flowers when they think of cacti plants, but many are great flowering plants that can ad some splash and pizazz to any home or garden. Even the showiest of orchids can be usurped by the beauty of a flowering cacti plant. The odd mix of harsh plant and beautiful flower really sets it off from other plants and makes for an intriguing look.

Obviously, with cacti plants, it's important to be very careful when you handle them or smell their flowers. While the fragrance is sweet, the thorns aren't. Be careful with them.

One of the most popular flowering cacti plants to grow is the crab cactus. It has bright flowers that give off a lot of color and young stems that are flat and resemble the claws of a crab (thus the name).

As they get older,cactus plants become round and woody in their look, but keep their beautiful flowers with each bloom. Using equal parts sand, loam, leaf-mould and broken charcoal yields beautiful and healthy cacti plants.The orchid cacti plant is another favorite, having beautiful red flowers that bloom in the summer. The big flowers can be quite huge, up to six inches around. The colors of the cacti are two shades of red: scarlet and carmine, giving a deep hue and strong look.

The cacti plant itself will get to about three feet high, so it's quite large compared to it's smaller companions in many settings. The Easter or Spring cactus plant is another sight to behold, with symmetrical flowers that open very wide.

Cacti plants usually flower when the timing is right and receive signals from their environment as to when this is. If you grow cacti as house plants, you'll need to artificially give these signals in order to promote flowering in a faster and healthier way. A few short days with cooler temperature (less sunlight, lower temperature) followed by longer days with more moderate temperatures will trick the cactus into thinking it's spring. Eventually, the plant will flower as the temperature rises.