In an attempt to liven up my apartment for the coming gloomy winter months I purchased a couple of cactuses. Now that they are safely in my apartment a problem presents itself - I have no idea what kind of a cactus they are or how to care for them. Here is cactus number 1 and here is cactus number 2, can anyone identify them?
The second concern I have is about the hot summer months. When its hot out I want to keep my blinds down so my electricity bill stays lower, yet at the same time I want to keep my blinds up so my cactuses grow big and strong. Any dopers ever run into this dilemma? How did you end up solving it?
My cacti go outside after the night low is 50F or higher. They stay outside all summer. They get brought back in when the nights start hitting less than 50F. They also still need water in the winter, so give yours a couple tablespoons of water every month. During the summer they can handle a lot of water and will grow more if they get it. Fertilize with soluble fertilizer during their time outside. Only pot them in containers that drain well. Once even a little root rot starts it’s goes right up the center of the cactus quickly and you have a prickly sludge where the cactus used to be. In general I’ve found during the summer if they get little water they sprout baby cacti at the needle clusters. They will flower instead if they get lots of water and sun.
The first plant (with the flower) is definitely a Parodia…I can’t tell which species without getting an up close and personal look. The second plant is ???. Looks like a candelabra type that will get quite large, but again, I need a closer look. I will try to see if my coworkers can help in identifying the pictures better.
Where in general are you located? (Latitude is important, along with general weather) What is the exposure of your window where the plants will be? How warm do you keep your apartment in summer and winter…and so forth.
Don’t worry, these are common questions that are asked by customers at the nursery where I work, so you are not alone. I look forward to helping you, but need more information. Feel free to send me a private message to keep personal information exposure as low as possible.
I am in Maryland, in the DC metro area, the sun shines into the window where the cactuses are in the morning and then moves away in the afternoon, I keep my apartment at 74-76 degrees during the cold months and 68-69 degrees when its hot out. I have a balcony so I could keep them outside during the summer as Harmonious Discord suggests. If they are gonna be outdoor cactuses for part of the year should I be worried about birds, bugs or squirrels eating them?
plant no. 2 is in the ferrocactus family. ferro for ferocious, which certainly fits the bill. them’s some nasty thorns on that bad boy. my big book of cacti is at home, but i’ll look it up tonite if no one else comes up with the name.
If it is a* Ferocactus*, I think it might be F alamosanus.
Those spines are actually quite weedy for a Ferocactus, compared to this bad boy for example.
I took the liberty of printing out pictures of your two cacti, and taking them to the cactus nursery where I do volunteering (I’m retired, but have been growing cacti for many years); I showed the photos to the knowledgeable personnel and asked for IDs.
Plant number one is definitely a Parodia, but we can’t tell you the species without seeing it in person. We disagree on plant number two being a Ferocactus. The four employees at the cactus nursery and myself think it may be a very young sahuaro…the state plant of Arizona.
As far as cultivation tips, keeping them inside when outside nighttime temperatures drop below 50F is recommended. During these cold times, only water them when the soil in the pot has completely dried out. As someone else said, you might want to fertilize every month in the summer with a 1/2 strength solution of Miracle Grow. When you water, water completely. That means you may only be watering every two weeks or so.Also, make sure you rotate them in the window once a week. Check to make sure that they don’t sunburn.
When temps raise above 50F at night consistently, you can and should move them outdoors. Be sure to check the pot soil, and water when it becomes dry. Be careful to give them some attention - making sure they don’t sunburn. They will adjust to full light over a couple of weeks.
I wold be happy to answer any other questions that you might have.
Seconded. I had a friend who was amazingly successful with cacti. He claimed the secret was waiting until the soil was dry, then utterly drenching them - he’d fully submerge the pot until the soil was completely saturated.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I think I know what to do now. If I understand correctly fertilizing should only happen during the summer outdoor months right? Also, I know this sounds stupid but how do I tell when the soil in the pot is dry? Do I just pick up a pinch of it from the top and see if it feels wet? How will I know if the soil at the bottom of the pot has dried out yet?
