Pots, soil, watering, lighting, etc.

If a plant has special needs they will be included with that plant's posting.
Pots
Most of my plants are in basic terra cotta pots. When I gt a new plant that is in a plastic pot I try to repot asap in a pot that is slightly bigger. Lots of store bought plants are root bound so I like to give them a little room. For plants that need really good drainage I use orchid pots because they have more holes along the bottom.
Soil
My general soil mix is 50/50 potting soil and perlite. I have used commercial cacti soil mix but found that it compacted down and did not let water drain well. For my adenium more perlite was used then soil, 70/30, since these plants come from such an arid place and I lost one to root rot.
Watering
During the spring I do not water if it has rained. That pretty much explans itself. If we are not getting any rain then I water once a week. This is when most of my plants do the most growing so I figure they need the water. During the summer I back off watering to every 10 to 14 days. Lots of cacti and succulents slow down or go dorment in the summer heat so their roots do not need to sit in water. Some plants do some more growing in when temperatures go back down in fall so I up their water back to once a week. Once winter arrives I cut way back to maybe watering only once a month. but don't totally cut off water. I have lost some that way bacause their roots dried up and then could not absorb water at all. The plant ended up sitting in water and rotting. I also think humidity affects how quickly a plant dries out. My rule of thumb, Safer to not water then to water. A cacti can recover from underwatering better then overwatering.
Lighting
Cacti and succulents do not need blazing sun. Some plants actually want shade. My backyard faces southeast and has a tall cypress tree in the middle of it. For most of the afternoon the cacti get filtered sun with spots of direct light. It takes experienting to figure out a plant's light needs. If a plant looks like it is burning or turning colors then I move it to a more shaded area. If it is growing leggy then it needs more light. (Side note: if a plant is getting lots of light it can handle more water.)
Temperatures
Simple, if it is below 45 degrees it is safer to bring cacti and succulents inside.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

I took pictures of all my plants today. Multiple angles and closeups of flowers, buds, details. Now I get to post them and give some basic info about each one. This might take a while. Guess it won't be done this weekend:).

About me and this blog

I started collecting cacti 15 years ago, wow I had to stop and think about that. Cacti and succulents have been the only plants I can keep alive, and I have killed quit a few of them too. They are a great plant for people who forget to water plants or are busy.  I started in Tennessee with eight cacti. Now that I am in Texas I have 30 or so. But don't smirk at the Texas part. Cacti grow in nature all the way up into Canada. No, they do not have as much variety but neither does Houston which used to be a swamp. And that is why I hope this blog helps people all over the country. I plan to chronical my successes and my failures. I will be posting pictures of the plants I have and new ones as I acquire them. If I repot anything I will tell what kind of pots and soil mix I use. My watering schedule will also be posted. Then I will add pictures and text as they grow or wither. As with most things I learn alot more when things go wrong. I hope to have everything up and going by the end of the weekend. Wish me luck.