Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:43:07 +0100, mt006b1198
wrote:

I was wondering if anybody could please help me.

I am thinking of trying to grow cactus plants, I grew them once b4 but
I made the mistake of overwatering them and they went all floppy.

I was just wondering if anybody could advise me on how often I should
water them?


Mine get watered about once every three or four weeks in summer if I
remember. No water at all in winter. They flower in summer and they
are about 40 years old so I must be doing something right!

It is a lot easier to kill a cactus by overwatering than underwatering.
They really do not like wet feet.

But in midsummer they can be watered once a week or even more often if
you use a fast draining compost and no tray underneath. A general rule
is that the soil should be allowed to almost dry out between waterings.

In winter you might need to water them if you keep them in a centrally
heated house. Kept at 5-10C they probably won't need any water til
spring. And few succulent plants like lithops can wait until June for
their first watering - otherwise you get atypical growth.

Regards,
Martin Brown
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

In article ,
Stephen Wolstenholme writes:
| On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:43:07 +0100, mt006b1198
| wrote:
|
| I am thinking of trying to grow cactus plants, I grew them once b4 but
| I made the mistake of overwatering them and they went all floppy.
|
| I was just wondering if anybody could advise me on how often I should
| water them?
|
| Mine get watered about once every three or four weeks in summer if I
| remember. No water at all in winter. They flower in summer and they
| are about 40 years old so I must be doing something right!

Except for Rhipsalis and perhaps a few others, cacti are arid climate
plants, and that is what they would get in the wild (waving hands
wildly). Are there any cacti other than Rhipsalis that are easy to
kill by UNDERwatering?

I am no cactus expert, incidentally.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"mt006b1198" wrote:

I am thinking of trying to grow cactus plants...

I was just wondering if anybody could advise me
on how often I should water them?

You can pick up a soil moisture meter for a few quid - such as the one at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gardman-Soil.../dp/B000QVSI5M

Though there were some of almost identical design in my local Aldi store
this week at less than two pounds. The scale was marked for the optimal soil
moisture state for both houseplants and cacti.

I also have, but am not sure where they came from, some ceramic waterers as
at:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/astral....mp/waterer.jpg

They come in different designs and water by capillary action through the
unglazed 'nose' from a reservoir in the body. They seem to work quite well
with cacti. You might try a garden centre if little china figures nestling
in your plants is to your taste.

Mel.

Hi

I was wondering if anybody could please help me.

I am thinking of trying to grow cactus plants, I grew them once b4 but I made the mistake of overwatering them and they went all floppy.

I was just wondering if anybody could advise me on how often I should water them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Shelley

Astral Voyager writes

"mt006b1198" wrote:

I am thinking of trying to grow cactus plants...

I was just wondering if anybody could advise me
on how often I should water them?

You can pick up a soil moisture meter for a few quid - such as the one at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gardman-Soil.../dp/B000QVSI5M

Though there were some of almost identical design in my local Aldi store
this week at less than two pounds. The scale was marked for the optimal soil
moisture state for both houseplants and cacti.

I also have, but am not sure where they came from, some ceramic waterers as
at:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/astral....mp/waterer.jpg

They come in different designs and water by capillary action through the
unglazed 'nose' from a reservoir in the body. They seem to work quite well
with cacti. You might try a garden centre if little china figures nestling
in your plants is to your taste.

I wouldn't bother with those for cacti. After all, you're not going to
harm the cacti by failing to water them - it's what they're designed
for. Simply water fairly generously once the weather is warm (end May
for me), and don't water them again until the soil is visibly dry.

Then stop watering in time for the soil to dry out before the weather
gets cold again - for me, that means stopping watering in the first half
of September.

They need as much light as possible, and most like a lot of sun. So if
you have no-where to grow them apart from a windowsill, they might
prefer it outside from June-end Aug.

The advice is for cacti, and not for 'other succulents', 'Christmas
cacti', and all the other things that people sometimes loosely refer to
as cacti.

--
Kay

mt006b1198 wrote:
Hi

I was wondering if anybody could please help me.

I am thinking of trying to grow cactus plants, I grew them once b4 but
I made the mistake of overwatering them and they went all floppy.

I was just wondering if anybody could advise me on how often I should
water them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Shelley

Most cacti from higher altitudes or those north or south of the tropics of
Cancer and Capricorn are often pretty frost resistant (some cacti grow well
in the prairies in the south of Canada, and spend the winter happily under
several feet of snow, which insulates them from the -40°C above). However,
that doesn't mean they will also tolerate damp roots in winter.

The first requirement is a very free-draining compost. Use one part John
Innes to two parts sharp sand, or equal parts JI, sharp sand, and grit. It
doesn't matter if it's JI1, 2, or 3. Or if you aren't sure, just purchase a
proprietary cactus compost.

The next requirement is to be in a greenhouse in winter. Many cacti will
withstand a degree or three of frost if kept bone dry, but I prefer to keep
the greenhouse at just above freezing (1 or 2°C). You can keep them warmer,
but if too warm they will try to grow and get etiolated. Also, they need a
prolonged cold, dry spell to flower. Although not growing, good light is
still preferable in winter.

As to watering, a simple rule is no water for 6 months (I use mid-September
to mid-March). Then start watering gently - just dampen the soil a little
at the start to get the roots going again. It depends a bit on the weather
as to frequency of watering. If still cold and dull, I would barely water
in April and May. But if sunny and warm, once a fortnight is ok. In June,
July, and August you can water as often as you like. A weakish tomato
fertiliser helps flowering next year.

You can grow cacti in a room with a south-facing window, but they will
probably need a slight watering every month in winter. The chances of
flowers are almost zero if not given a winter rest.

Good luck with your cacti. You won't regret it; there are very few other
plants you can leave to fry in a greenhouse in high summer and not come back
to a brown crinkle when you return from holiday!

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

On 20/6/08 17:08, in article , "K"
wrote:

Astral Voyager writes

"mt006b1198" wrote:

I am thinking of trying to grow cactus plants...

I was just wondering if anybody could advise me
on how often I should water them?

You can pick up a soil moisture meter for a few quid - such as the one at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gardman-Soil.../dp/B000QVSI5M

Though there were some of almost identical design in my local Aldi store
this week at less than two pounds. The scale was marked for the optimal soil
moisture state for both houseplants and cacti.

I also have, but am not sure where they came from, some ceramic waterers as
at:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/astral....mp/waterer.jpg

They come in different designs and water by capillary action through the
unglazed 'nose' from a reservoir in the body. They seem to work quite well
with cacti. You might try a garden centre if little china figures nestling
in your plants is to your taste.

I wouldn't bother with those for cacti. After all, you're not going to
harm the cacti by failing to water them - it's what they're designed
for. Simply water fairly generously once the weather is warm (end May
for me), and don't water them again until the soil is visibly dry.

Then stop watering in time for the soil to dry out before the weather
gets cold again - for me, that means stopping watering in the first half
of September.

They need as much light as possible, and most like a lot of sun. So if
you have no-where to grow them apart from a windowsill, they might
prefer it outside from June-end Aug.

The advice is for cacti, and not for 'other succulents', 'Christmas
cacti', and all the other things that people sometimes loosely refer to
as cacti.

*Please* tell me how to look after my Christmas cactus! I do water it from
time to time and at present, it's putting on healthy looking shoots at the
tips. But the flowering performance is abysmal round about Christmas time!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)

In article ,
K writes:
|
| The advice is for cacti, and not for 'other succulents', 'Christmas
| cacti', and all the other things that people sometimes loosely refer to
| as cacti.

It works for quite a lot of them, though. The key is whether they
are genuinely arid terrain plants, though you need to know quite a
lot about them to know if that is the case.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Are you sure that floppiness wasn't due to lack of sufficient bright light? They need a bright position, or they put out over-extended growth which then goes floppy.

You can water them liberally during the summer growing season, eg soak em once a week. Need to be in very well drained soil through. But barely water at all during the dormant period in winter, only if they look like they really need it, or are getting roasted by your central heating.

This is general advice for most desert cactus, there are exceptions.

Sacha writes

*Please* tell me how to look after my Christmas cactus! I do water it from
time to time and at present, it's putting on healthy looking shoots at the
tips. But the flowering performance is abysmal round about Christmas time!

I haven't a clue! By trial and error, I have mine in an east window,
standing on a tray of gravel so I can keep a moist atmosphere round the
plants without letting the soil get soggy (if I don't do this, then they
keep shedding branchlets) and water once a week, using weak fertiliser
during the summer. They are steadily increasing in size and flower
abundantly, two of them earlier in the year and the third (which is the
one that has conventional bell shaped flowers not the strange affairs of
zygocactus) has just finished flowering now. But it goes dead against
all I've read about them
--
Kay

On 20/6/08 22:08, in article , "K"
wrote:

Sacha writes

*Please* tell me how to look after my Christmas cactus! I do water it from
time to time and at present, it's putting on healthy looking shoots at the
tips. But the flowering performance is abysmal round about Christmas time!

I haven't a clue! By trial and error, I have mine in an east window,
standing on a tray of gravel so I can keep a moist atmosphere round the
plants without letting the soil get soggy (if I don't do this, then they
keep shedding branchlets) and water once a week, using weak fertiliser
during the summer. They are steadily increasing in size and flower
abundantly, two of them earlier in the year and the third (which is the
one that has conventional bell shaped flowers not the strange affairs of
zygocactus) has just finished flowering now. But it goes dead against
all I've read about them

I have 3 in 9cm pots in one 'cache pot', so I'll put gravel in that and try
that treatment plus the weak feed. I used to know someone who had one the
size of a small shrub but - most unkindly IMO - she would never tell anyone
how she looked after it. Thanks for that, Kay - nothing venture, nothing
gain!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:29:21 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

*Please* tell me how to look after my Christmas cactus! I do water it from
time to time and at present, it's putting on healthy looking shoots at the
tips. But the flowering performance is abysmal round about Christmas time!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)


Howdy,

The trick seems to be chilling the plant...

Many times I have seen that our large Christmas cacti flower
only on the side that touches a cold window. If we remember
to rotate the pot, we get flowers all around the plant.

Good luck with it,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On 21/6/08 00:43, in article ,
"Kenneth" wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:29:21 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

*Please* tell me how to look after my Christmas cactus! I do water it from
time to time and at present, it's putting on healthy looking shoots at the
tips. But the flowering performance is abysmal round about Christmas time!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)


Howdy,

The trick seems to be chilling the plant...

Many times I have seen that our large Christmas cacti flower
only on the side that touches a cold window. If we remember
to rotate the pot, we get flowers all around the plant.

Good luck with it,

Ah. So not good in the kitchen near the Aga! Thank you!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)

On Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:08:17 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 21/6/08 00:43, in article ,
"Kenneth" wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:29:21 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

*Please* tell me how to look after my Christmas cactus! I do water it from
time to time and at present, it's putting on healthy looking shoots at the
tips. But the flowering performance is abysmal round about Christmas time!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)


Howdy,

The trick seems to be chilling the plant...

Many times I have seen that our large Christmas cacti flower
only on the side that touches a cold window. If we remember
to rotate the pot, we get flowers all around the plant.

Good luck with it,

Ah. So not good in the kitchen near the Aga! Thank you!

Hi Sacha,

It might be very happy near the stove... Until you want it
to bloom. Move it to a cold area at that time, and you
should see some wonderful flowers.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On 21/6/08 01:58, in article ,
"Kenneth" wrote:

On Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:08:17 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 21/6/08 00:43, in article ,
"Kenneth" wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:29:21 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

*Please* tell me how to look after my Christmas cactus! I do water it from
time to time and at present, it's putting on healthy looking shoots at the
tips. But the flowering performance is abysmal round about Christmas time!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)


Howdy,

The trick seems to be chilling the plant...

Many times I have seen that our large Christmas cacti flower
only on the side that touches a cold window. If we remember
to rotate the pot, we get flowers all around the plant.

Good luck with it,

Ah. So not good in the kitchen near the Aga! Thank you!

Hi Sacha,

It might be very happy near the stove... Until you want it
to bloom. Move it to a cold area at that time, and you
should see some wonderful flowers.


Thanks Kenneth. All this seems to be the 'cruel to be kind' treatment, so
I'll try it this autumn!


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online but not completed - shop to come and some mild tweaking
to do!)