Growing cactus in pots

Golden Barrel cactus make great container plants.

There are many cactus species that lend themselves to container gardens, just make sure you pick the right species, and the correct pot.

Many times you will see cactus gardens in the grocery store, falsely leading you to believe these will live a long time indoors. The reality is it is very hard to keep indoor cactus alive unless you are willing to move them around your house so they can receive the proper amount of sunlight. That can be pretty hard to determine if the plants come with no plant identification. Not all cactus like full sun.

The other problem is many of those pre-made cactus gardens do not have a drainage hole in the bottom of the container. That is a huge problem, since all cactus love good drainage. It is very easy to over water containers with no holes, leading to root rot.

If you are looking for outdoor cactus plantings, just make sure you are giving the cactus the right amount of light for the species, and make sure you give it plenty of water if the pot is in full sun. If that sounds contradictory to what you think about cactus, just remember that cactus in the ground need far less water than cactus in pots. Once in a container in full sun, cactus will need weekly watering during the hot summer months.

The best containers should breathe well (no plastic) and have sufficient depth and width for plants to spread their roots. You’ll want a container at least 12” deep and the wider the better. Saucer shaped pots are perfect. Just make sure you know the mature size of your plant, and adjust the size accordingly. Trust me: transplanting them is not fun if you start out with a container that is way too small. And how do you get those prickly things into pots anyway? Easy! Wear leather gloves, and wrap the plant in thick layers of newspaper so the spines can’t poke you in process.