About – Cactus Care

Cactus Care is a free informational resource about growing cacti. The guides are written for beginners: people with one or two potted cacti on a windowsill who want to understand what the plant needs and why, in plain language.

What the site covers

Basics: a starting guide, common mistakes, handling spiny plants safely, fertilizing and a simple care routine.
Watering: how to decide when to water by checking the soil, and how to tell the signs of too much water from the signs of too little.
Light: how much light a cactus needs, why cacti stretch in dim spots, and how to move a plant into brighter light gradually.
Soil and pots: gritty mixes, choosing a pot, drainage, repotting and checking roots.
Problems: soft or mushy spots, yellow or brown color, root rot and pests, with the checks that help narrow down a cause.
Indoor care: keeping cacti inside all year, and where in a home to put them.
Plant guides: care notes for individual plants such as Christmas cactus, prickly pear and golden barrel, and a list of forgiving cacti to start with.
Seasonal care: dormancy and looking after cacti in winter.

If you are new to cacti, begin with Cactus Care for Beginners. From there, the most useful next reads are How to Water a Cactus, Cactus Light Requirements and Cactus Soil. If a plant already looks unwell, go to Common Cactus Problems. Every guide is listed on the Guides page.

How the guides are written

No universal watering schedules. You will not find “water every so many days” here. How often a cactus needs water depends on the species, the soil, the size and material of the pot, the light it gets, the temperature, the humidity and the season. The guides explain what to check instead, such as whether the soil has dried all the way through, so you can decide for your own plant.

Problems are explained as possibilities. The same symptom can have several causes. A cactus that turns yellow may be getting too much water or too little light, or it may have been scorched by a sudden move into strong sun. The guides list the likely causes and the checks that help you tell them apart. They cannot diagnose a plant with certainty from a description, and they do not claim to.

The illustrations are original drawings. The pictures on this site are illustrations drawn for the guides. They are not photographs of real plants. They are there to show an idea, such as where water should drain or what a stretched cactus looks like, and a real plant will look different in its details.

Sources are named where they are used. Where a guide links to a source for a care statement, it is a university extension service or a botanical reference, and the link sits next to the statement it supports.

Tools, soils and other supplies are described by type and not by brand, so you can use what you already have or can find locally.

Plant safety and sources

Spines and glochids can injure skin and eyes. Handle cacti with protection, such as thick gloves, tongs or a folded newspaper sling, and keep them away from children and pets. Glochids are the tiny barbed bristles of prickly pears and their relatives, and they come off at a touch. How to Handle a Cactus Safely covers this in detail.
No plant is claimed to be safe. This site makes no claim that any plant is safe for pets or people. When a guide says a plant is listed as toxic or non-toxic to pets, it names where that comes from and links to it, such as the ASPCA list of toxic and non-toxic plants. Check the list yourself for the exact plant you own, because common names are shared by different plants.
“Listed as non-toxic” does not mean “edible” or “harmless”. A plant that is listed as non-toxic can still upset a stomach if it is eaten, its spines can still injure, and no guide on this site suggests eating any part of a plant.
If a pet or a child eats part of a plant, contact a veterinarian, a doctor or a poison control service right away. Do not wait for symptoms, and do not rely on this site.
Follow the product label. When a guide mentions a pesticide, a fertilizer or another product, the label on the product you bought is the instruction to follow, including its directions on dilution, protective gear, ventilation and keeping it away from children and pets.
General information only. The guides are general plant-care information. They are not professional horticultural, veterinary or medical advice.

What you can rely on

We do not publish invented reviews, ratings or testimonials.
We do not claim credentials, awards or qualifications.
We do not guarantee results. Plants are living things, and one can decline even when it is cared for well.
Time estimates in the guides are approximate.

Corrections and suggestions

If something in a guide is unclear, looks wrong or links to a page that no longer works, please tell us through the Contact page. Mention the name of the guide and the section so the problem can be found quickly. Corrections are always welcome.