Simple Guides for Growing Healthy Cacti
How to water a cactus by checking the soil instead of the calendar, how to tell when the mix is dry, and the signs of an overwatered or underwatered plant.
4 guides published
Deep ribs, a wrinkled body and a very light pot often point to thirst, but damaged roots can look the same. See how to tell them apart, how to re-wet mix that sheds water, and how to rehydrate a cactus without overdoing it.
A swollen, pale or soft cactus may have had too much water, but no single sign proves it. Learn which checks confirm it, what keeps a pot wet for too long, and the steps to take before and after you look at the roots.
The surface of a pot dries long before the bottom does. Here are simple ways to check moisture at depth, with a wooden skewer, the weight of the pot, the drainage hole and the plant itself, so you know when the mix is truly dry.
A reliable way to water a cactus without a calendar: wait until the mix has dried through, soak it until water runs from the drainage hole, drain, and wait again.
