Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced gardener, cacti are fantastic landscape plants because they are very low-maintenance and can grow well in almost any situation.
Cacti also come in many interesting shapes, forms, and colors, and have spectacular flowers and unique fruits, making them a very interesting plant to grow, as well as research and learn about.
Cacti naturally occur in very dry environments, so you shouldn’t regularly water any cactus plant. Instead, observe the condition of the plant, as well as the moisture level of the potting mix to determine whether a cactus needs to be watered.
Cactus plants vary in their watering frequency due to cactus size, humidity, pot size, season, and temperature.
How Often Do You Need to Water the Outdoor Cactus?
The cactus does store moisture in their plant cells for survival in very dry, drought-like conditions.
However, you need to know how often to water your cactus. They can endure long periods without water; however, if you are seeing some things in the leaves, stems, and pads of that plant – the plant might be deficient in moisture.
For example, the plant will begin to discolor and show signs of wilting.
Understanding these signs, along with a little information about the native region of the plant, and its ecosystem can assist in identifying when the best chance to water your cactus plants will be.
During the dormant period (which is usually winter), you would only need to water every three to four weeks.
You can also keep in mind you do not have to wait for the plant to feel dry. By monitoring the plants daily you will become in tune with your own regimen and body clock.
The best time for you to water your cactus is during the early morning. This gives the cactus plenty of time to get moisture to the roots and be hydrated for the afternoon heat.
This will also remove any chance the plant will sunburn and get plants disease.
Summary Take Away: You must monitor the plants health and the moisture of the soil to understand when to water the plant. You can either examine moisture with a moisture probe or based off of your data about the moisture of the plant soil.
How to Water Outdoor Cacti?
Water your cacti only once the soil base in the container is 90% dry or more.
Soil probes or moisture meters are the most effective ways to indicate how much moisture is in the soil at any one time.
The best watering technique to use with cactus plants is to wet the soil until saturated with rainwater or distilled water, and then stop the watering process when you get excess water dripping from the drainage holes in the potting container.
There are numerous methods you can consider to water your cacti:
- The preferred method is deep watering. This is the usageof water that soaks the soil well each time until you see it draining from the holes of the container that allows drainage.
- Or if you prefer, you can drip water around the roots with a hosepipe very slowly for quite a few hours.
- Another method that you can use with a little container is to place it in a water bowl. This will let the Plant suck up the moisture through the roots. Once the soil is soaked, you can take the Plant out of the saucer plate.
5 Factors That Affect Watering of Cactus
It would help if you also thought about the following factors that affect the watering needs of a cactus plant.
1. Exposure to Light
Cactus plants generally do well in high-light areas, however, the plant will exhibit stress symptoms such as etiolation and stunted growth when it does not get enough light.
2. Potting Container Size
The type of pot you will be using to plant your cactus will determine how often you are watering the plants.
Simply put, shallow containers will allow water to evaporate faster than a wider container.
That is to say, a cactus you have planted in a small pot will need to be watered more often than a cactus planted in a rather larger pot.
Decision Warning: Some pots are less porous than others, so it will be up to you to select the proper potting container.
3. Soil Type
The soil really has a significant factor in how much water the cactus actually retains.
Soil can either retain moisture or help drain it, and that’s why it is so vital to the growth of the cactus.
The occasional overwatering isn’t much if the soil is porous, as it will drain quickly.
If you want a healthy plant, try to stay away from heavy, compact soil.
This soil does not drain and often will get soggy.
4. Size of the Plant
As younger cacti grow much faster than older cacti, they will require more water. In other words, they will need to be watered more frequently than older cacti.
The older cactus has a smaller surface area to volume ratio, therefore causing less water to evaporate from the surface of the plant.
Nonetheless, the cacti do still need to be watered.
5. What Time of the Year
The seasons of the year influence how cacti grow as well.
Furthermore, proper watering of your cacti during these seasons determines if they grow well or not. As the weather changes, so should the way you water them.
Common Mistakes When Watering Outdoor Cacti
Underwatering and overwatering are common issues encountered by almost everyone.
Both are very harmful to them.
Knowing how to water in the right way allows your plant to grow under the firm conditions; which can be demonstrated by paying attention to see the signs of improper watering.
| Signs of an Underwatered Cactus Plant |
|---|
| The cacti will turn pale on their leaves and stem |
| The plants begin to wither |
| The weight of the pot becomes lighter |
| There will be a dropping of leaves as the plant starts to wilt |
| The Plant will be deprived of moisture and become dry in appearance and to the touch |
Signs of an Underwatered Cactus Bundle
Neglect means cactus roots can rot very quickly.
After rot, roots will no longer absorb nutrients and water to the rest of the plant parts.
In turn, color change will happen, followed by wilting.
Generally, for cacti that do not survive, overwatering is by far the primary cause of the deaths.
| Signs of Overwatered Cactus Plant |
|---|
| The cactus appears to rot |
| The stem and leaves turn brown or black |
| Plants begin to appear plump |
Signs of Cactus Overwatering
Fun Fact: Unlike dying from lack of water, there may be irreversible damage from overwatering.
Final Thoughts
When you think of cactus, it is easy to think arid desert plant.
While that is a common association, cacti can be found in a variety of environments and some can even be found growing in tropical rainforests.
It is important to understand the water needs of your cactus. Cacti are succulents that evolved to store water in their roots and stems that allow them to survive drought.
While each cactus has different water needs, there are a few strategies to make sure that you always know when to water your cactus.
Watering your cactus properly is important in general for their growth, production of cells. flowering, and fruiting.
Watering is not a lot of work, but you should put in the effort to learn about your cacti and their water needs.
Background knowledge about their home origins and environments is also helpful to try to duplicate those conditions.