Cacti, perhaps because of their reputation for being extraordinarily hardy plants, sometimes receive less care than they really need. And it is true that they are very strong plants, but even they have weaknesses and problems that should be paid attention to. Many of these problems and many doubts come when transplanting one of these beautiful and resistant plants.
This is why, at Ecologista Verde, we have decided to prepare this article, in which we are going to see when to transplant a cactus and how to do it correctly.
There are a number of reasons to transplant a cactus. The most common of them is because the plant has grown and the pot it has has become too small, something that will happen approximately every two to four years. We know that a cactus pot is too small when:
In addition, it will also be necessary to transplant the cactus if you have just purchased it in a nursery or store, since it most likely does not bring a suitable substrate for cactus, or when we simply want renew plant land. Likewise, a cactus can be transplanted when suckers appear and we want to separate them so that they develop well.
In any of these cases, and regardless of the reason, it will always be much better carry out the transplant in summer or a dry season, when small injuries to the plant will be much less likely to be problematic. In addition, it should be done whenever the soil is rather dry, not after having recently watered.
Once the above is clear, if you think it is time to change your pot cacti, follow these steps to transplant a cactus correctly:
The steps if you want get another cactus from a shoot or sucker of the same plant are practically the same as at the time of transplant a cactus, although there are a few differences.
In this other Green Ecologist article we show you how to reproduce cacti by cuttings and suckers.
Apart from all the indications already mentioned, it should be remembered that cacti, especially some species, are especially sensitive to excess humidity. To prevent its roots from rotting due to accumulations of water it is very important do not water them in the following weeks after transplanting (except in the case of transplanting suckers, which we recommend slightly moistening after moving them).
In addition, and also to avoid diseases or rot due to excess moisture, it is vital to prepare a suitable substrate for cactus. You can buy it in any store, or prepare it yourself with two parts of peat, two parts of earth, one part of silica or river sand and one part of volcanic rock. For the pot to offer good drainage, it helps a lot if you place coarse gravel at the base of it, and another layer of the same or volcanic rock on the surface, on the ground.
Finally, we always recommend not placing a plate as a base under the drainage of the pot and, if necessary, always remove the excess water after watering or place some legs or support on the pot so that it is raised above the plate and not on this.
Here we show you more about Basic Cacti Care.
If you want to read more articles similar to Transplanting a cactus: how and when to do it, we recommend that you enter our category of Cultivation and care of plants.