How to Grow a Cactus as a Houseplant

Growing Desert Cacti

• 1

  Place each desert cactus in a separate pot, or one wide pot for smaller varieties, with a cactus potting soil. If you must use regular potting soil, add perlite to help with drainage. Unlike forest cacti, desert cacti need specific soils and fertilizers to thrive.

• 2

  Place the desert cactus on a windowsill or table that receives strong light for six or more hours during the day. Maintain a temperature of 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the cactus's growing season --- typically the summer months --- and lower the temperature to 55 degrees F in the winter.

• 3

  Water the soil when the top layers start to dry out during the summer. During the winter months when the cactus is not blooming, do not water unless the cactus starts to shrivel or appears discolored.

• 4

  Add a specially formulated cactus fertilizer during the summer when the cactus is growing and blossoming. Do not repot desert cacti; simply leave them in the same container from one growing season to the next. Add additional soil and fertilizer as needed to provide adequate nutrients.

Growing Forest Cacti

• 5

  Plant forest cacti, such as the popular Christmas cactus, in hanging pots with regular potting soil. Forest cacti require care similar to that of houseplants, as opposed to the desert cacti, which need much less attention but do require specific potting soil and fertilizer.

• 6

  Hang the potted forest cactus in an area of bright but indirect sunlight. Move it to a mildly shaded outdoor area during the summer months to promote flowering. Maintain a temperature of 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer, and drop it to 50 degrees F in the winter.

• 7

  Water once or more a week as needed to keep the soil moist in the summer, as you would a regular houseplant. During the winter, water only when the soil begins to dry out.

• 8

  Mix in a standard, all-purpose fertilizer according to the directions on the package. Reduce the amount used during the winter months.

• 9

  Repot the forest cactus at the beginning of each new growing season. Typically, this occurs at the end of the winter months.