Owning and Caring for a Potted Cactus

• 1). Place the potted cactus beside the new pot. The new pot should be larger than the cactus' previous container. Determine the volume of the new pot. Mix 1 part potting soil, 1 part sand and 1 part crushed gravel (in the amounts equal to the volume of the new pot) in a bucket, using a spade.
  
  
• 2). Fill the pot about one-quarter full of the soil mixture. Wear garden gloves. Turn the cactus in its current pot upside down, shaking the pot slightly, so the cactus falls into your hand. Shake the loose dirt away from the cactus roots. Place the cactus into the center of the new pot. Fill the pot to the base of the cactus, over the roots, with the soil mixture from the bucket.
  
  
• 3). Mix a time-released plant food into the soil mixture in the fall, spring and summer.
  
  
• 4). Place the potted cactus near or beside a sunny window.
  
  
• 5). Insert a wood dowel into the soil to test for water needs. Withdraw the dowel. If damp soil clings to the dowel, the cactus doesn't need to be watered. According to the Texas A&M University Department of Horticulture (see Reference section), potted cacti need more water than cacti grown outdoors. Always keep the soil moist. Water a cactus about once per month.
  
  

Owning a Ground-Grown Cactus

• 1). Choose a sunny area with good drainage in which to plant the cactus. Prepare the area by removing the current soil to a depth of the cactus roots plus 6 inches.
  
  
• 2). Mix equal amounts of potting soil sand and crushed gravel in a wheelbarrow or bucket, using a shovel. Make enough of the soil mixture to fill the area where you'll be planting your cactus. Wear garden gloves. Insert the cactus roots into the soil mixture, loosely scooping the soil around the roots and up to the base of the plant.
  
  
• 3). Place a large rock to the right of the cactus. Large rocks can be purchased at garden centers and home improvement stores. According to Texas A&M University Department of Horticulture, placing a large rock beside a cactus will help the cactus retain heat during cold months and will provide shade, thus reducing watering in the hot, summer months.
  
  
• 4). Mix a low-nitrogen fertilizer into the soil around the cactus once a year.
  
  
• 5). Cover the cactus with a cardboard box whenever a freeze is expected. Don't cover the cactus with plastic. Plastic doesn't allow adequate airflow.
  
  
• 6). Water the outdoor cactus, according to Cactuslands (see Reference section), once weekly during the hot months and once per month in the winter months. If the soil around the cactus is dry, water until the soil is damp.
  
  
• 7). Examine the cactus surface for white spots or insect infestations. Spray the cactus with the appropriate plant treatment formulated for your problem. Plant sprays are available at home improvement stores, nurseries and garden stores.
  
  
• 8). Wear garden gloves and use a cactus pruner or saw to remove dead or diseased areas near the trunk of the cactus by cutting or clipping at an inward-slanting angle in the spring or summer. Cactus pruners and saws have long handles that reduce the likelihood of you being scratched or cut by the cactus needles. Cactus pruners and saws are available at garden centers.