What growing medium should I use for cultivating cactus plants in pots?

[martincrabb99]

What growing medium should I use for growing cactus plants in pots...any suggestions would be appreciated

[canarybird]

The soil should have good drainage so a mixture of potting soil and sand wth pieces of broken clay pot in the bottom should do the job. Or you could buy bags of cactus growing soil in a garden center. Some ideas:
http://cactiguide.com/article/?article=article8.php

[martincrabb99]

That is really helpful, thank you so much for your help and the providing the very useful link😉

[martincrabb99]

Too many ' the's, sorry☺️

[martincrabb99]

My succulents are all doing well in the growing medium you recommended[emoji3]

[canarybird]

Good to hear they're thriving Martin!

[SueB]

This sounds like a very silly question but would appreciate an honest answer. Do you need to water cacti in Tenerife? We would like to grow something on our balcony in Puerto Santiago (SW Coast - very hot & sunny) but we aren't there all the time, and don't want to irrigate. How long would they last without watering, or would the occasional rain shower be enough to keep them going?

[Malteser Monkey]

My succulents are all doing well in the growing medium you recommended[emoji3]

Any pics for us

Our CB is our garden Expert - have you seen her wonderful pictures she posts on the North Tenerife weather thread. If not visitand go back quite a few pages there are birds, cats, plants....just amazing pics

here you are an example

http://www.tenerifeforum.org/tenerife-forum/showthread.php?23978-Current-weather-in-North-Tenerife-as-reported-by-forum-members/page15

[martincrabb99]

I agree Canary Bird gave me some great advice about my succulents, and they are truly thriving![emoji106][emoji2][emoji3]

[canarybird]

SueB...yes cacti do need water to survive and depending on how often you have a rain shower, you would probably need to water them about once a week. Make sure you have good drainage in the soil so the roots don't get soggy.

Generally, the larger the cacti, the less often they would need watering. Smaller garden cacti would need watering twice a week in hot weather. In my garden they get water from the sprinkler when I water the lawn in summer about twice a week for 20 - 30 minutes.

If you know the names of the cacti or succulents you have, you could check online as to how much water each one needs, but generally a once a week shower would keep them alive. You may have to ask a friend to water for you or install an automatic water timer.

Some more advice here. (http://www.csssn.org/watering-outdoor-cacti/)

[SueB]

Thank you - that's what I thought!

[canarybird]

Place it near the window as cactus need bright sunlight.