Cacti & succulents.
Cacti and succulents store their own water in thick, fleshy leaves and stems, which is exactly why they forgive a forgetful owner - and exactly why the usual houseplant instinct to water often is what kills them. Get the light bright, the soil gritty, and the watering rare, and they are some of the easiest, most characterful plants you can grow.
Every cactus & succulent 49
Tap any plant for its full care guide. Below the range, the basics that grow them all.
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Growing them - the four kinds
The classic spiny cacti - barrel, prickly pear, pincushion. They want the brightest window you have, gritty soil and a genuine dry winter rest to flower. Little and infrequent water.
Christmas, Easter and fishbone cacti live on trees in the wild, not in deserts. They take brighter shade, a touch more moisture and humidity, and bloom when days shorten and nights cool.
Echeveria, haworthia, aeonium and sempervivum form tidy rosettes of fleshy leaves. Bright light keeps them tight and colourful; too little and they stretch. Water into the soil, not the crown.
String of pearls, hearts, dolphins and burro's tail spill from a shelf or hanging pot. Bright indirect light, a soak when the beads or leaves start to pucker, and gentle handling - they drop easily.
Care basics
Almost every problem with succulents traces back to light. Give them your sunniest windowsill; most want several hours of direct sun. Pale, stretching, leaning growth means not enough.
Use a cactus/succulent mix, or cut normal potting soil with plenty of perlite, pumice or coarse sand. The roots must never sit in soggy soil, so drainage holes are non-negotiable.
Water thoroughly until it runs out the bottom, then wait until the soil is bone dry before the next drink - often 1-3 weeks. When in doubt, wait. Far more succulents rot from wet than shrivel from thirst.
Most desert cacti and many succulents want a cooler, drier spell in winter with very little water. It is what triggers spring flowers, and it keeps them compact rather than soft and leggy.
The honest answer is "less than you think, and only when dry" - but the season, your light and the pot all shift it. The soak-and-dry checker gives you a starting rhythm.
Propagation - one becomes many
Twist a healthy leaf cleanly off (echeveria, jade, many succulents), let the end callus over for a day or two, lay it on gritty soil and mist occasionally. Tiny roots and a baby rosette form in weeks.
Cut a stem or pad, let the wound callus for several days so it does not rot, then push it into dry-ish gritty mix. Water lightly once it has rooted. Works for cacti pads, jade, aeonium and more.
Many succulents (haworthia, aloe, hens-and-chicks, some cacti) throw little offsets around the base. Ease one off with a few roots and pot it up - the easiest, most reliable method of all.
Common problems
Overwatering and rot - the number one killer. Let the soil dry fully, cut back watering, and if the base is soft, behead the healthy top and re-root it in dry gritty mix.
Not enough light. The plant is reaching for a window. Move it to the brightest spot; the stretched part won't shrink back, but new growth will be tight - or behead and re-root for a fresh compact plant.
Mealybugs. Dab them with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol, isolate the plant, and check nearby ones - they spread. Repeat every few days until clear.
Sunburn, usually from a sudden move into intense sun after low light. Acclimatise plants gradually over a couple of weeks; the scars stay but new growth adapts.
⚠️ Some succulents (jade, kalanchoe, euphorbia, string-of-pearls and others) are toxic to pets and children if eaten, and many cacti have spines or irritating sap. Check each plant's own guide, and keep the risky ones out of reach. This is general growing advice, not plant-specific safety guidance.