Caring for Cactus and Succulents

Requirements for healthy growth are easy to satisfy

CULTURE

After you have selected your plants and noted a few basic cultural steps, growing succulents and cactus is less work and more pleasure than is gardening with most other house plants. Their fleshy leaves are able to store great quantities of water if you forget to tend them. The leathery foliage is rarely attacked by insects it is just too tough. Furthermore, if you do mistreat a plant, you will find it has tremendous recuperative powers.

LIGHT REQUIREMENTS Good light is essential for the best growth of succulents and cactus; therefore it is wise to select plants according to your window space and available natural light. Choose only those kinds that can be expected to succeed in the environments you can provide. Although optimum conditions are always desirable, some plants will if they must adjust to less-than-favorable environments. In such situations your plants will not grow as well or bloom as profusely as you might like, but they will survive. Light affects the color of foliage and the formation of flower buds. In sun, leaves have strong color and there is abundant bloom; in di light, plants are somewhat less colorful and flowering may be sparse, if at all. Turn potted plants occasionally so that light reaches all parts of the foliage evenly. The exception to this is plants that are ready to bloom: Do not move them, as the change in light can cause buds to drop. For decoration, add garden gnomes to the garden.

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