Growing Cactus Indoors

While the Cactus boasts a well deserved reputation of being one of the hardiest houseplants in the world, it does need a little TLC on occasion to bring the best out of this beauty. A Cactus belongs to a group called succulents, which are plants that retain water in their leaves to adapt to a dry climate. But there are actually thousands of types of cacti, and they can be broken down into five groups:

· Desert cacti such as the Prickly Pear or Saquaros (the typical multi-armed tall version you picture in the desert). Of course these favor more direct sun and less water.

· Mountain cacti such the Monk’s Hood or Bishops Cap, which favor cooler night temperatures;.

· Seashore cacti such as the Melon Cactus and Copiapoa Cactus. This group needs more humidity and tend to be the most difficult group to grow as a houseplant.

· Rainforest cacti, the most popular cactus, the Christmas Cactus, belongs in this group and of course, they need less sunlight and more water.Savanna cacti, such as the Indian Head or Pincushion cactus tend to be the easiest to grow as a houseplant, and do well in terrarium settings.

Caring, Feeding, Lighting and inddor guide located here