What are the most beautiful and easy-care cacti?

have plants at home It is a way of taking care of ourselves. They improve air quality, eliminating toxins, regulating humidity and renewing oxygen. But above all, by seeing them and caring for them, we stay in touch with nature, we cultivate our biophilia, thereby improving our mental and physical state. But not all people are equally skilled with plants. In this case, cacti come to our aid.

People who think they don’t have a good hand at caring for plants end up becoming interested in cacti, because they are famous for being resistant and it’s okay if you forget to water it… It’s true that the cactus family (Cactaceae) is composed of plants that are adapted to extreme climatic conditions. Many cactus species have settled in inhospitable areas where almost no other plant species can survive. The reason for this resistance is the special way of storing water that cacti have developed.

Cacti are among the succulent plants (From the Latin “succus” juice). In this group are all plants that store relatively large amounts of water in special organs where it is kept for a long period of time. Depending on which part of the plant is used to store water, succulents are further divided into stem, leaf, or root succulents. A large part of the cactus species belong to the succulents because of the stem.

The main species of cacti

Although they may be very different, cactus species have a few things in common.

Except for one species (the ‘Rhipsalis baccifera’ shaped like a snake, which comes from Africa), all originally come from the American continent.Cacti are found in steppes, deserts, or tropical rainforests. All these areas have in common that here precipitation only occurs seasonally. During the dry season, cacti feed through their water reservoirs. In addition, all representatives of cacti They have the so-called areolas. Areoles are arrangements of spines, hairs, or small leaves in the shape of a crown, circle, or oval.

Common Cactus Species and Subcategories

Cacti can be divided into four classes:

1. Real cacti (Cactoideae)

The “royal cacti” contain 100 genera, which in turn They comprise more than 1,500 subspecies. About 85 percent of all cacti species belong to this group. They grow up to 20 meters tall. The real cacti They are usually provided with spines.Some nice representatives are the bishop’s bonnet (Astrophytum myriostigma), Queen of the night (Selenicereus grandiflorus), the mother-in-law seat (Echinocactus grusonii), the head of an old man (Cephalocereus senilis), the golden rat tail (Cleistocactus winteri) or the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncated)

2. Deciduous cactus (Pereskioideae)

The 16 species of cacti of the genus ‘Pereskia’ are called “deciduous cacti”. They are deciduous plants, tree-like or shrubs.Its areoles have felt hairs or spines.Recommended representatives are: pink cacti (Pereskia grandifolia) and bleo de chupa or chupamelón (Pereskia bleo).

3. Maihuenioideae

The Maihuenioideae only include two species of cacti with a succulent and round trunk and small leaves. The most characteristic thing is that they develop magnificent flowers up to six centimeters diameter.Representatives: white thorn (Maihuenia poeppigii) and evergreen (Maihuenia patagonica).

4. Nopal (Opuntioideae)

These cacti include 15 genera with more than 300 subspecies.they grow flat or tree-shaped. Most of the subspecies they have thorns.Representatives: Eve pins (Austrocylindropuntia subulata), Teddy bear (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)nopal or chumbara (Opuntia)

Tips to care for cacti

Cacti have a reputation for being hardy houseplants. That is true only in part. Although cacti don’t die as quickly as other plants, if you treat them incorrectly, they will die, because they don’t resist everything. They have a problem compared to other indoor plants: due to their slow metabolism, the symptoms of abuse appear late and often there is nothing to do.

Five tips for the correct care of cacti:

Without direct sunlight: although the vast majority of species can tolerate and even like full sun and heat, do not place your cactus in full sun. A place where the plant receives enough natural light for a few hours is ideal. East or west facing locations are best.Avoid drafts: especially in winter, you want to make sure that your heat-loving cactus does not receive a cold draft.Water in moderation: Since all types of cacti can store water for a long time, you should not water them too much. Cacti can tolerate dry spells of a few weeks well. You should not water them at the same intervals as other houseplants. As a general rule, moisten the substrate every two weeks in summer and every four to five weeks in winter or fall. When in doubt, it is better to water too little than too often. Too much moisture is life-threatening for cacti.Avoid waterlogging: succulents cannot tolerate waterlogging, you should avoid it.Water correctly: The best way to water cacti is to put them and their pot in a water bath for a short time and wait until their stony to sandy substrate is thoroughly moistened. The following water bath should not be carried out before all the earth is completely dry.