Most home gardeners are confused by the question ‘how often to fertilize cactus?’ It’s because of the common misconceptions concerning the plant itself. We all know that cactus can grow pretty well in a dry and harsh environment, so it’s only logical that we believe that they don’t need any extra food or whatsoever.
But you should also realize that cactus is basically just the same as other plants. They need food and nutrients to grow happy and well. Fertilizing them will also ensure their proper growth, allowing them to adapt to new situations or even new settings. If you want your cactus to be beautiful and healthy, make sure to fertilize them well. But pay attention to the proper application.
How Often to Fertilize Cactus: The Basic Concept
Although cactus can survive the harsh and dry conditions, they love it when they can get small feedings all through the year, instead of one huge food proportion. If you have been caring for cacti for a while, you should know that they love lots of (bright) light, but they don’t really need tons of water or fertilizer.
In most cases, you can fertilize them once a year. However, it’s also a good idea to fertilize them two to three times a year. It would be great if you can feed them once during fall, summer, or spring. Keep in mind that they mostly need the food during active growing seasons, so keep their dosage in mind. This is another reason why many gardeners prefer the time-release method that can regularly feed the cactus for long periods of time, extending to 3 or even 6 months. This is done so the cactus won’t miss out their peak (growing) time.
The Proper Care
Keep in mind that caring for indoor cactus plants would be different from the outdoor plants. Pay attention to the right watering and fertilization. Overdoing them will hurt your plants, but not giving enough water and nutrients will also harm them.
Indoor Plants
During the active growing period, make sure to water your cactus once in two weeks. During winter time, watering it once a month would be enough. Provide fertilizer once a year during spring time. You can do it twice, max, during early spring and early summer.
Outdoor Container Plants
During active growing months, watering the plants once a week would be enough. But if you see signs of drying, increase it to twice a week. If your area rains during summer months, there is no need to water your plants. Resume watering during fall months when the rain stops. But if the rain continues, then you don’t need to water them at all.
During winter months, reduce the watering frequency. Just do it twice a month during fall and once a month during winter. Fertilize them only once a month only between February and August. Make sure that the fertilizer has low nitrogen and high phosphate.
Outdoor In-Ground Plants
Watering during the rainy season isn’t advisable. During the active growing season, provide a deep watering system at least twice a month. During cool months, especially close to winter, only water it once. Twice is the maximum. Fertilize your cactus only twice a year: once during spring time and once during the early summer.
Final Words
Cactus may be a tough and resilient plant, but it still needs food and proper nutrients. Once you know the facts about proper care and how often to fertilize cactus, you can make sure that your plants will grow strong, healthy, and happy.