Many ignorant novice flower growers believe that if the natural habitat of cacti is desert, where there is very little precipitation, then cacti do not need regular watering. But this is not so. Cacti, of course, are not as fastidious in the question of watering as other indoor plants, but also react poorly to drought and overflow. Before you have this plant on your windowsill, you need to know exactly how to water the cactus.
Any plant is very poorly tolerated by uneven watering, it affects primarily the root system - small roots can die from blockage or overdrying, which eventually will affect the general appearance of the plant. That's why it's very important to know how many times and how often to water cacti.
How correctly to water cacti?
There is no consensus among fans of succulents about how to properly water these prickly nonsense. Some people water their plants in a pan all their lives, while others use only the traditional method of irrigation - from above. Both ways have their advantages. The only drawback of top irrigation is that the nutrients needed for the plant are quickly washed out of the soil mixture, and it needs a lot of regular feeding.
When the top watering is evenly wetted by the whole earth lump, and excess moisture leaves through the drainage holes to the outside. In order not to fill the plant, water the cactus only after the top layer of the earth has dried completely - usually every 3-4 days, depending on the ambient air temperature. About how often to water cacti in summer, too, will tell the surface of the soil. If it dries very quickly, then watering should be done more often, especially in hot summer.
Watering cacti through a pallet is less able to fill the plant. The earth absorbs as much moisture as it needs, and the remainder simply merges from the pallet. The big advantage of this type of watering is that the stalk of the cactus does not get water at this watering, which is very important
In winter, when the air temperature drops, the cacti begin a period of rest. At this time, watering should be reduced to a reasonable minimum - once a week, a little water. No fertilizing in winter.
Water for irrigation should be used not from the tap, but give it to stay about a day. After all, the plant does not tolerate the chlorine contained in tap water. It will be even better if you water the cacti with well or rain water at room temperature. Watering should be carried out in the morning and evening hours, combining with spraying from a small sprayer.