Adaptation of a Cactus Plant
- 1). Determine whether you are dealing with arid cactus or rainforest cactus (holiday cactus). Arid cactus prefer low humidity and need the soil to dry out between watering. Holiday cactus, usually called Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus or Easter cactus, prefer humid conditions and moist soil during the growing season.
- 2). Move the plants during the transitory seasons of fall or spring, when weather is mildest. Plants moving outdoors after a lifetime adapted to indoor conditions will appreciate the mild weather that is similar to indoor conditions. Moving a cactus to sudden extreme heat and long sunlight hours during summer, for example, can burn and stress your cacti -- even those adapted to desert conditions.
- 3). Place cacti you are moving outside for the first time in an area that receives similar light to the light it received indoors. Let a cactus adapt gradually to more light by moving it into areas that receive more light, such as moving it further and further from a shading wall or tree. If you are moving the cactus from partial shade to full sun, let the transition take at least a month, moving the cactus to sunnier conditions about once a week.
- 4). Give cactus that grew outdoors in full sun the sunniest possible spot indoors. Although some grow under very bright artificial light, natural sunlight is best. If your sunniest spot still receives less than six hours of sunlight (full sun), gradually move your cactus from a sunny spot outdoors to part shade over the course of one month.
- 5). Give transplanted cactus the same type of growing media they grew in previously. When potting outdoor cactus, try to use the soil it was growing in outdoors to give the plant the best chance to adapt. When transplanting potted cactus outside, amend the soil with sharp sand on a raised mound to prevent cactus roots from sitting in damp soil for prolonged periods. Arid cactus do not adapt to soggy soils. Plant holiday cactus in fertile, well-drained soil, whether indoors or outside.