Cacti are the ideal houseplant
Succulents — plants with fleshy stems or leaves — are ideal houseplants. They have interesting shapes, are relatively pest-free, and thrive in the dry air of a heated home, and on neglect.
Let’s look at one kind of succulent: cacti.
Cacti are native only to the Americas, having evolved 60 million years ago when upward-pushing mountains transformed the then-lush tropical climate of the western Americas to desert. With thick stems for water storage (a giant saguaro cactus of Arizona can store 500 gallons of water), an absence of leaves, which reduces water loss, and waxy coatings to hold in water, the cactus family thrived. To fend off thirsty and hungry animals, many species developed spines.
Over time, cacti spread from within the Arctic Circle down to the tip of Chile. I have seen flat, green pads of opuntias growing wild on New York beaches, and Christmas cactus growing wild in the crevices of trees in tropical rain forests.
Cacti commonly have spectacular flowers, made more dramatic by their prickly pedestals. Cacti such as mammillaria, notocactus, lobivia and rebutia bloom indoors with very little coaxing (rebutia often blooming twice each year). I expect fat flower buds to appear in a few weeks along the stems of my orchid cactii, Epiphyllum; given a few more weeks and the various plants’ buds open to spectacular red, pink or white blossoms.
Caring for a cactus is easy and can be summed up as follows: Provide good drainage by adding extra sand or perlite to any potting mix. Do not overwater.
I water my cacti two or three times, or even not at all, in winter. In summer, once every week or two is plenty. Watch the stems. If the plants shrivel or pucker, don’t worry; just water them. If in doubt about whether or not to water, don’t.