{"id":40255,"date":"2022-01-17T11:31:26","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T17:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/?p=40255"},"modified":"2023-02-24T14:21:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T20:21:25","slug":"how-to-keep-your-cactus-looking-sharp-in-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/how-to-keep-your-cactus-looking-sharp-in-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Keep Your Cactus Looking Sharp in Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cacti are some of the most intriguing <a href=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/houseplants-to-help-you-get-through-winter-in-chicago\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">houseplants<\/span> <\/a>you can grow. With tough spikes, smooth skin, and blossoms coming out of nowhere, their personalities are unlike any plants we\u2019ll find in <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/contact-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illinois<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They have a reputation for being easy to care for, and even though that\u2019s true, they still undergo important changes in the winter that we need to adapt to!\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-40259 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/CactusGarden-HarleyW-4.jpg\" alt=\"Platt Hill Nursery assorted cacti in a greenhouse\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/CactusGarden-HarleyW-4.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/CactusGarden-HarleyW-4-980x654.jpg 980w, https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/CactusGarden-HarleyW-4-480x320.jpg 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1000px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1000\/667;\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Know Your Cactus<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/caring-for-your-houseplants-in-the-winter-chicago\/\">caring for any houseplant<\/a><\/span>, it\u2019s important to look up the care needs for that particular plant. This is especially true for cacti because there\u2019s a lot of variability among plants called \u201ccactus.\u201d Generally, you\u2019ll find two different types: desert species and forest dwellers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Desert cacti<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are the types of plants we imagine when we think of the word cactus. They grow upright, have spikes, and can survive harsh conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Forest dwelling cacti<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> originate in subtropical forests, grow on trees, often don\u2019t have spikes, and need wetter conditions. These plants have more in common with succulents.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since we\u2019ve already written about <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/keeping-your-succulents-alive-in-fall-and-winter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">succulents<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">,<\/span> we\u2019ll focus on desert cacti in this article.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>How Often to Water Cactus in Winter<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overwatering is a main risk of cactus care in the winter, as it is in every season. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a rule, you should let the soil dry out completely in between waterings. If you see your cactus starting to pucker or harden, that\u2019s a sign its water reserves are running low, and that you should water more often. Blackened stems or mushy leaves are signs of too much water.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Key Tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cacti don\u2019t need water very often. But remember that when you do water, it\u2019s important to water thoroughly. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/platthillnursery.com\/r0wxmrag49\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-40260 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-indoor-cacti-by-window-1024x512.png\" alt=\"Platt Hill Nursery indoor cacti by window\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-indoor-cacti-by-window-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-indoor-cacti-by-window-980x490.png 980w, https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-indoor-cacti-by-window-480x240.png 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/512;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Sunlight for Cactus in the Winter<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cacti thrive in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/create-urban-jungle-with-light-loving-houseplants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bright light<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but direct sunlight in the summer can scorch the leaves of some species. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the winter, the risk of sunburn is low, and the challenge is to give your cactus enough sunshine. To keep them happy, put your <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/make-a-succulent-and-cactus-planter-chicago\/\">cactus<\/a><\/span> near the brightest window you have. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discoloration or fading colors are signs of insufficient light.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Common Houseplant Cacti<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Bunny Ears Cactus:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This beauty grows disc-shaped leaves covered in spikes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Cereus Cactus:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They resemble the iconic cactus you\u2019d see driving in the Southwest states or in a Western movie, except in a <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/diy-mini-garden-indoors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">smaller houseplant<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> version.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Old Lady Cactus:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A beautiful, ball-shaped cactus with hairy spikes and pink flowers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Blue Columnar Cactus: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A classic pillar-shape cactus with green-blue flesh and columns of spikes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-40261 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-repotting-indoor-cactus-1024x512.png\" alt=\"Platt Hill Nursery repotting indoor cactus\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-repotting-indoor-cactus-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-repotting-indoor-cactus-980x490.png 980w, https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-repotting-indoor-cactus-480x240.png 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/512;\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Wait Until Spring to Repot a Cactus \u00a0 <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In general, cacti are slow growers and only need repotting every 2-4 years. When roots poke through the bottom of the drain holes, you know it\u2019s time to repot. But it\u2019s best not to repot a cactus during their winter dormancy. Wait until the end of winter or early spring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/platthillnursery.com\/r0wxmrag49\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-40262 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-newsletter-subscribe-button-Winter-cactus-care-1024x339.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"339\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-newsletter-subscribe-button-Winter-cactus-care-1024x339.png 1024w, https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-newsletter-subscribe-button-Winter-cactus-care-980x324.png 980w, https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Platt-Hill-Nursery-newsletter-subscribe-button-Winter-cactus-care-480x159.png 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/339;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of the day, winter cactus care is not that demanding. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These tough plants are nearly self-sufficient during the cold months. As long as you reduce their water and still get them light, they\u2019ll be happy. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And for those simple tasks, they still give you all of their intriguing beauty during the winter just as they do anytime of year!\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago\u2019s premier garden center and nursery.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Less is more when it comes to winter cactus care. These simple tips will help them thrive during their dormancy! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":348,"featured_media":40256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[102,971],"tags":[1361,1357,1358,1360,1226,1340,1359,1362],"class_list":["post-40255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-houseplants","category-how-to","tag-cacti-for-sale-platt-hill-nursery","tag-cactus-care-in-the-winter","tag-how-to-care-for-cacti-in-winter","tag-indoor-cactus-care-in-the-winter","tag-platt-hill-nursery","tag-platt-hill-nursery-houseplants","tag-winter-cacti-care-indoors","tag-winter-cactus-care-in-illinois"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/348"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40255\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platthillnursery.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}