You are standing at the window, looking out at a prickly pear or barrel cactus that has crept across the side yard and now blocks a walkway. The short version: To remove cactus from yard beds for good, cut it down in sections with long-handled tools, dig out the main root crown, and collect every … Read more >>
Your cactus is sitting on the windowsill looking soft, shriveled, or oddly discolored, and you are not sure whether it is resting or gone. Knowing how to tell if a cactus is dead comes down to a few hands-on checks of the stem, the base, and the roots. Most of these take less than five … Read more >>
A bowl of spiny, egg-shaped fruit sits on your kitchen counter, some deep magenta, some still blushing green, and you are not sure which ones are ready to eat. Knowing how to tell if a cactus pear is ripe saves you from biting into a sour, starchy fruit or tossing one that was perfect. The … Read more >>
Your Christmas cactus is sitting on the windowsill with limp, wrinkled segments, the soil still feels damp from last week, and a few pads drop off when you brush past. Overwatered Christmas cactus care starts with figuring out how far the damage has gone, because a soggy plant and a rotting plant need different rescues. … Read more >>
You are looking at a small cactus on your windowsill, watching gray rain run down the glass, and wondering whether it could ever live outside year-round in Virginia. The short version: Yes, some cactus can grow in Virginia, and one prickly pear is even native to the state. Cold-hardy species survive outdoors in nearly every … Read more >>
You are looking at the plump, ribbed cactus on your windowsill and wondering whether all that stored moisture is actually drinkable. It looks like a living canteen, and movies have told you it is. The short version: No, you generally cannot drink water straight from a cactus. Most cacti hold a thick, bitter, acidic sap … Read more >>
You are looking at a cactus on your windowsill that has gone weeks without a drink, yet it still looks plump, green, and completely unbothered. If you have wondered how do cactus store water so well, the answer is a set of adaptations that work together from root tip to spine. The short version: Cacti … Read more >>
You glance at the cactus on your windowsill and notice it is no longer standing straight. The stem tilts toward the glass, bends near the soil, or flops over the edge of the pot. If you are asking why is my cactus growing sideways, the answer is usually simple once you know where to look. … Read more >>
You are looking at a windowsill of cacti and noticing the colors don’t match: one is deep green, one is dusty blue, and one is blushing purple at the edges. The short version: Most cacti are green because their stems hold chlorophyll, but natural cactus colors also include blue-gray, silver, purple, red, and white, depending … Read more >>
You turn your cactus toward the window and notice brown patches on its skin that were not there a few weeks ago. The short version: Brown spots on a cactus usually come from one of four things: natural corking at the base, sunburn after a light change, too much water, or a fungal or pest … Read more >>