Cacti are plants that, every time they come to mind, we imagine them living as best they can in the desert under a scorching sun that seems to repel the rains. Under these conditions, they have to do whatever it takes to collect the amount of water they need and thus be able to stay alive and grow. But nevertheless, those we buy in nurseries are usually spoiled, which is important for them to look pretty and for people to buy them.
The temperature is controlled, the irrigation, the fertilizer, and if they are also inside the establishment or a greenhouse, of course they are also protected from direct sun. These conditions are very different from those in their place of origin. Taking this into account, Where do you put the cacti?
This is a very frequent question, especially if we have never had a cactus in our care before. On the one hand, we could be convinced that they want direct sun, and the more hours it gives them, the better; for other we cannot forget that it is still a plant that has never lacked for anything, and therefore has never been thirsty, hungry, hot or cold. Does that mean they have to be indoors?
No. They can be if they are placed in an area where they get a lot of light from outside, they can even flower, but ideally they are outside. The question is, where?
Nursery cacti, like all plants that come from there, they have to spend a period of adaptation abroad which has a variable duration that basically depends on each plant. It consists of getting used to the direct sun little by little and regularly, being the best time to start at the end of winter, when the temperatures begin to rise but the sun is not yet very intense.
The »calendar» that I recommend you follow is the following:
- First month: put them in an area where direct sun will give them a maximum of a couple of hours, early in the morning or in the afternoon. If you see that they turn a little red, that is, that they are burning, reduce the time to an hour.
- Second month: these days you should give them one or two more hours of light.
- Third month: from these days you can give them all morning or all afternoon.
- Fourth month: now you can give them all day. But beware, there are some cacti that should be protected from the sun during the central hours of the day, such as Copiapoa or Parodia.
What to do in case of frost? Protect them at home. Cacti do not withstand hail or snowfall, so if we live in an area where these meteorological phenomena usually occur, it is necessary that we put them either inside the home, or in a greenhouse.
If you have any questions, don't leave them unanswered. Ask  .