How to take care of cactus? (few questions)

Question

First of all, I bought 5 different cacti and they are all different. They are only about 3 inches high, so just babies. I'm curious can they all be placed in the same pot? Or grouped by 2 or 3? And also, do all cactus bloom or only some varieties? One last question, my house isn't a very bright place... so any tips on artificial lighting? Thanks!!! If you can answer just one of these that's fine! I appreciate all the help I can get. hehe~

Answer 1

You can make a dish garden place all the cacti in the same dish.

Just buy some cactus potting soil like at wal-mart.

If you have a sunny window (in front of it if possible) it should be all it will need. South is best followed by west then east, the north window is the weakest light.

If you don't have a window you can use fluorescent light.

You can us something like tongs from the kitchen to handle the cactus when transplanting.

When It comes to watering just every couple of weeks, water it completely  and let it drain.

something like this.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/vi...

Answer 2

only some verieties of cactus bloom. some such as the christmas cactus put on a show once a year, but others like the sagaro cactous only bloom when an adult and fruit right after. as for lighting just put it in a room where the lights are on a lot like a living room, tv room or kitchen. you really dont know if they can be planted in the same pot if you dont know how tall they get. for now you can put then in a very large but very shallow pot. it should be 8 inches wide or more, but no more than 4 inches deep

Answer 3

They dont require alot of water so im sure that grouping them would be safe, as for light, you might just stick them in a window.

Answer 4

You can plant the cacti all in one pot.  Make sure you use a potting mix for cacti and succulents.  Most mixes include a considerable amount of sand to improve drainage and not too much organic matter.

Blooming depends upon various factors such as maturity and growing conditions.  Cacti here in south Texas bloom in the spring after a period of cooler winter weather, increasing day length, and maybe some spring rains.  Keep in mind that some cacti have to be years old before they'll be mature enough to bloom.

I have grown cacti under artificial lights.  The intensity is important.  You will want to get fluorescent lamps simulating natural sunlight.  Be careful about using incandescent lamps as they can generate a lot of heat that could scald your plants.  If your summers are warm, you could keep the cacti outdoors in bright sunlight and move the pot(s) indoors when it gets cold.   If you move the plants outdoors be careful to acclimatize the cacti to the bright sunlight.  Until the plants are adapted to the intensity of sunlight, the plants can sun scald and die.

Go to your library to check out books on growing cacti.  You'll be successful if you have the knowledge to provide the proper growing conditions for you new house mates!