How to water cacti and succulents without killing them

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This video is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about watering cacti and succulent plants. It covers every aspect of watering, answering questions about when to water, how often and how much.
Many species are represented, but examples include Lithops, Pseudolithos, Cyphostemma, Conophytum, and cactus species such as Stenocereus, Yungasocereus.
The impact of climate, soil mix and pot type is touched upon.
Creative Commons information:
Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus (Lem.) K.Schum.
observed in Mexico
by prodenazas (licensed under creativecommons...)
Brachycereus nesioticus (K.Schum. ex B.L.Rob.) Backeb.
observed in Ecuador
by Jean-Marie Frenoux (licensed under creativecommons...)
Lithops gracilidelineata subsp. gracilidelineata
observed in Namibia
by karel (licensed under creativecommons...)
Stenocereus eruca (Brandegee) A.C.Gibson & K.E.Horak
observed in Mexico
by Jose Luis Leon de la Luz (licensed under creativecommons...)
Cyphostemma juttae
observed in South Africa
by James Gaither (licensed under creativecommons...)

Опубликовано:

3 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 73

@DarkHelixia Месяц назад

They really can stand the most inhospitable places - my mother-in-law has received many such gifts for Christmas and they are still hanging on!

@AridZine Месяц назад

Haha yes with a bit of neglect they’ll just keep going

@rusalkacrnkovic8024 3 месяца назад

Yet another great video. Finally a person who acknowledges how specific plants and conditions work when it comes to watering. I hate it so much when I buy a new cactus or succulent and owner starts "educating" me how I should just water every two weeks, like I know nothing about plants. Sometimes they even mislabel plants. I am always on brink on correcting them, but they think they know better, so I steer away from "argument". I know I already said it, but you are probably only plant-youtuber from whome I've learned new things from each and every vid you make. Thank you for that! 😊

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Thank you! Glad my message landed. It’s hard to make videos about topics as broad as watering - there are just so many variables to try to account for. 😂 Glad youre enjoying them!

@benjaminmaier3630 28 дней назад

I really love the way how you pass on information, and of course your empathy for cacti! Awesome content!

@AridZine 27 дней назад

Appreciate it!

@carriebeth7996 Месяц назад

As a new collector, I find your videos very interesting and educational. You explain things in such a way that is easy to understand, and don’t baffle me with science. Thank you.

@AridZine Месяц назад

I’m glad it all makes sense 😅

@valikpetrov6804 2 месяца назад

I learned not little but a lot, thanks for the tutorial 😊

@AridZine 2 месяца назад

Thanks for watching 😀

@Malprincess 3 месяца назад

When I was a child I had bought a cactus from a big box store, that I now believe was some sort of euphorbia. It was a beautiful deep green with these vibrant thick red spines. We had to go on an extended trip and I was worried about my favorite cactus and I watered the hell out of it, per my mom's instructions. I was horrified to come home to a dying and pretty much mush cactus. Core memory right there. And I've NEVER seen a cactus like this ever again. Some come close, but are not quite there. I miss that thing and I wish that child me had better knowledge.

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Oh no! That is a terrible disappointment. Sounds a bit like a Euphorbia ferox? Have a look at some pics. Could be the one?

@Malprincess 3 месяца назад

@@AridZine NEARLY. The colors are just the slightest bit off. The shape of it was different slightly as well. The creases, idk if there is a technical name, were deeper as opposed to more rounded. Less barrel shape and more angular corners. Dark green a few steps lighter from a lime peel but darker than the average tomato plant. Very striking. The spines were that type though, kind of soft. But again very red and they would stay vibrant they didn't fade as it grew (that I noticed). My pet theory is that it was a variant of some sort of this type of euphorbia or similar and that is why it had these small differences. Or the memory itself is corrupted! Thanks for the suggestion :)

@miltonx27 3 месяца назад

Great videos man, keep up the good work

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Appreciate it!

@jeannette7243 3 месяца назад

This is really helpful. Thank you!

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Glad it helped! 😀

@JadriGroenewald 3 месяца назад

Such wholesome vibes no BS. IMO best water for plants is fishtank water from a cycled planted freshwater aquarium.

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Thanks! Plenty of nutrients in fish tank water for sure. I try to use tank rain water unless I’m super rushed.

@blip-2024 3 месяца назад

I use the water from my first tanks too. Happy plants!

@tomherbert6792 3 месяца назад

Great information .thank you

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Cheers!

@TS50ER 3 месяца назад

A 'Trooper' of a vid mate. Tips to give growers, 'A Peace (Piece) of Mind'

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Haha, as long as you don’t watch my vids and feel the need to Run to the Hills! 😂

@edithsmith5510 3 месяца назад

Thank you so very much! that explains things very well.

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Glad it was helpful!

@KnightBlooming 3 месяца назад

Excellent information! I had to convert your Celsius to our Fahrenheit for our nighttime this summer has stayed in the 80s several nights. That is top notch info to know! I also finally tracked down a Euphorbia Abdelkuri too, it should arrive by next week! Thanks again!

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Fantastic score on the abdelkuri. One of my all time favourites. Let me know if you’ve got any questions for growing it - they seem relatively relaxed in cultivation though.

@ngoolark 24 дня назад

Anything approaching the change that came over his features I have never seen before, and hope never to see again. He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision-he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: The rootrot! The rootrot!

@AridZine 24 дня назад

You had me there in the first half - Heart of Darkness in the comments? Thought you were lost! But no! Very good 🤘🤘

@chompers11 3 месяца назад

Your content is so legit man. Love to just relax and put this on while making food. Thanks!

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Thank you! Glad you’re enjoying it

@dkstott29 2 месяца назад

Interesting.. None of my crassula seem to have a dormant period here in northeastern US.

@AridZine 2 месяца назад

Most Crassula are pretty forgiving about watering while dormant. Also depends where you’re keeping them - being in the northeastern US I’m guessing you have them indoors or at least in some sort of structure for part of the year to prevent them copping the full brunt of midwinter temperatures, which might also be impacting their natural annual rhythms.

@dkstott29 2 месяца назад

@AridZine mine are outside all summer until nighttime Temps go into the 30's F....They spend the winter under LED lighting in my basement...temperature is right around 60F...they seem to grow happily in the cooler Temps too...🤷‍♂️

@GnomeInvasion 3 месяца назад

got any tips for growing lithops indoors? should one try to emulate the changing seasons or just let the eternal spring ride haha. thanks for the vid, it was great.

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

I can’t speak from experience, but Lithops really need changes in seasons to help them through their annual cycle. Specifically, they’re going to need a winter drought period where their old leaves dry up and new leaves emerge. I’ve seen videos where growers manually tear the old leaves off to expose the new leaves - I suspect these are growers in more tropical locations where they don’t experience that winter drought - so this might be a method that you’d need to try if growing indoors? Looks brutal to me, and I don’t really know if it’s good practice. If you can find a place to put them that’s cooler and totally dry… that would be ideal.

@GnomeInvasion 3 месяца назад

@@AridZine appreciate the response. I'm in a subtropical area with monsoon weather, so wet and dry season. I might try putting them outside with the rest of the gang when it's dry and cool.

@jimthomas1989 3 месяца назад

Just fine out where each species comes from and check out the annual rainfall for that same area and its matched perfectly .

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Yes this is the ideal way to determine plant dormancy!

@RobCherwink 3 месяца назад

Good stuff! Thanks for another great video. I have been wondering about when cacti do their water uptake. Considering CAM, do you think it might be just at night? or just in the day? or both? 🌵

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

I’ve done a bit of reading on the topic and although I’m not 100% sure, I suspect that most of the water uptake is at night when the stomata are open. However there are likely other biological forces at play too that allow the plants to uptake some water through the day as well.

@RobCherwink 3 месяца назад

@@AridZine Thanks! - I believe that plants basically create suction to their roots and up the stem by expiration through the stoma, so night could be the time. However if they did not do it at the night they could have a lot of suction ready for the day? I have someone else that I will ask as well, and will let you know what I hear back.

@sampetrie9177 2 месяца назад

Another great video thanks!! I had a follow up question on the video about fertilising, was wondering if you've come up with any clever methods to mix it in with water? Hose watering takes me about an hour usually, but if I have to mix in fertilizer it takes much longer - mixing up 1 tsp searles flourish cacti and succulent with 9L water, then transferring to a watering can to dispense. I find the containers you can pressurize with a nozzle are too high powered and knock around potting materials or the plants themselves.

@AridZine 2 месяца назад

Yeah, the tsp of Searles into the 9L can and then into the smaller can with a rose is my current method, and completely tedious! I am a very lazy grower by nature , so always looking for ways to make things less tedious. Currently working on solving this process - can’t confirm its effectiveness until growing season commences again, but this is what I’ve got lined up. Plants that aren’t exposed to the weather are going into trays without drainage holes. I’ve drilled a 10mm hole in the corner of these which I’ve plugged with a silicone plug (about $4 for 20 from a Chinese seller on eBay.) I’ll mix up the ferts, pour into the tray to soak from below and when done, pull the plug and drain it all out. Can also be used without ferts to save time on deep watering from above. Will see how it goes or if I just kill all my plants! 😅

@neonice 2 месяца назад

The thing is that just because a plant has adapted to withstand harsh conditions it doesn't mean those are the best conditions for the plant. Most times it is simply not competitive enough to grow in more ideal places so when plants go into cultivation they might grow better in slightly different conditions than their natural habitat.

@AridZine 2 месяца назад

You’re not wrong. That said - there’s also the notion of growing these plants hard, replicating their appearance in habitat. It’s an interesting concept!

@Malprincess 3 месяца назад

How do you know if the cactus needs a deeper skinny pot? Most of what we have sold in my area of the US (seedlings in general cacti included) will come in those little 2 inch pots. How big do cactus roots grow? Can they fill a large pot completely like a typical houseplant?

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Rule of thumb for cactus is that the pot diameter should be an inch or so wider than the body of the plant, at least for low growing plants. Tall, columnar species can do with more width. And yes, their roots will fill up a pot but you don’t want to leave too much room for them to grow into, just in case the soil retains too much moisture. As for deep pots, I reserve these for plants that grow deep, thick roots - usually non-cacti caudex growing plants or others that I know send out deep root systems.

@Malprincess 3 месяца назад

@@AridZine Super informative! Thank you!

@jerryribyat1481 24 дня назад

I can really appreciate your expertise but I was taught in container plants 101 is that the Finnish grade in the pot should never be at the very top of the pot

@jerryribyat1481 24 дня назад

Is there any reason I'm not aware of why you feel your containers with soil all the way to the top of the edge of the pot

@AridZine 24 дня назад

You’re right - typically they should be filled below the top so water has time to settle into the soil. This is the case for typical potting soil - but the mix I use is so permeable and well-draining that I don’t need space at the top for water to sit and permeate, it soaks in almost instantaneously. In fact, standing water at the top is an indicator to me that my soil isn’t permeable enough! Anyway, to actually answer the question, with all this in mind I fill them to the top to maximise the root space for my plants.

@Bunny_costume_man 3 месяца назад

the only succulents i have are haworthia, crassula and kalanchoe (i don't know the scientific name), i don't have any idea about grafting and mutating etc, i find it extremely entertaining and exciting to be able to do what you do, i would want to but i just fear i might kill it by accident, i have a really hot direct sun (39 celsius and 102 fahrenheit),i would certainly appreciate any tip please

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

The three plants you’ve mentioned are all pretty forgiving - although I’d keep those Haworthia out of any really hot direct sun. I have a big Kalanchoe and keep it in ordinary nursery bought bagged soil and it seems happy. Haworthias though will really appreciate a bit more grit in their mix

@Bunny_costume_man 3 месяца назад

@@AridZine thanks brother

@thekittengod5331 3 месяца назад

Keep it up boss man! And gotta love some iron maiden 🤘🤘

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Thanks! 🤘🎸

@chadscott9157 3 месяца назад

Awesome 👍😎

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Thanks ✌️

@Malprincess 3 месяца назад

!!! Thanks so much!

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Cheers!

@spicemad 3 месяца назад

When you use tap water do you bother to lower the pH or just use as is?

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

I don’t bother - but our water is fairly neutral. If I had more time I’d use rainwater, but tap water seems to be okay for my purposes straight from the tap. If it was more alkaline I’d look at amending it somehow.

@zhaezz84 3 месяца назад

Question: this night temp max 25c does it also count for seedlings? You see i have a grow tent full of moist cacti seedlings (Copiapoa, Ariocarpus, and Astrophytum), and i have lights on during the night, to keep temperatures down and cheaper power. But this also makes the plants "nighttime" in the daytime hours which can pass 25c. i didnt have an issue so far, but it is a bit of a worry ^^ Thx for awesome video mate! Best regards from Denmark :)

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

Cacti seedlings don’t actually use CAM - I’m not sure precisely when their metabolism changes but it likely won’t be an issue so long as they’re small enough to be raising under lights.

@zhaezz84 3 месяца назад

@@AridZine Interesting, and thanks for answer. Next year lids will be off incubators, and high temperature wont be an issue without the lids, they really hold the heat in. so it will just be over this summer. 👍

@k.jespersen6145 3 месяца назад

Would you be averse to putting your dormancy table into a "Community" tab post, for those of us who don't use Instagram? Whether yes or no, thanks for considering. After watching this video, I suddenly feel badly for all of the lithops that found themselves flooding hardware and grocery stores durin the late '90s, early '00s. Most of them probably haven't survived, given improper watering.

@AridZine 3 месяца назад

If I can figure out how to post to a community tab, I’ll do it for sure! Still learning this RU-vid stuff. As for Lithops… I have no doubt there are many of them out there dying slow miserable deaths due to improper watering. 🥲