How to care for cacti and succulents (and why yours keep dying)

There's an irony here: cacti are famous for being indestructible, and they're among the houseplants that die most often. The reason is exactly that reputation — people assume they need normal care, and normal care kills them.

Watering: much less than you think

Cacti and succulents store water in their tissues. Watering them often is drowning them.

• Spring and summer: every 10 to 15 days, and only if the soil is dry all the way to the bottom.
• Fall and winter: once a month, or not at all. In winter they go dormant.
• How to water: generously, until it drains out the bottom, and then let it dry out completely. Never a little bit often.
• Never leave water in the saucer or pour it over the plant: the crown rots.

How to tell whether it has too much or too little water

Symptom	What's going on
Soft, mushy, yellowing from the base	Too much water. This is the serious one
Brown or black, soft base	Rot. Almost always too late
Wrinkled, leaves softening and curling inward	Needs water. Recovers in a day
Leaves that fall off when touched	Usually too much water, not too little

Rule of thumb: wrinkled can be fixed, mushy can't. When in doubt, don't water.

Light

They need a lot. A cactus in a dark corner becomes etiolated: it stretches, thins out and loses its compact shape. That can't be reversed — the stretched part stays that way forever.

Ideal spot: the sunniest window in the house. If it comes from a nursery where it was in partial shade, get it used to the sun gradually: sudden full sun burns its skin and the mark is permanent.

The potting mix

Regular potting mix holds too much water. Use a cactus-specific mix, or make your own: two parts soil to one part perlite and one part coarse sand. And an unglazed terracotta pot if you can, because it breathes and helps the soil dry.

Why they make a good gift

They last for years, ask for no attention, take up little space and work just as well for men as for women — they're one of the options we recommend in flower bouquets for men. For an office desk they're probably the best thing there is.