I just got this cactus on sunday and it is not only my first cactus but also my first plant in general. I was planning on being a nit more organised and knowledgeable before buying one but my parents came over one day with one they had bought without getting any real instruction to pass on. So now I have this cactus and I'm terrified! 8D
Here is are some pictures; I don't know what kind it is nor the best way to take care of it. The soil seemed really dry and who knows when it was watered before so I watered it with tap water (which I read can be bad but I had nothing else on hand) on sunday night.
I realize this is the identification forum so I'll leave it at that. I would like to know where to post for advice on taking care of it best as possible afterwards as well. I'm really new here!
hopefully i am not leading you too far astray, leave it up to the real experts here to make a positive identification but to my untrained eye I believe it looks like a Mammillaria, possibly Mammillaria rhodantha. It looks a lot like one I have.
It's a mammillaria but i don't know the full scientific name. The most important thing is to stay on the dry side. Water it thoughly but leave it to completely dry then water it. Keep it in the sunniest windowsill and don't put a tray under it. If u feel like u can do it, u should change the soil.
Good luck!
Last edited by ElieEstephane on Thu Jun 29, 2017 10:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a)
Congratulations to your first cactus! However, it has never been a good thing to be terrified! Especially, if you know a place with friendly people giving advice to you!
1: This is a Mammilaria, an ideal species for beginners and not one of the difficult and "unforgiving" kind.
2: This is a plant! If you have made a mistake, there is enough time (most times) to correct it and you have to react within some days or weeks, not seconds or minutes.
3: You did the right thing and gave it a good deal of water when you found it completely dry. Now it's time to wait until the cactus will have consumed the liquid. A simple trick to become familiar with the need of water of your plant is to put it on a kitchen scale (if you own one). If you find out the weight today (rather wet state) and before you water it again (rather dry state, like you have got it), you get a feeling for the difference. The important thing is not the exact quantity of water, but to wait the right time before watering again. If you put your fingers to the holes at the ground of the pot, you'll feel the moisture, because you watered thoroughly yesterday. If you repeat this a week later, you might feel less moisture. After, let's say 10 days, it feels quite dry and it's time to water well again, until the excess-water is pouring out of the holes in the ground. After some minutes, discard this surplus water, because your cactus is really fed up. If you do not discard the Surplus water, your plant will get "wet feet" this is one of the "big mistakes".
4: All the other issues, concerning the quality of the soil and the hardiness of your tap water etc. will be covered later!
Place it as brightly as possible (without reconstructing your home)!
