New Beginer and New Cacti

[jamestosches]

Hello guys. I just recently bought a set of three cacti at Wal-Mart to sort of "rescue" them. I felt obliged to purchase them. As of now I have had them two days. I have had them propped on the bannister of my porch. The night I purchased them I watered them with 8oz of water mixed with 5 drops of Miracle-Gro Cacti Food. I figured this is enough. If I could get any information as if this is the right thing to do, how frequently, and whatever else I need to know, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks so much guys.

By the way, I'm James. I live in Wilmington, NC. And it's HOT. lol

Pictures of the cacti below:

[jamestosches]

Here are some better pictures! I appreciate any help!!

[coltonschultz]

The first thing you should probably do after buying cacti is repot them in a well draining soil mix, as most corporate stores will pot the plants in a regular potting soil that won't drain fast enough. This can lead to the cacti rotting and dying. I would suggest buying some cactus mix soil and adding more large sized particles to it(I use perlite) to make it drain fast. Also its hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the cactus on the front right has a straw flower glued to it. There's a walkthrough on how to deal with these on the main cactiguide website. Best of luck!
-Colton

[bluetexasbonnie]

Welcome to the group.

[jamestosches]

Thanks so much. Alrighty. They said to cut the flower off or heat it with a cloth and pull it. Another thing is, the pot the three cacti are in is hard. The pebbles that make up the ground of it are very hard to move and compacted. How would I go about any of this? Sorry for so many questions, I just really want these cacti to thrive as a beginner!

[Saxicola]

If it is truly so compact you can't get them out easily, turn the pot upside down and carefully bang the edge of the pot against a hard surface. Do it over the lawn or other softer surface and don't do it too high in the air so that when the plants come out they don't get damaged. You can try to catch them if you want but you'll get stuck by two of them and the third will put countless nearly invisible stickers in your fingers that will have you cursing the plant all day! So letting them fall out in a gentle way is probably the safest for your hand.

In your climate you can grow them outdoors most of the year. Probably March or April through early November (basically any time frost isn't a danger). Start them out in bright shade but over a few weeks time you could move them into the sun (morning sun is best).

[jamestosches]

Thanks so much. Once i get them out, how exactly would i go about putting them into their new soil? What exactly do i need to purchase and set up?

[jp29]

Hi James. Welcome to the wonderful world of Cacti and Succulents! Please visit this page of CactiGuide.com that covers how to grow cacti.