First Cactus Care Guide: From Hardware Store to Healthy Plant

New 1.5" cactus from a hardware store. Confirm it's a cactus (all cacti are succulents, not vice versa). Care: thrives on neglect; killed by overwatering. If soil seems good, leave it. Sunny window; acclimate to outdoors gradually. Water thoroughly when soil dry. Protect from excess rain. Fall: taper water, cool room, no water Oct–March (dormancy). Spring: repot in cactus mix (or 2:2:1 peat/perlite/soil), check roots (white=healthy), pot slightly larger. Water gradually—dormant roots drown easily. A small cactus becomes a large, flowering investment.