Question
My Moon Cactus
I just bought a moon cactus and it is about 2.5" tall. I also bought a glass bowl and was wondering if I could move my cactus into it. Would there be draining problems? Also, what kind of soil does it need? Is it something I can make at home or do I have to buy it? Thanks, Katie
AnswerKatie,
A moon cactus, or 'grafted cactus' is a cactus grafted on to another to grow as one. The top cactus is usually drained of it's chloryphll and cannot create it's own food, thus it uses the bottom cactus. The life spans of moon cacti are very short lived, but they're very pretty.
Yes, a glass bowl with no drainage hole would be a problem. It really shouldn't be repotted into a larger pot. That would be more soil and it would not dry out soon enough. What you could do is leave it in it's plastic pot and set it inside the glass bowl or move it to a small decorative pot and set that in the glass bowl.
Moon cactus like lots of sunlight, but not outside direct sunlight - for that will give them sun burn marks and can kill them. Indoors a few hours a day (4-6) of sunlight is good. But if you put it in the glass bowl you should not set it in bright sun or the glass could magnify the sun and burn it. Soil should always be a coarse sandy soil like a desert.
Only water them when they're soil is COMPLETELY dry and the pot feels light weight, and then water them well like a good thunderstorm. The next time you'll water them when they're completely dry again. The summer months (April - September) are when they're in there growing stages, so give them a fertilizer made for cactus every month or two, not too much though, about half the strength it tells you to give on the instructions of the fertilizer. (I.E. Shultz Cactus Miracle-Gro) The summer months they need a little more sunlight and watering, but slowly start to slow down there watering as it gets closed to september because they need to go dormant in the winter in order to bloom next summer. In the winter, water them only once a month and less sunlight is needed, and hard to find especially in winter (depending where you live) Also make sure they don't go below 60 degrees. They do not like cold or drafts.
Good luck! If you need any more information I recommend the library for a book on cacti, or google search 'moon cactus care'
Darlene
