Christmas Cactus Care
Laura from Garden Answer gives her best tips for caring for everyone’s favorite holiday plant – the Christmas cactus. These plants can live for year’s with the right care. Learn how to keep your Christmas Cactus blooming!
Laura from Garden Answer gives her best tips for caring for everyone’s favorite holiday plant – the Christmas cactus. These plants can live for year’s with the right care. Learn how to keep your Christmas Cactus blooming!
Laura from Garden Answer shows you how to bring the outdoors in for the winter months. Make this easy potted plant snow globe using succulents and Espoma’s organic cactus mix. Ask kids to help make these tiny globes or make them yourself. They’re perfect for holiday decor or to give as gifts to the plant lover in your life.
Here are the basics:
Looking for more inspiration? Check out our YouTube page!
Get ready for fall by creating this seasonal planter filled with low light succulents, pumpkins and owls. Laura from Garden Answer explains how to create and care for a stunning low light succulent container! Be sure to use Espoma’s Cactus Mix and Cactus! liquid fertilizer.
Want to see the full tutorial? Check out our YouTube Channel!
Fairy gardens are the perfect way to add a little magic to your garden. You can create them in a container, a window box, or just plant them straight into the ground. The beauty is they pop up almost effortlessly overnight and the possibilities are endless!
Fairy gardens are miniature gardens, they are adapted from Japanese bonsai gardens. Fairy gardens took the idea of shaping and caring for a miniature tree for relaxation and created a new way of gardening. Because they are miniature, the idea is to welcome fairies and small creatures to enjoy them, just as you enjoy your garden.
It’s easy to start. Use Espoma’s Potting Mix or Cactus Mix as the base for your fairy garden, add miniature plants or succulents and finish with some whimsical touches.
Need more ideas on where to start or what to do next? Check out our list to get that inspiration coming!
Once you’ve planted, don’t forget to use Espoma’s indoor liquid plant foods to get your best fairy garden yet!
Are you experiencing a hot, dry summer and wanting to plant something new? Go the water-wise route and add a cactus to your container garden. It keeps your garden interesting and gives everyone something to talk about.
Cacti are a great way to introduce new character in a garden. With their unique texture and eye catching shapes, cacti can be the next big hit in your garden. But be careful, their spines can stick you when you aren’t paying attention.
Five Sharp Cactus Gardening Tips
1. Gear Up
When handling cacti, it is incredibly easy to get poked by one of their spines (needles). Wear nitrile dipped gloves to reduce being poked by the little hair-like spines. The synthetic of the nitrile helps decrease the penetration. Leather gloves don’t repel as well. Keep an eye out for the long spines; they can still hurt! Make sure your soil is geared up too, with Espoma’s Organic Cactus Mix.
2. Catch Your Eye
Every container needs a focal point. Plant tall, structural cacti to ensure your eyes are sweeping over the garden. Add cacti, such as mangave and saguaro, to areas most commonly looked over.
3. Create Cactus Clusters
Bunching up a variety of cacti will improve the aesthetics of your garden. Like other plants, cacti love to be next to each other in clusters.
4. Balance the Colors
Balance out the heat of the summer by planting cool colored cacti. Muted colored cacti have colors of teals, purples and soft greens that really bring relaxation to mind.
5. Create a Living Backdrop
Columnar cacti create a tall narrow look that is perfect for bunching together to make a creative backdrop. This works great to reduce sound, hide a fence, or even as a great meeting place. Put a table and some chairs and always stay on trend. Imagine how beautiful it will look as the cacti start blooming.
Cacti are very low-maintenance, needing water once every 10-17 days in the summer. Remember to use Espoma’s Cactus! liquid plant food every two to four weeks to keep your cacti happy and healthy.
Winter months are right around the corner! Learn how to take care of your indoor cacti and succulent plants to survive even in the winter’s darkest days.
Instead of carrying around a rabbit’s foot or a four leaf clover, try adding jade plants to your home for good luck! These plants signify wealth and prosperity, so they make the perfect addition to offices and homes. Like most succulents, they’re low-maintenance and easy to care for.
You don’t need to be lucky to find success, just follow these simple care instructions for your jade plant.
Water
Instead of watering your jade plant on a schedule, water as needed. If the top inch of the soil is completely dry, it’s time to water. Depending on the amount of sun and the room temperature, water needs may vary. If your jade plant starts to lose leaves or develop sun spots, it’s trying to tell you it’s thirsty. Water just enough to moisten the soil.
As with all houseplants, avoid over watering as it can lead to root rot and other diseases.
Sunlight
Jade plants love sunlight. Just four to six hours of direct sun a dat promotes healthy growth also protects against diseases. Place your jade plant on a sunny windowsill at work or at home.
Certain varieties of jade, typically ones with variegated leaves, don’t need as much sun. Look for a variety than can thrive in indirect sunlight to place on your desk or coffee table. Jade plants love mild temperatures, anywhere from 50 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit will do.
Soil
Jade prefers a well-draining soil to avoid becoming water logged. Espoma’s Organic Cactus Mix is specialized for succulents. It promotes healthy root growth with its optimum aeration and drainage. Clay pots are great for jade plants because they wick away any excess water and help protect the plant from over watering damage.
Fertilize
Fertilize your jade plant regularly to keep it healthy and growing, try Espoma’s Cactus! Liquid plant food for succulents.
With just a little care, your new jade plant will bring you plenty of luck and prosperity!
Want to be creative with succulents? Try this DIY paint can planter for succulents.
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, you’re probably getting ready to shower your mom with love! But, deciding what to get mom gets harder each year. Instead of pink or red roses, try something new – pink succulents! While succulents typically are seen in various shades of green or blue, pretty pinks and ruby reds are perfect for Mother’s Day.
Succulents are trending in the décor world right now and look great in any home. They’re also very low maintenance and easy to care for, perfect for a busy mom on the go.
Here are five succulents to buy for mom this Mother’s Day:
Perle von Nurnberg
The overlapping leaves of this echeveria species are beautiful in color. A greyish brown base with light pink and purple highlights creates contrast between the leaves. In the summer, the flowers can become coral to red with a yellow interior. As with all succulents, be sure to keep soil dry to avoid root rot and growth damage.
Afterglow
This echeveria truly lives up to its name. With beautiful pastel pink and purple leaves, these succulents look like something from a fairytale, a flower any mom is sure to love. Afterglow is perfect for indoor or outdoor containers. When growing succulents in containers, be sure to use Espoma’s Cactus Mix for best results.
Aurora
This sedum variety is definitely a fan favorite. Its bead-shaped, pink leaves earned Aurora the adorable nickname “Pink Jelly Beans” – and what mom wouldn’t love that? Yellow and white summer blooming flowers pair perfectly with the existing pink foliage.
Paddle Plant
Also known as Flapjack Plant or Desert Cabbage, this succulent gets its name from its flat, wide leaves. Paddle plant is typically found in green, but becomes accented with red when it receives enough sunlight. Like most of the succulents on this list, the pink and red color only becomes more prominent with more sun.
Graptopetalum pachyphyllum
Bonus points for mom if she can pronounce the name! This species has beautiful rosettes of pinkish leaves, topped by tiny, yellow flowers with pointed petals. When given a lot of sunlight, the gray foliage can show a reddish tint.
This Mother’s Day, show mom your love with one – or all – of the succulents on this list. Try incorporating the succulents in a cute planter for a really unique gift!
Cacti make the perfect houseplant. Their water-saving properties make them very low-maintenance. They’re trending in the design world, too, making them very stylish additions to any interior.
Growing cacti indoors adds a beautiful touch to any home. And although they can survive with very little care, they won’t necessarily thrive. In order to keep your cacti alive and well, follow these simple care instructions.
Soil
As you probably already know, cacti love desert-like conditions. Think dry, well-drained soil. When planting cacti indoors, be sure to use Espoma’s Organic Cactus Mix. The all natural potting soil provides optimum aeration and drainage to create the best growing conditions. Choose a stylish pot with a drainage hole to match your décor.
Water
One of the biggest causes of death to houseplants is over-watering. When it comes to watering your cactus, less is more. Water sparingly when soil is dry and let the water trickle through. Don’t allow cacti to sit in a pool of water, as this will lead to rotting roots and other complications.
Use your best judgement to decide whether or not your cactus needs some water. Hint – if it looks shriveled, it might mean that it’s dipping into its water reserves. This is when you should give your cactus a little bit of water to replenish it.
Light & Temperature
Keep your cacti happy by placing it on a windowsill or another sunny spot. About 3-4 hours of sunlight every day is ideal for cacti, but they will survive with indirect sunlight, too. We suggest a south or east facing window.
Cacti are also great houseplants because they can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. They can survive in temperatures as low as 50°F and as high as 85°F, making the temperate in your home the perfect environment.
Nutrients
Give your plant a boost by fertilizing as needed with Espoma’s new Cactus! Succulent plant food. This provides plants with the nutrients they need instantly.
Ready to try more desert-like plants? Learn how to care and create a succulent planter.
You’ve probably heard the words cacti and succulents thrown around interchangeably. However, this is a common misconception. Technically, all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Cacti are simply one of the many types of succulents.
Succulents are defined by their water retaining cells. Which is one of our favorite things about them because it’s what makes them so low maintenance and drought tolerant.
Another common misconception is that cacti are defined by their prickly needles. Many succulents have spikes similar to cacti, and not all cacti are prickly.
If you’re looking specifically for a cactus, the determining factor is called an areole. They are small, cotton-like lumps on a cactus where the spines grow out of. All cacti have areoles, making it easy to distinguish them from other prickly succulents.
Now that you know the difference, let’s talk about care. Although they’re different plants, cacti and succulents have similar needs. When caring for cacti or succulents, remember they love everything in moderation – not too much, and not too little.
Light
Cacti and succulents thrive in a spot by the window or outdoors in the garden. Too little sunlight will cause loss of color or strange growth patterns. Lack of sun can lead to root rot as the soil may stay moist for too long.
On the other hand, too much direct sunlight and heat can cause succulents and cacti to sunburn! These burns can change the color and texture of the plant. While most succulents can handle direct sunlight, it takes time for them to become accustomed to a new environment. Don’t move them from a windowsill to full sun in the garden without conditioning them. Gradually place your plant in brighter locations and allow it some time to adjust to its new surroundings.
Water
The same Goldilocks rule goes for watering – not too much, but not too little.
While succulents and cacti are drought tolerant and can survive without water, that doesn’t mean they’ll thrive. They will do best when watered in moderation.
It’s safer to stay on the lighter side of watering rather than giving too much. If you notice the succulent starting to shrivel, its most likely because they are using up the water reserved in their cells. Add a small amount of water to the soil to help them replenish.
Too much water will cause your plant to become mushy and potentially develop root rot. Your succulent or cactus can fall apart right in front of your eyes!
Avoid these problems by using very little water and determining later whether they need more. If you have your plant in a double pot, water it and after a few minutes empty all excess water. Over-watering is just as common of a cause of plant death as under-watering. Use Espoma’s Organic Cactus Mix potting soil to keep roots healthy and to reduce drought-stress in between watering.
Temperature
Succulents and cacti are very flexible when it comes to temperatures. Just be sure to adjust your watering schedule accordingly.
When plants are in cool temps, soil won’t dry as fast. Remember root rot can occur if the soil is too wet for too long. If succulents or cacti are planted outdoors in the hot summer sun, you may need to water more often.
Now that you know the difference between succulents and cacti and the proper care, add some to your garden today!
Feed plants with Espoma’s Cactus! Succulent Plant Food for best results and let us know how your succulent garden turns out!
The Espoma Company brought Laura from Garden Answer to visit Primex Garden Center near Philadelphia for a container challenge. Watch as Laura picks out plants for easy succulent and fairy gardening containers. Follow along with her how-to instructions as she brings together two lovely containers for indoor gardening. Plus, you’ll learn how to care for and fertilize these indoor gardens.
Want more inspiration? Watch the miniature gnome garden come together in no time at all!