CARE TIPS & BASIC RULES :
From spring to autumn place them in the sunniest position. You can place them outdoors but protected from rain. From mid autumn, bright and cool. Water thoroughly from late spring to early autumn. From mid autumn keep dry. Give cacti fertiliser every fourteen days when new growth appears. Epiphytic cacti on the other hand, need more water, high humidity and they do not want sun. Do not mix or grow desert cacti with jungle ones, as the two groups need entirely different conditions.

Desert cacti have spines as these maximise the surface area of the plant. Often their only source of moisture is wet mists passing through the desert in winter and they collect water from the mists, which condenses on their spines.

      SOME BASIC RULES ;

                   LIGHT

  South, west or east exposure. Special attention should be given to young plants, or plants that have spent most of their life in shade as exposing them to the sun may cause sunburns.

Most cacti will need as much light as possible, while some others a bit less, yet others needing more than average.
The cacti that need as much light as possible (stand them in direct sunlight and the more, the better) would be most Notocactus, Obregonia, Astrophytum, Pilocereus, Mirtillocactus, Ariocarpus, Ferocactus and some Mammillaria species. The Saguaro (Carnegia gigantea), Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus - indica) can also be left out in full sunlight. Plants with very dense spination, very tough thick skin and cacti with blue or white coloured stems also fall into this category.
                                                                                  

Cacti that would need moderate light are Aporocactus, Chamaecereus, certain Gymnocalyciums and similar. These can be put on a sunny windowsill but shaded from direct sunlight by a light scattering material, such as is used for plastic bags.Cacti with low light requirements are leafy rainforest cacti, sunlight can kill these plants. These plants are better to be kept inside, away from sunlight. if you are watering or spraying your plants, do it after the sun has set as water dropplets can act as lenses in the daytime and burn the tender skin of your plants.                                                                 

                                                      

If they are in shade, turn them around, towards the light, every now and then to maintain even growth.

If you notice elongated growth, your plants need to be taken in a position with more light.

                          WATER

The worst enemy of cacti is over watering. Place a thin wooden stick or a pencil in the soil. If soil sticks to it when removed, DO NOT WATER.
When watering, give them plenty of water.
Empty the saucers of any excess water, cacti hate having.

Factors that have influence to watering frequency 

Season, Climate, Ambient air temperature, Size of plant counts, Type of soil, Local wind condition.

However, bear in mind that, regardless of any other preference of the species for summer or winter rainfall, neither cacti nor succulents appreciate standing in wet ground, where soil moisture does not drain away.During the low-light winter months, cacti and succulents should be watered only enough to prevent shrinking and withering. When watering, do it thoroughly. Water should flow through the drain holes, and the excess should be discarded after a few minutes.

A series of repeated shallow sprinklings often results in distorted growth. As the amount of light increases in the spring, so does the plant's need for water. The soil, however, should always be allowed to dry out completely between waterings.

Although it is not difficult to master the art of watering cacti, it requires some experimentation and careful observation. The golden rule should be 'less is more'. They may suffer from water stress at first, but you are less likely to lose them.
Water slow and deep with in ground cacti, this seems to really keep them from stressing so much and grow more evenly.This is also referred to as 'deep soaking'. Deep soak is a slow, but steady, drip from a garden hose over a two to six hour period. The size of plant determines the duration.

• Don't water newly planted cactus. After repotting leave plant dry and wait at least a week, this gives the succulent roots time to heal before being exposed to water.
• In warmer temperatures, more watering is required. In cooler temperatures, less watering is required                                           

Older plants have larger "storage tank" and can go longer between watering.

             SOIL

 Cactus soil is also one of the most important thing and without the proper soil proper growth of cactus may be interrupted.              
Cacti prefer well drained soil. The best is mix of two parts compost, one part red soil and half part sand. 
You can purchase cactus soil at your local gardening center or home improvement store. If you cannot find any cactus soil, you can make your own by thoroughly mixing two parts potting soil, two parts sand and one part gravel and few some bone dust.

                 FERTILIZE

Cacti and succulents have relatively low nutrient requirements. Cacti need fertilizer only once or twice a year during the late spring or summer when they are actively growing. Use a houseplant food that is higher in phosphorus than nitrogen, diluted to half the recommended rate. Other succulents may be fertilized in the same manner three or four times during the brighter months.

    Types of fertilizers:

Fertilizers contain the nutrients your plants require for healthy growth. Fertilizers are either organic or inorganic, and available in a powder, granular, liquid or solid form. The advantage of inorganic fertilizers is that their chemical content is consistent. Organic fertilizers are high in trace elements yet they may lack some elements which will cause a deficiency with prolongued use.

 Main elements and their function in the plants:

(N) nitrogen - encourages good top growth, it helps to build protoplasm, protein and other components of plant cells.
(P) phosphorus (phosphate) - encourages good root growth. Aids in the ripening of fruit and seed germination (seed viability).
(K) potassium (potash) - encourages good flowers and fruit.

You can use a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer in the early spring. A 5-10-5 (NPK) compound works best. Mix it in with the soil and it will feed the cacti all summer. Another method is to use a water-soluble cactus fertilizer. Some people use brand called "Cactus Juice", and it is mixed 1/2 tablespoon per gallon of water. Schultz and other manufacturers also make liquid fertilizer. With this method you fertilize every two weeks during the growing season. You may find this works better for desert cacti than using a granular mixture. Both methods are good, but cacti seem to respond better to liquid fertilizer.

Remember; In the dormant period (November throughout March), do not fertilize at all.

   GROWING INDOOR CACTI

Many cacti and succulents are extremely well adapted to living in houses where the relative humidity is low (10-30 percent). They require only modest amounts of water and fertilizer, but do need abundant light. They should be placed in a bright, sunny window.

Insufficient natural light can be augmented by artificial lighting. A cool white fluorescent tube, or a combination of daylight and natural white fluorescent tubes will give good results. Position them 6-12 inches above the plants, and keep them on for 14-16 hours each day.


Before watering your cactus, check to see if the soil is dry. Then water well, especially in the growing months (April through mid-September) and let the water drain off.

In the winter, water sparingly — allow your cactus a rest. Perhaps a sip once a month if required and your cactus is in a hot sunny place. Adjust according to conditions. Some shriveling in the winter is natural — especially when keeping hardy cacti indoors.


Southern and western exposure windows give cacti the sun that they need, although you can possibly store them in a north or east window in winter if you are really careful about the watering.

 Be careful when first placing a cactus in the window, care needs to be taken so that the plant does not sunburn.

Give low nitrogen fertilizer sparingly (1/4 suggested amount) every other watering April through August especially if the cactus is getting good light and is growing.
Some people grow cacti outside in pots during the growing season and place their cactus indoors for storage during the winter non-growing season.

GROWING OUTDOOR CACTI

Be sure the cactus you have chosen is hardy in your area and in your growing situation or that you are willing to experiment and chance losing the cacti.


Plant as early in the season as possible to allow the cactus to become established before the next winter. Don’t let the cactus freeze hard at night during this time—cover or postpone planting until nights are slightly above freezing. Light freezes won’t hurt hardy cacti if they have been acclimated to freezing temperatures and are not growing.

Plant in well-drained soil. To build up a bed, add a layer of rocks and cover with rocky, loose grained (mineral) soil. Avoid organic soil (peat moss, bark, anything organic). Cacti look nice mixed in among larger rocks which also give some protection from the elements.

WHAT IS SUCCULENT PLANT? 
Succulents are plants from more than 60 families and 300 genera. They have evolved special water-storage tissues in thickened or swollen leaves, stems or roots as an adaptation to arid environments. By making the most of scarce available moisture, succulents can survive in habitats that are far too dry for most other plants.
Leaf Succulents: Leaves are almost entirely composed of water storage cells covered by a thin layer of photosynthetic tissue.

Stem Succulents: Fleshy stems contain water storage cells overlaid by photosynthetic tissue. Leaves are almost or entirely absent, reducing surface area to prevent evaporative loss of water.

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