Cacti and Succulents

Mighty Benefits of Growing Cacti & Succulents at Home

If you are smitten by the exquisite displays of cacti and succulents on social media, you are not alone! They are among the fanciest plants you will find around. They come in various attractive shapes, colours, and you can find several exciting varieties on Pepperfry. What’s more? You do not need a green thumb to grow them at home!

Most cacti & succulents need minimal maintenance and care. They can thrive in harsh conditions. 

Yes! You do not have to feel guilty if you don’t water them often! 

Hence, they are perfect additions to any home, especially if you are busy as bees and shy away from plants for fear of killing them. 

What Are Cacti and Succulents?

The term ‘succulent’ refers to a broad category of plants. These usually have fleshy stems, roots, and leaves that work as water storage organs. These features allow them to withstand dry conditions and make them drought tolerant. 

Technically, cacti also belong to the plant category called ‘succulents. Consequently, they have thick, fleshy stems and leaves. However, cacti differ from other succulents due to the presence of areoles. 

Areoles are nodes on the body of cacti, where their branches, flowers, and spines grow. In addition, the spines on the cacti are quite prominent and may form unique patterns and shapes.

Benefits Of Growing Cacti & Succulents at Home

Some of the advantages of growing cacti and succulents at home include the following:

• Excellent As House Plants

Cacti and succulents can be excellent choices if you want to buy a house plant to add a new vibe to your space. They are unique and fancy. They can also instantly transform any space and work as interesting display pieces.

• Cleans The Air Indoors 

Many bonsai trees remove toxins and pollutants from the air and improve the quality of your home. 

Similarly, when living indoors, cacti and succulents will clean the air of carbon dioxide. They transform this carbon dioxide into glucose during photosynthesis. In turn, they give off oxygen, enabling you to enjoy the benefits of clean air indoors.

• Are Slow Growers

Most succulents are small. They are also slow growers. Hence, they need little space indoors. This makes them perfect container plants, letting you deck various corners of your house without worrying about crowding your place.

• Require Little Maintenance

Cacti and succulents are the easiest plants to grow. This is because they need minimal care and maintenance. They are also not fussy, if you plant them in the desired potting mix and don’t overwater.

For easier upkeep, you can buy your succulents and cacti from Pepperfry in a self-watering pot. These pots usually have a special soil mix and a slow-release fertiliser lasting approximately six months. In addition, these pots have an excess water reservoir. This will prevent you from overwatering your beloved plant and take care of its watering schedule. 

• Can Tolerate Harsh Conditions

Cacti & succulents can tolerate dry conditions, extra heat, and higher temperatures well. They can even stay well in dry air. This is because these plants are drought-tolerant and can go several days without water.

• Create Exquisite Displays

Just like you can train a money plant to create an excellent display at home, you can also use cacti and succulents as stunning display objects. 

For example, you can use them as centrepieces for your dinner table, cluster various types to create impressive displays around the house, add them to bookshelves as accessories, place them on your coffee table, etc. You can also position them on your office desk like a bonsai plant.

What’s even better? You can conveniently shop for several varieties and species of cacti and succulents online on Pepperfry. So, indulge to your heart’s content and decorate your home with these interesting fuss-free babies. 

• Appropriate For Indoor Gardening 

If you love gardening but do not have a garden or fear not having a green thumb, you can grow cacti and succulents at home as a hobby. A succulent or cactus is easy to grow and maintain, making it an ideal house plant for indoor gardening.

What Are the Various Cacti & Succulents You Can Buy from Pepperfry?

Currently, Pepperfry offers a wide collection of cacti and succulents. Some of these also come pre-potted in self-watering containers. So, browse through their website and choose any based on your preferences. 

Some of the plants you can give a try include the following:

• Aloe Vera
• Echeveria Hybrid
• Zebra Haworthia
• Crassula Ovata
• Echeveria Lotus Chinensis
• Heart Hoya

Their small size and delightfully fancy appearance make cacti and succulents excellent gifts. So, if you are short of gifting ideas, set aside the usual and gift your friends or family some lovely succulents and cacti from Pepperfry.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Question)

What are cacti & succulents?

The term ‘succulent’ includes various plants with fleshy stems, roots, and leaves. These features work as water storage organs for the plants, allowing them to withstand dry conditions. 

Typically, cacti can also be classified as ‘succulents. However, cacti differ from other succulents due to the presence of areoles. These are nodes where their branches, flowers, and spines grow. While other succulents also have spines, they do not originate from areoles.

What are the benefits of keeping cacti and succulents at home?

There are several benefits of keeping cacti and succulents at home. For example, they are easy to maintain and are slow growers. They purify the indoor air and can thrive even in harsh conditions. They also do not require full sun and mostly need bright indirect light. 

They also work amazingly as decoration items around the house. 

What is the ideal soil mix for cacti and succulents?

After buying your cacti and succulents, taking proper care of the plants is essential. They need little maintenance and grow in a poor soil mix. However, you must provide it with a well-draining potting mix. This will remove excess water and keep root rot at bay.

For a typical soil mix for these plants, mix one part of coarse sand with one part of potting soil. You can also add vermiculite or perlite. This will make the potting mix airy and more porous. 

However, if you are confused, you can simply invest in cacti and succulents from Pepperfry. They typically come potted in a self-watering pot which holds a special soil mix with a slow-release fertiliser. The pot also takes care of the watering schedule of your plant.

Can you grow cacti and succulents indoors?

Yes. You can plant your cacti and succulents indoors. They are quite easy to grow, and you can conveniently use them as home décor.