Winter to Spring Cactus and Succulent Care Tips

Caring for your indoor plants, especially cacti and succulents, may already seem like enough of a challenge, but when you take into consideration that each season comes with its own set of indoor house plant care instructions, it may seem even more overwhelming. But we are here to help!

At Planet Desert, we want to help make plant care easier for you. By giving your tips and sharing our extensive knowledge, you can care for your cacti and succulents without playing a guessing game. If you want to stop guessing on how to properly care for your plants and hoping you can keep them alive as winter transitions into spring, then read this blog! We are going to talk about how to care for your plants during this transition!

Don’t Overdo It In Winter

The best way to ensure that your cacti and succulents can thrive during spring is to ensure you properly care for them during winter. Most cactus and succulent plants are dormant during the colder winter month, which means that they are not growing. Because of this, they do not need to be watered nearly as often as during summer month, nor do they need to be fertilized. By properly caring for your plants in the winter, you can prepare them for spring!

Water

While succulents and cacti don’t need or like that much water to begin with, when the spring starts you hit you can start watering them more! Since they will no longer be dormant, watering them regularly will likely not kill them, as long as you don’t over water your plants. During the spring, succulents and cacti are actively growing, they will need to be waters every one to two weeks.

It is important to keep in mind that when the summer days start getting too hot, over 90 degrees, you should reduce waiting to once every two weeks. Succulents and cacti also go dormant when the weather gets too hot, so giving them too much water during this time may harm them. They will be able to survive on the water they have stored when temperatures get too hot.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing your succulents and cacti in the spring can help give them the nutrients they need to thrive! While you should never give your succulent or cactus plants fertilizer in the winter, when the last frost comes around, you can give them fertilizer by following the instructions on the packaging.

There are many different types of fertilizer, which will change the way you are meant to fertilize them. Whether you choose granular fertilizer or liquid plant food, be sure to read the instructions. Over fertilizing your plants is worse than not fertilizing them at all!

While there are many different types of fertilizers to use, we suggest picking a cactus and succulent fertilizer that has levels 15-15-30, which indicates how much nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is in the fertilizer. If your plant looks like its growth has stunted, they may need to be fertilized.

Lighting

The amount of light that your succulents and cacti get during the winter is lower than what they get in the summer. When spring hits, it is important that you ensure they are getting enough light. Whether this means that you move your plants closer to a window or you leave them where they have been all year.

While it is important that your succulents get enough light, it is also important that you know the specific needs of each of your plants. Some succulents and cacti thrive on bright, direct light all day, while others need some shade or indirect light. By learning what each of your plants need, you can ensure that they thrive during the spring and into summer.

If you move your succulents and cacti outside during the warmer weather, we suggest doing so slowly. If you move them directly into the light of the sun, you could kill them. Instead, slowly reintroduce your plants to bright light so that they are not shocked.

Repotting

One thing that is important to note about repotting your succulents and cacti is that they do not need to be repotted nearly as often as other plants. A good rule of thumb is to repot your cactus and succulent plants once every four years, giving them fresh soil and moving them into a larger pot if they need it.

If you do notice that your succulent or cactus needs to be repotted, do so by watering the plant first and allowing it to brain before gently removing it from the pot. If you are removing a cactus, use a paper towel to protect yourself from the spikes.

Remove old soil from the roots with a chopstick or another thin stick and clear out old soil from the pot if you are repotting the plant in the same one. Add the new cactus and succulent specific potting soil and replant your plant. Don’t water your cactus or succulent for a few days, this allows the roots to heal and helps prevent root rot.

With these tips, you can keep your cacti and succulents alive and thriving as we move into spring! Be sure to add some new plants to your collection by shopping Planet Desert now! We are an online nursery who offers unique and beautiful succulents and cacti, delivered right to your door. Contact us with any questions you may have, we are always happy to help.