26 
HOWARD E. GATES 
CACTUS CULTURE 
Cactus are native to nearly every portion of the American Continents from Canada 
to Patagonia. They reach their greatest luxuriance in the tropical and semi-tropical 
regions. They grow under every conceivable condition from the marshes of the seacoast 
to the driest of the upland deserts. For these reasons any brief outline of growing 
instructions can only be approximate. Apparently the greatest error is being made in 
considering that they all need extremely arid conditions. Many of our most desirable 
species pass at least a portion of their life in the shelter of a bush or the shadow of 
a rock. 
Most kinds like considerable light but this can be broken by shadows during a part 
of the day. In the home, a south window screened by a lace curtain is preferable to an 
unscreened north window. Out of doors, the south or west exposures are best and a few 
hours daily of shadow from neighboring trees or buildings will not be harmful. 
The type of soil is one of the most important things. It should be what nursery¬ 
men call “a well drained soil.” That is one that will not pack hard nor stay muddy. It 
should be rather coarse, composed of gravel, sand, soil and old leaf mould. If the mix¬ 
ture is not known to carry considerable lime, some lime should be added until the soil 
has a slightly alkaline reaction as shown by the coloring of litmus paper. This lime can 
be added in the form of ground limestone, powdered shells, crushed mortar, air-slaked 
lime or some other form of agricultural lime. No set rules can be given for the propor¬ 
tions of sand, soil and leaf mould as these elements vary so much in their characteristics. 
When the natural terrain is low and apt to hold moisture, the cactus beds should be 
mounded to provide good drainage. 
When new plants are received, all dried out and broken roots should be cut off as 
these will rot and may cause a decay to enter the body of the plant. Most cactus are 
very shallowly seated in the soil and care should be taken when replanting not to set 
them deeper. To set them deeper will injure the appearance of the plants and may 
cause rot to start. The base of the plants must be kept well drained. If there is danger 
in this respect, a little sand, gravel or charcoal may be placed under the base of the plants. 
When planting in pots, first cover the drainage hole with a piece of broken flower 
pot or a few small stones, then place a little sand or gravel to insure constant drainage 
and then add the soil. If the plants are bare rooted, spread the roots apart so they will 
be evenly distributed through the soil. When repotting from one pot to another, remove 
the top soil above the roots and the old drainage material from below. Plants may be 
easily removed from the pots by upturning a pot with the right hand, tapping the edge 
down onto something hard and the plant with ball of earth will slide out of the pot into 
the left hand. Cutting around inside the pot with a knife injures the roots and breaking 
the pot is wasteful. Pots under six inches in diameter are very hard to keep properly 
moistened in warm weather. These may be buried in sand or gravel to conserve the 
moisture. Pots should be chosen to balance the size of the plants. Too large pots are 
as harmful as too small pots. 
When tender plants are grown out of doors during the summer, they may be dug 
up and planted in pots for wintering indoors. Some people plunge the potted plants in 
the outdoor beds during the summer and take them in during the winter. Plants may 
be wintered in a cellar with little light, provided they are dried off enough to stop growth 
before being brought in and they are kept dry during the winter. Care should be taken 
to see that the plants are free from pests before storing as these will multiply during 
the winter. 
When grown as house plants, many kinds will grow continuously as long as proper 
conditions of heat, light and moisture are maintained. Most kinds require considerable 
