Pencil cactus is a unique succulent to grow in your garden. For that you need to decide the correct pencil cactus pot . Here in this article, you can read a lot about pot size, pot material and placement of your pencil cactus.
What kind of pot does a pencil cactus need?
The best is to use terracotta pots. Reason behind that is, they evaporate water rapidly when compared to other materials.
The most recommended pot for these cacti would be unglazed terra cotta pots which have enough draining holes.
In addition to that, make sure you use a sandy potting mix which is specifically designed for cactus and succulents.
They hate being left out in wet soil for too long. As such if you use unglazed porous clay would force the abundant water to evaporate faster.
Usually, terracotta pots are made from porous clay and hence why they would suit the pencil cactus best.
Apart from that, make sure that you select a pot in which your pencil cactus could stay firmly and comfortably. Ideally, the pot size needs to be 1-2 inches wider than the plant’s width
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Facts to consider before buying pot for pencil cactus
Size of the pot
You need to wisely choose the right pot size when you are going to purchase a pot for the pencil cactus. It plays a major role in providing proper growing conditions for the pencil cactus.
Consider that you have go ahead and planted them in a tiny pot, then it could be attributed to the plant’s health deterioration.
In fact, if you left them to grow in tiny pots, it would make the roots of the plants grow in a confined space.
Consequently, that will impact the growth rate of the plant and will tend to have a slow growth. Moreover, it would affect the size of the pencil cactus.
In addition to that, if you grow them in small pots, it will contain a less amount of soil which literally means it would hold only a limited amount of nutrients quantity .
As such, the roots could absorb only less nutrients. Moreover, you need to avoid growing too many cacti in one pot too.
On the other hand, you should not grow them in larger pots as well. Though, you think, they would love to grow in a larger space as they could grow freely, that would also create troubles the pencil cactus and could even make a fatal impact on the cactus.
Once you grow them in larger pots, it would retain more water for prolonged periods. As a result, the pencil cactus would suffer from root rots.
It is one of the worst experiences you would have to go through since chances are that you could even end up losing the plant due to this.
Apart from that, make sure that you select a pot in which your pencil cactus could stay firmly and comfortably. Ideally, the pot size needs to be 1-2 inches wider than the plant’s width.
Root depth
It is vital that you choose the right depth of the pot also before purchasing a pot for the pencil cactus.
In any case, if you proceed and grow them in a pot which has the wrong depth, it would slow the growth of the cactus.
Ideally you need to have a pot in which your cactus would fit in well, so that it would stimulate the plant to grow well.
Considering that your cactus is getting taller and has deeper roots, you need to have a pot which is equally deep so that they would thrive well.
If you have an immature cactus and if they have shallow roots, you could grow them in a smaller pot which is less deep.
This is when you need to consider repotting them. In other words, when you own a young pencil cactus, they would usually comprise minimal root systems so that you need to grow them in a small pot.
When it grows older after several years, it is necessary that you repot them in a slightly larger pot in order for the roots to spread well and grow.
Growth rate
Growth rate is another factor that you need to concentrate on when buying a pot for pencil cactus. If you expect a faster growth from it, you need to select a pot accordingly.
If you provide a too small pot to plant them and when they tend to grow faster, it will interrupt the plant to grow at their normal growth rate.
Drainage
Despite all these, it is significant that you utilize a pot which has enough draining holes for these cacti.
If you grow them in a pot which does not contain draining holes, it would be very unhealthy for the cactus.
Pencil cactus could thrive well without water for prolonged periods. As such, if you provide excess water and if you water them on a frequent basis, it will badly affect the cactus.
As such it is crucial that you select a pot which contains enough draining holes so that the additional water could move through without retaining in the pot.
Unless excess moisture could be attributed to root rots. In case it does not contain any, you need to drill holes and create draining holes.
Soil type
It is important that you provide a sandy potting medium for the pencil cactus to perform well.
You could easily obtain them from stores since they are specifically designed with a sandy potting mix for cactus.
It could help the excess water and moisture to move through when you are using a sandy soil mix.
Material
You need to pay special attention to the pot material also before you purchase a pot for pencil cactus to grow.
Best is to use terracotta pots as they would help for a faster evaporation in water. They are usually made of porous clay and hence why they would perfectly suit these cacti.
Further you may consider growing them in wooden containers and in ceramic pots as well.
Repotting
Pencil cactus would not remain in the same size when you bought them. They usually grow in size and consequently you need to transplant them in slightly bigger pots.
That would stimulate their growth. On the other hand, it would avoid the roots becoming root bound as well.
When I say, you need to repot them in a larger pot, that does not mean you need to repot them in a larger sized pot. Instead, you need to select a slightly larger pot and repot.
The place where you going to keep the plant
Furthermore, you need to decide where you are going to place the pencil cactus before you purchase it too.
Literally, you need to select a material which could thrive in harsh conditions if you consider growing them outdoors.
Moreover, it has to be light weight too in case you have to shift it somewhere if it is required.
On the other hand, you could select an appropriate pot material if you plan to grow it as an indoor plant.
Best pot designs
Consider, if you want to grow them as modern home living room ornamental plants, then you may select a small ceramic pot accordingly.
On the other hand, you could consider growing them in wooden pots if you want to enhance the natural look of the plant.
Apart from that, you could customize the terracotta pots as you wish using pebbles and different colors etc.
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