Living procedures of Cactus

How Long Do Cactus Live?

Cactuses have always been one of the most mysterious plants ever; they are almost nothing like the rest, which is why many people might get interested in them.

Have you ever thought about keeping a little cactus in your indoors? Do you know how long cactus live? How many types of cactuses you can have in your house?

What can you do to use them in their maximum lifetime? What are the tips and tricks for growing cactus in your apartment?

In case you want to know how long cactus live?

We suggest you keep reading the essay!

The cactus life

• Alright, my friends, to start our journey into the cactus world, let’s answer the question you are here to know: how long will cactus live?
• Well, here is an interesting fact: in the wilderness, where we all used to see cactuses of big size and sound by sands in the middle of deserts, these can last for hundreds of yours!
• But you should not expect the same from your cactus; indoor spaces have completely different conditions going on in them, which finally end up reducing the cactus’s life.
• In the best situation, your cactus friend would survive only ten years or just a little more, which is still quite long compared to other indoor plants.
• People select cactus as their plants because they will not need so much attention in the first place, and they will also last longer.
• So, now that you know more about cactus life, let’s see how you can take care of your cactus properly!

How to protect a cactus?

Besides the question of how long a cactus lives, remember that it is still a plant, so the length of its life depends on how you pay attention to that!

Here are some elements you might want to keep an eye on:

WateringIf you ever had any other indoor plant, you would have known that watering is very sensitive in keeping it because the need for water can change occasionally!

When it comes to cactus, it is no exception; note that, unfortunately, one of the most common reasons that cactuses would die is because people have no idea about watering it.

Water is crucial in cactus growth, so you must know when and how to do it.

The most important thing you need to pay attention to when it comes to watering is the season pattern!

For example, winter is when the plant is resting, so it does not need to be watered regularly; you can watch the potting mix fully dried.

Unlike in summer and spring, when the cactus needs water more than ever because it is actively growing, please do not do it too often; you must wait between turns.

Then, depending on your watering pattern, you can find out how long cactus live.

• Potting

• Potting is the second important element after watering when it comes to taking good care of your cactus, which means by the time you provide it, ensure it is in a great size and weight.
• It is understandable if you intend to purchase heavier potting to prevent accidental falling. However, you still need to pick the right potting.
• The potting mix you use should be fast-draining and filled with neutrinos, so then helps grow your plan and provides the necessary elements needed for your cactus.
• If you do not know how to make that, it is okay to go on and use the commercial ones for your potting; you need to ensure that the potting mix is fully charged.
• Note that the length of cactus life depends on how much you take care of it! After it grows enough, you should change the potting without any root damage.
• Doing it every two years is suggested so your cactus would benefit from neutrinos.

• Position

As you might have guessed by now, the next important element is the position of the cactus and the fact of how much you let it receive sun exposure.

Now, I know as a cactus, you expect it to be imposed by the direct sunlight on the warmest days of the year, but it is not how it works, my friends; even a cactus does not like too much sunlight!

However, the brighter it is, the better it is for it, but laying it too much under the sunlight can easily end up in sunburn and damage the plant; how long do cacti live in this condition?!

Also, you need to act gently; imagine you will start putting it under the sun after a long and cold winter; how would you do that? Doing it step by step, placing it in the shadow for a few days, is a good idea.

Finally, where you live also significantly affects your cactus growth process. Remember that if you live in the southern hemisphere, like Australia, put it in your northern windows.

On the other hand, if you live in the northern hemisphere, put it in your eastern windows so they would receive more sun exposure.

• Fertilizing

Even though not all the cactus species need regular fertilizing, you can always do some at the beginning of each season so that it would be a bonus to your cactus.

It is important to know you can fertilize every two months, but in winter, things are different; since the plant is sleeping, it is way better to do it less often.

How long do cactus live? Well, no matter how long it can live, with regular fertilizing, it can always live at least a few years more than the usual lifetime, but does the kind of fertilizer matter?

Always look for a balanced one with a ratio of NPK 10-10-10 or 6-12-6; it is the best kind of fertilizer your cactus can ever receive.

Adding some organic matter, such as compost or worm castings, can always give you a better result using fertilizing, which means your cactus will absorb the target elements more easily.

Different species of indoor cactuses

Now that you know more about how to increase the length of cactus life, it is time to take a closer look at the cactus types used in indoor environments!

Even though many people think there is only one type of cactus, this perspective is naive! This interesting plant has a wide range of variety.

In this part of the essay, we are going through some of them and answering how long each cactus lives!

• How long does a Christmas cactus live?

1. Let’s start with one of the most comments and beautiful cactus species grown in indoor environments, the Christmas cactus!
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3. According to many plant scientists, it might be interesting to know that the Christmas cactus belongs to the genus Schlumbergera, which is close to logic based on its appearance.
4. This plant is native to tropical Brazilian forests, which grow way better in colder environments! Its name has been taken after its unique characteristic of blooming at the beginning of the winter.
5. The average lifetime of a Christmas cactus depends on your protection, but normally, it goes from 20 to 30 years, which is a big number compared to many plants.
6. The best environment you can provide for it is a cool and humid environment, regular watering, and a sunny location! And that is all it takes to reach the maximum length of the cactus life.
7. However, watering it too much can damage the Christmas cactus in a way that cannot be compensated! So, follow a reliable schedule to stop it from happening.

• How long does a Saguaro cactus live

• Now, let’s talk about the type of cactus that looks the most like the cactus we used to imagine: tall, green, and filled with thorns on the surface! The saguaro cactus.
• It is also pretty famous, in this case, native to North America, and belongs to the Carnegiea genus and gigantea species; note that these cactuses can reach 50 to 60 feet in height, so they are considered gigantic.
• Now, there is one unique thing about the Saguaro cactuses: they cannot grow lonely by themselves, which means, in most cases, they have an adult next to them.
• The grown cactus looks after the young one as if a nurse until a certain age, just like many other plants we see in nature, but there is one slight difference: this one is indoor!
• Sometimes, the older plant would die, so the younger one has more space and resources to use. Now, you might ask how long a Saguaro cactus will live.
• Normally, this cactus can live up to 200 years, yet it depends on many environmental elements. However, the average age is 125 years, which is still more than a human.
• Another interesting fact about the Saguaro plant is that they do not grow more than two inches within the first 10 years of their lives and do not start blossoming before their 30th.
• In addition, the first arm would raise only when the plant is over 75 years old; quite interesting.
• With all these, how can to fit this plant in-house? Well, having a specific place for it in your yard or other open place is recommended.
• Then, your targeted plant would stretch out and reach the maximum size, but expect it to grow slower, as we mentioned earlier.

• How long does a Moon cactus live?

• The moon cactus is also well-known, universal, and beautiful, which you can see worldwide in different names such as the Hibotan cactus, Red Cap, and the Ruby Ball plant!
• One important reason that might be considered a logical reason why people are so interested in this indoor plant is its weirdly beautiful shape, which resembles a lollipop.
• The bottom part of the plant is circled, which looks like the moon, and that is where the idea of naming it the moon cactus came from.
• It is also covered in different colors like red, yellow, orange, or even purple, which handle the whole plant.
• However, saying a certain number as the length of the moon cactus life is not easy since it combines two species of cactuses that are different in many cases.
• The Gymnocalycium, for example, is one of the parents that does not grow any more than just a few inches and does not produce chlorophyll.
• The other parent, Hylocereus, is just the same, unlike the previous one, grows something about 30 feet, and seems green every season of the year.
• So, now you know that the moon cactus is made from two different plants with completely different needs, you should know how unstable it is, which lives a very short time before death.
• On average, this cactus can live from 3 months to 10 years, but usually, it would not cross one year.

• How long does the Golden Barrel cactus live?

Now, let’s find out how long the golden barrel cactus lives. Well, this rounded-shaped cactus, native to Mexico and the Arizona desert, has taken its name after its shape, which looks like a barrel!

If it grows well, it can reach 5 feet in height, and its thorns are goldish or yellow, making it super beautiful, the way you would never forget its look.

The golden barrel cactus is very flexible, so it can be a great choice if you are unsure if you can take care of it or have never planted it.

Even without much attention, it is strong enough to live somewhere about 30 to 50 years old. Still, some of them reach a century or even more, but they are rare.

If reaching the maximum length of the barrel cactus life is one of many purposes you are following, and you also care about height, note that it would only be grown partially before 15.

Regular watering and enough sun exposure are enough to have a healthy barrel cactus indoors. However, pruning is also useful.

It is easy to protect since it is less dependent and can make your house more beautiful for years without much attention.

• How long does the prickly pear cactus live?

The last spice of the cactus family that will be introduced to you is the prickly pear cactus, which might sound weird because of its name and needs the least watering.

The length of the prickly pear cactus life can be very related to its growing conditions! A tiny one can live for 40 years while the bigger one can easily reach 200 years, double human life.

Please do not imagine that size is the only factor affecting the length of its life; many other important elements can have a bolder role.

For example, you should water it sparingly, especially in winter; the prickly pear cactus only needs a little water, a common mistake many cactus keepers might make.

The other important element effective on the length of the prickly pear cactus life is the amount of sun exposure!

It needs to be under direct sun exposure as much as possible; it resembles what we know as a cactus, is flexible, has the least need for water, and has a high need for sun exposure.

So, you do not need to be worried if, by accident, you forget about its watering, but what you need to be worried about is that you keep it away from sunlight.

Summing up

People have different perspectives about cactus, and many of them like it so much that to decide to keep them in their apartment and talk to them almost every day!

On the other hand, many others do not see anything interesting about cactuses; which part do you belong to? What makes you think when you hear the name “Cactus”?

Are you good with plants? How long does a cactus live if you are going to take care of it? Which kind of cactus do you like the most?

Now, it is your turn to share your ideas and experiences by commenting on the length of various types of cactus!