Indoor Gardening - Part III

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Spice up your garden with cacti

Cactus will not be seen in many a gardens. People either forget or ignore cactus. But I believe cactus should be a part of your garden because it is one of nature's most beautiful and exotic plants.

Cacti are actually easy to grow and offer a variety of shapes, colours and forms. They also require very little maintenance.

Not many people show interest in growing cacti for various reasons. First of all, not all cacti bear flowers. Secondly, cacti to many mean plants with spines and they don't want to be hurt. And lastly, people think it is difficult to grow cacti in regions other than the deserts. This is not true. With little care and accommodation, cacti can be grown anywhere and it will surely make a difference in your garden.

Now that you have decided to grow cactus in your house, plan out the location first. The best place for a cactus garden is on the hill as it allows the garden bed to drain easily. But then cactus can also be grown in your garden even if it is flat. All you need to do is some digging.

Chalk out the shape, size and design for your cactus garden. Now start digging. Dig the entire area, about 6" to 12" deep, to level out the ground surface. During this process of levelling out, also remove all grass and weed, which can prove harmful for the cacti. The area does not have to be perfectly levelled, you just have to make sure that there are no big bumps in your garden or any foliage that will prevent proper drainage and cause your cacti to rot.

Once you are done with the digging, start constructing your garden. Use outdoor tile blocks or stones to outline your garden area. Here you can use your imagination and stack the tiles or stone around the garden's edge artistically. You can even use rocks, instead of the tiles, to construct the wall around the garden. This will give a natural look to the garden.

Now fill the garden area with cactus soil to the top of the wall or the outline constructed. Cactus soil can be bought from your neighbourhood gardening center or nursery. The amount of cactus soil required will depend on the size of your garden and how deep you dig.

If you cannot find cactus soil, you can make it on your own. To prepare your cactus soil you will have to thoroughly mix two parts potting soil, two parts sand and one part gravel.

Now that your garden bed is ready, you can plant the cacti of your choice. You can purchase varieties of cacti from the local nursery. Be creative in your designs while planting. You can plant the cacti in a pattern or randomly, however you choose. After you have finished planting your cacti, your garden is complete.

Maintaining this garden is fairly simple. Give the new plants a good soaking and then let the soil dry out before watering again. These plants rarely need fertilizing. However, you can use fertilizers once in a year. Prune the cacti if they creep into nearby areas where you don't want them to grow.