Barrel Cactus, WATERING Options

[BIJU]

Sorry if i seem a bit dim, but how often do i water, and how from the top of cactus or in the dish at the bottom, also what about feed. Grateful for any help,new at this.

[turtleman]

First off, WELCOME to the Forum BIJU, were glad to have you here....

Depending on the type of Barrel Cactus you have and where your growing it at, I can tell you that it seems everyone has their own way of doing this, so theres no "right" or "wrong" way, some methods work better than others, and theres pro's and con's with every method under the sun I think.. so that being said here's what I do;

In containers I use a well drained soil mix and fully wet the container when the moister has dried totally out, here in Arizona most Cactus have their growing season in the spring and fall, during winters I cut the watering down to about 20% of what I do during their growth cycle. usually we get some rains during the winter and the temps are cooler. During the Summer many types of cactus will go into a "summer dormancy" but thats around here in Arizona, we'll get 110/115 with 4/5% humidity so many plants are just completing photosynthesis enough to stay alive, adding to much water at that time could cause your cactus to rot.
I also water from the side of the container and allow the water to fully soak into the soil mix in the container, keeping a container sitting in water may cause to much water to be absorbed. The key is to allow your mix to dry completely out before re-watering.
During their growth cycles I use a slow release fertilizer (3 month) with a N-P-K of 20-10-10. But! that can and does change depending on the type of cactus or plant were growing.

I hope this info gets you pointed in the right direction, sorry if my reply sound's "in General" but post back and let us know where your at (area of the country) the zone you have there and most of all the type of barrel cactus you have. The more specifics I have the more details we can give.

Hope this helps

[turtleman]

Thanks for the reply the name of the cactus is Echinocactus Grusonii. I live on the south coast of england uk ,mild winters mainly wet and frost,summers are warm up to 30c. At the moment the cactus is outside,but at night put in a porch. p.s not sure how to post you back so sent message. BIJU

LOL, real simple to post back, just surf to the topic and click "Add Reply" after you log in.

You have the commonly called "Golden Barrel" Cactus. There real forgiving for growing. After your last frost set it outside in full sun for the Spring, Summer and into the fall, during this growth season give it a good soaking once a week. Just make sure your soil dries out down where the roots are. In the Spring add some slow or time release fertilizers.
Sounds like your doing the right thing in the Winter, give it as much sun as you can but don't let it get waterlogged or frosted.
Before you know it you'll have some yellow flower clusters growing on it!

[BIJU]

Thanks for the reply the name of the cactus is Echinocactus Grusonii. I live on the south coast of england uk ,mild winters mainly wet and frost,summers are warm up to 30c. At the moment the cactus is outside,but at night put in a porch. p.s not sure how to post you back so sent message. BIJU

LOL, real simple to post back, just surf to the topic and click "Add Reply" after you log in.

You have the commonly called "Golden Barrel" Cactus. There real forgiving for growing. After your last frost set it outside in full sun for the Spring, Summer and into the fall, during this growth season give it a good soaking once a week. Just make sure your soil dries out down where the roots are. In the Spring add some slow or time release fertilizers.
Sounds like your doing the right thing in the Winter, give it as much sun as you can but don't let it get waterlogged or frosted.
Before you know it you'll have some yellow flower clusters growing on it!

Thanks for the help, another dim question. When is the growth season ?

[turtleman]

Not dim at all...
Growth Season in your area is Late Spring through Early Fall, when temp's get into the high 60's and after the last frost it's time to set it outside in full sun or slightly filtered light. Your Summers are mild compared to here so I think your going to be fine with adding some fertilizer and some warm sunny days for your barrel.

Just remember, the main thing is to allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

[BIJU]

Not dim at all...
Growth Season in your area is Late Spring through Early Fall, when temp's get into the high 60's and after the last frost it's time to set it outside in full sun or slightly filtered light. Your Summers are mild compared to here so I think your going to be fine with adding some fertilizer and some warm sunny days for your barrel.

Just remember, the main thing is to allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

Thanks for advice bye for now