Charles the cactus finally got a new pot.
Charles the cactus finally got a new pot.
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If I may point out a few things? The first thing I noticed were the large decorative rocks on top of the soil. They restrict airflow to the soil and can keep it from drying out quickly enough, and they also make it harder to check the soil for moisture/dryness prior to watering. The pot also looks a bit too large for this size cactus. Not way oversized, but I definitely would've gone a size or two smaller to reduce the risk of overwatering (the glazed clay pot already increases that risk since it's non-porous and has thick walls, which prevent adequate airflow to the soil).
With a glazed-clay pot that is also a bit too large (and likely only has a single drainage hole in the center), having very well-draining, fast drying, extra gritty soil becomes even more important. Looks like this soil has a lot of organic matter (peat moss in particular). With pre-packaged soils, even the ones labeled for cacti and succulents tend to have way too much organic material and nowhere near enough grit. I like to mix them with equal parts perlite or pumice, which makes them much closer to the substrate in an Eve's Needle cactus's native habitat.
Last thing I wanted to mention is that Charles looks moderately etiolated. The newer growth is noticeably thinner than the older growth at the bottom. Fortunately these guys respond very well to increased light, as long as it's exposed gradually. In their native environment, they get blasted with intense, blazing sun for a good chunk of the day. If Charles is an outdoor plant, aim for 6-8 hours of full sun. If he's indoors, right up against the glass in a south-facing window is ideal, but a west-facing can also work. You can start gradually exposing him to more direct sunlight over the course of a few weeks to avoid sunburn ð
With a glazed-clay pot that is also a bit too large (and likely only has a single drainage hole in the center), having very well-draining, fast drying, extra gritty soil becomes even more important. Looks like this soil has a lot of organic matter (peat moss in particular). With pre-packaged soils, even the ones labeled for cacti and succulents tend to have way too much organic material and nowhere near enough grit. I like to mix them with equal parts perlite or pumice, which makes them much closer to the substrate in an Eve's Needle cactus's native habitat.
Last thing I wanted to mention is that Charles looks moderately etiolated. The newer growth is noticeably thinner than the older growth at the bottom. Fortunately these guys respond very well to increased light, as long as it's exposed gradually. In their native environment, they get blasted with intense, blazing sun for a good chunk of the day. If Charles is an outdoor plant, aim for 6-8 hours of full sun. If he's indoors, right up against the glass in a south-facing window is ideal, but a west-facing can also work. You can start gradually exposing him to more direct sunlight over the course of a few weeks to avoid sunburn ð