How to grow a cactus in water? Growing methods and precautions

Potted cactus growing is a fairly common method of cultivating cacti, but did you know that cacti can also be grown in water? Below, let's take a look at how to grow a cactus in water!

How to grow a cactus in water

1. Selecting the mother plant

First, we should select a cactus with a robust body; the key is to choose a plant whose lower root-stem section protrudes downward. Cacti grafted and cultivated with a three-ribbed stem are easier to grow in water.

2. Treatment

After selecting the mother plant, completely cut off the original dead roots at the base of the body, making sure the cut is flat and smooth. Then rinse the soil clinging to the root-stem section clean with water, and let it dry in a dry place for 3 days so the cut is completely dry. For cacti, removing the soil-grown roots by induced mutation is necessary. Because cacti are succulent plants, drying them for a period before induction is more favorable for root stimulation, since root stimulation in succulents has strict moisture requirements in the seedbed: too much moisture easily causes rot, while too little affects the root stimulation results.

3. Water growing

In terms of effect, the nutrient stress caused by plain water can better accelerate the formation of root aeration tissue and the development of water roots, but from a cultivation standpoint, it is better to use a nutrient solution of appropriate concentration in the water, as this is related to the fertilizer tolerance of the plant after induced mutation.

Prepare a glass bottle of suitable size, or use a mineral water bottle; a transparent container makes it easy to observe the contact surface between the liquid level and the root-stem section. Fix the selected and treated cactus at the bottle mouth with floral foam or foam, then add nutrient solution below, with the nutrient solution level just reaching the root-stem section. Prepare a children's foam puzzle board or a white construction foam board, and use a sharp knife to carve several small triangular holes in the board (for fixing a golden barrel cactus, you can cut off the mouth of a discarded purified water bottle and use it upside down; note: cut off the bottle mouth so that the roots of the golden barrel cactus can emerge from the cut bottle mouth, then place it in a flat-bodied bottle containing nutrient solution). Insert the three-ribbed stems into the triangular holes; at this point the roots of all the three-ribbed stems just reach the liquid surface.

An ammonia-free nutrient solution is most suitable for keeping fish and plants together, otherwise it will cause the fish to die.

When growing a cactus in water, the water level must not exceed 1/2 of the roots.

4. Later-stage treatment for water growing

Buy two magnets with a diameter of 6-10cm and place them in the container, in order to magnetize the nutrient solution and thereby speed up the growth of water roots. (If conditions permit, you can also buy from the market a small wall-mounted submersible pump specially designed for ecological fish tanks, attach it to the inner wall of the nutrient solution, and power it on to achieve an oxygen-carrying circulation flow of the nutrient solution.)

5. Key points for water-growing care

Place the planted cactus in an environment with relatively strong scattered light, keep the temperature above 20 degrees, and generally water roots will emerge in 3-7 days. Replace the nutrient solution immediately after water roots appear.

Daily care methods for a water-grown cactus

1. Keep the temperature of the growing environment at 5°C-30°C. This temperature range is suitable for the growth of water-grown plants, and is likewise suitable for a water-grown cactus.

2. Ensure that the water-grown cactus receives enough light time; it does not necessarily have to be exposed to the sun, and in summer, direct sunlight should also be avoided as much as possible.

3. A water-grown cactus needs regular water changes and root cleaning: change the water about once every 7 days in summer and about once every 10-15 days in winter; after changing the water, just add a few drops of nutrient solution specially for water-grown cacti. Regularly wash off the mucus on the cactus roots with clean water, cut off old roots and rotten roots, and then clean the container. At each water change, the water level should preferably submerge 1/2-2/3 of the root system, and the remaining root sections should be left exposed to the air.