Fairy Castle Cactus

4” or 1 GALLON FAIRY CASTLE CACTUS
Acanthocereus Tetragonus
Zones 10 & 11
 
A great cactus for novice succulent caretakers! This cactus is known for its castle like stalks that will quickly grow into large clumps of “little castles” in the right conditions! 
 
This guy is native to North, Central, & South America. It is a slow grower that can eventually grow to 6’ or taller. The stems of this cactus are five sided with wooly type spines along each side. 
 
Plants in the Cereus family bloom at night. Under PERFECT conditions this cactus will bloom & the flowers will open at night. The flowers are large & white, & usually will not occur unless the cactus is 10 years or older. 
 
MAINTENANCE IS EASY! 
- Plant in a pot with a drainage hole & well drained soil. 
- Water throughly once every 2-3 weeks until you can see water fall through your pots drainage hole. 
- Place in area with high indirect or direct light. 
 
LETS BREAK THIS DOWN:
Water your cactus thoroughly, until you see water fall through your pot’s drainage hole, once every 2-3 weeks! It’s important to remember cacti are native to desert regions. Desert climates are hot & dry with sporadic torrential rains. When you are watering your plant you want to mimic these conditions by saturating your plant & not watering it again until the soil has had time to dry completely (every 2-3 weeks). In winter, you can cut in half the amount of water the plant receives. 
 
Cacti are succulents. By definition, succulents are plants that store water in their leaves. The water gets to the leaves through the roots. This is why it’s important to saturate your plant when watering. The water must get to the roots, so the roots can suck up the water to the leaves! 
With that being said, it is extremely important your soil be allowed to dry. If a cactus’ roots are sitting in standing water it will first bring too much water to the leaves, which will cause them to become soggy & fall off, & then cause root rot, eventually leading to your beautiful cactus’ demise! While this sounds awful & is ultimately detrimental, it is easily avoided! Wait until your soil is bone dry before watering again :) easy peezy! 
 
This brings us to our next point!  
 
In order for this cactus to thrive, you will need to plant in a pot with a drainage hole & well drained soil. Here at Horticult, we plant our succulents in a pot with ~1-2” of Permatil (small gravel; amount depending on the size of the pot) at the bottom of the pot. Fill the rest of the pot with regular potting soil. Once you’ve planted your cactus, you may then use the same small gravel you used at the bottom of the pot to spread around the top of the pot for a decorative element. This top gravel will also weigh down the soil, so when you water your plants the soil will not spill over the top. 
 
This cactus needs high indirect or direct light. Avoid sitting directly in a window, as the window amplifies the power of the sun & may burn your cacti. Make sure you’ve found a spot without air conditioning or drafts. 
 
Want to use fertilizer? Do so in spring & suspend feeding in winter!
 
We ship these plants bare root without a pot!