Succulents & cacti

Vocabulary

Succulent and cactus communities share a vocabulary of growth structures and stress signals. Knowing them turns "looks weird" into "exactly what's expected".

Rosette

The flat circular arrangement of leaves around a central crown — Echeveria, Sempervivum, Aeonium, Haworthia. Compactness and color of the rosette are the main aesthetic features.

Areole

The small fluffy cushion on a cactus from which spines, flowers, and offsets emerge. The presence of areoles is what botanically distinguishes a cactus from any other spiny succulent (Euphorbia has thorns but no areoles).

Glochid

The tiny, barbed, easily-detached hairs on Opuntia (prickly pear). Almost invisible but they embed in skin and are very hard to remove. Wear gloves.

Caudex

A swollen, water-storing trunk or root base. Pachypodium, Adenium ("desert rose"), and many other "caudiciform" species exhibit one. Often the prized aesthetic feature; lift the plant when potting to expose more of the caudex over time.

Offsets / pups

Small clones that emerge from the base or sides of the parent plant. Snap off, let the cut dry for a few days to callus, then plant. The fastest way to multiply a Haworthia, Aloe, or Echeveria collection.

Stress coloration

Reds, purples, oranges that develop with strong sun, cold, or drought. Many growers actively chase stress for aesthetic effect; a "well-fed" succulent in low light is usually plain green. Anthocyanin pigments protect the plant from UV.

Etiolation

The opposite — pale, stretched-out, leggy growth from too little light. Stems elongate, leaves space out and shrink. Cannot be reversed; only the new growth grows tight again once light improves. Beheading and re-rooting is the rescue.

Calus

The dry scab that forms on a cut or broken surface. Always let cuttings calus over (3–10 days, longer for thicker stems) before putting them in soil — fresh wet wounds rot.

Dormancy

The seasonal slowdown when growth stops. Some genera dormant in summer (Haworthia, Aeonium); others in winter (Echeveria, most cacti). Dormant plants want very little water; mistaking dormancy for thirst is the classic killer.

Active vs dormant

The single biggest mistake new growers make is watering on a calendar. Watering should follow the plant's growth state, not the wall clock — and most genera switch states twice a year.

Care basics

Succulents kill themselves through love. Five rules cover almost every species in the hobby.

Light

More than you think. A south-facing window minimum for Echeveria and most cacti — outside in summer if you can. Haworthia and many Aloe tolerate east/west; Lithops and Conophytum want maximum sun without burning. Pale, stretching plants need brighter light, not more water.

Watering

Soak thoroughly until water runs out the drainage hole; let the soil dry COMPLETELY before watering again. Frequency depends on heat, light, and pot size — typically 7–14 days in summer, 3–6 weeks in winter. Bottom watering once in a while flushes salts.

Soil

Very fast draining. A common recipe: 1 part cactus / succulent soil, 1 part pumice or perlite, 1 part coarse sand or grit. Avoid moisture-retaining peat-heavy mixes. Glazed pots without drainage are death traps for most succulents.

Container

Terracotta wicks moisture out of the soil — forgiving for over-waterers. Plastic and glazed retain water — best for under-waterers. Always with drainage. Pot size: just slightly bigger than the rosette / plant body.

Pests

Mealybugs love hiding in the rosette crevices and at the soil line. Spider mites attack stressed, dry-air cacti. A 70% isopropyl alcohol cotton swab beats most early infestations; for bad outbreaks, systemic insecticides.

Key genera

The genera most growers collect, with the trait that distinguishes each.