How To Grow Happy, Healthy Cacti with Chris Blatchly

Spineless Pincushion, Fire Barrel, Rose Quartz Peanut

Some people stumble into their hobbies. For Chris, it started with a single cutting. A longtime friend, a seasoned cactus collector, handed him a piece of a plant and encouraged him to give it a try. Living in the desert felt like an unfair advantage to his friend, who was quick to remind Chris how lucky he was to grow in a climate where cacti thrive naturally.

What began as a simple gesture of sharing soon grew into a lifelong passion. Chris discovered that cacti embodied qualities he valued deeply. They show resilience, adaptability, and give a kind of independence that allowed him to keep pursuing his love of travel while still nurturing a living collection at home.

“They’re very rewarding plants that teach you about patience,” he explains. “They don’t demand constant attention, and they thrive under conditions that would make other plants struggle.”

Chris’s personal fascination soon extended into community work. He helped resurrect the Las Vegas Cactus & Succulent Society, and helped to create a hub for enthusiasts to share knowledge, resources, and the beauty of these striking plants. 

Misconceptions and Myths

Ask Chris the biggest misconception about cacti, and he answers without hesitation: “That they can all take full sun, that they don’t need any water, and that they all have spines.”

The truth is more nuanced. While cacti are often portrayed as these indestructible desert warriors, they’re still living organisms with specific needs. They require water (just less of it than most plants), and while many thrive in bright light, not all species can tolerate unfiltered, scorching sun.

Cacti also come in a variety of forms. Some bristle with spines, while others are completely smooth and harmless to touch. Many bloom with flowers so vivid and delicate you’d never guess they belonged to such rugged plants.

Water: Less, But Not None

Perhaps the most stubborn myth is that cacti never need water. “All plants need water,” Chris emphasizes. “Cacti just need less, and they like to dry out between waterings.”

In the Mojave summer, a deep watering about once a week is sufficient for most species, especially those planted outdoors. For container-grown cacti, factors like soil mix, pot size, and exposure matter. As the seasons shift, so does the schedule. Try less water in spring and fall, and almost none in winter when many cacti go dormant.

Overwatering is a beginner’s downfall. It’s not the volume of water that usually causes trouble but the frequency. Giving cacti water too often, especially in soil that doesn’t drain properly, invites root rot.

Soil: Chris’ Golden Ratio

Chris has a formula he swears by for Las Vegas growers: half organic, half inorganic.

• 50% inorganic material — pumice, perlite, lava rock, or coarse sand

• 50% organic cactus and succulent mix — brands like Black Gold or Rosy Soil

Perlite, Sand, Pumice 

The goal is to provide structure, nutrients, and aeration while allowing excess water to escape quickly. Peat moss or recycled forest products, common in many garden-center mixes, tend to hold too much moisture, which can spell disaster for desert plants.

Sunlight and Acclimation

Another rookie mistake? Assuming any cactus can handle immediate full sun exposure.

“When you buy a plant from a nursery, you don’t know its history,” Chris explains. “It may have been grown in a greenhouse with filtered light. If you take it home and plop it straight into the full desert sun, it can fry.”

The solution is acclimation, also known as hardening off. Gradually introducing the plant to more direct light. This prevents sunburn, bleaching, or the dreaded “frizzle up and die” moment many new cactus owners experience.

Indoor vs. Outdoor: The Lighting Dilemma

While many houseplants adapt well to indoor life, cacti are generally happiest outdoors. “Most cacti need sufficient light that they can only get outdoors to grow properly,” Chris says. Indoors, they often etiolate, stretching thin and awkward as they search for light.

Grow lights can help, but the effort often outweighs the reward. That said, some very distant relatives of cacti, like Euphorbia trigona, do well indoors and are customer favorites at Mojave Bloom Nursery. They’re drought-tolerant, can handle window lighting, and make striking houseplants, even if they aren’t cacti.

Fertilizer

Slow growth is part of a cactus’s charm. Still, Chris recommends fertilizing during the growing season, which is usually in spring. The key is moderation. Too much fertilizer pushes cacti to grow unnaturally fast, making them leggy or even causing them to split open.

“You essentially want to microdose them,” Chris advises. “Give them what they need, but don’t overdo it.”

Signs of Stress and How to Help

Cacti are masters of survival, but they’ll show signs when something isn’t right:

• Etiolation — thin, stretched growth from insufficient light

• Wrinkling — dehydration

• Yellowing or bleaching — too much heat or sun exposure

• Burn marks — sudden, intense sunlight

• Splitting open — often caused by rapid water uptake by a dehydrated cactus

• Pest infestations — mealybugs, spider mites, or scale

A healthy cactus can usually withstand minor pest issues, but weakened plants are more vulnerable. Diluted alcohol sprays, insecticidal treatments, and good hygiene help keep infestations under control.

Root rot, however, is a more serious problem. If it spreads into the stem, the plant often can’t be saved. Still, Chris notes, you can sometimes salvage healthy segments by letting them callous and re-rooting them. 

Beauty, Art, and Display

Cactus collecting isn’t just about survival; it’s also about artistry. Chris highlights the tradition of “staging,” where growers carefully pot and arrange cacti to create miniature landscapes. Some mimic their plants’ native habitats, while others emphasize form and contrast through artistic pottery.

“It’s a decades-old hobby,” Chris says. “There are even best-in-show events where people win prizes for how they display their plants. A lot of people don’t often see cacti as an art form, but for many of us collectors, it is.”

Family-Friendly Cacti

For households with kids or pets, spineless species, such as Opuntia ellisiana, are a safe bet. Still, Chris points out that spined cacti aren’t necessarily off-limits. Most pets and children instinctively learn to avoid them after one encounter.

“It’s a great opportunity to teach,” he adds. “Some plants you love from afar. It’s part of appreciating the diversity of nature.” 

Patience Rewarded: Growth and Bloom

Cacti aren’t fast growers. Most add only small increments of size each year, and flowering often comes only with maturity. Some bloom sporadically, even skipping years. Others produce breathtaking displays once they’re established and given the right seasonal cues.

For those chasing flowers, outdoor growing is key. Mimicking natural conditions, like light cycles, temperature changes, and seasonal watering, encourages cacti to bloom as they would in the wild.

Lessons from the Desert

At the heart of Chris’s story is a simple truth: cacti are more than just low-maintenance décor. They’re teachers. Cacti remind us that patience, adaptability, and resilience are quiet, yet powerful virtues.

Through his work with the Cactus & Succulent Society and his everyday passion for sharing knowledge, Chris is passing that lesson on, helping more people fall in love with these extraordinary plants, one cactus at a time. Visit Mojave Bloom Nursery to shop our wide selection of unique cacti for your own landscape. 

Chris Blatchly is our resident ‘Cactus Guy’ here at Mojave Bloom Nursery and an essential part of our nursery team. He is passionate about cacti and succulents from around the world. Have questions? Stop by the nursery to meet with Chris.