LITTLE CRACKERS

TURN UP THE HEAT INDOORS WITH THESE COLOURFUL TROPICAL CACTI!

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Soak up the steamy rainforest vibes South America of Central and in your home this winter with Thanksgiving or Christmas cacti. Unlike desert cacti, these are moisture- and shade-loving plants that produce starbursts of white, pink, or crimson colour in winter their names reflecting that the festive season is celebrated in winter in the northern hemisphere. So even if it ain't snowing, get glowing!

THEY DON'T LOOK LIKE CACTI!

The cactus family is quite diverse and has members that love the dry, arid conditions of deserts - think of the spiny giants with their misshapen limbs or the little spiky barrels. Then there are the rainforest cacti that love the humid atmosphere of the tropics. Most tropical rainforest cacti are epiphytic, because they don't draw their water and nutrients from the soil but from the atmosphere in which they exist, in this case on the limbs or trunks of tropical rainforest trees.

CARE FOR EPIPHYTIC CACTI

Soil These grow on trees in Central and South American rainforests, so don't need typical potting mix to thrive. Use an orchid potting mix for easy anchoring of roots and to let excess moisture drain. Add peat moss so it makes up a third of the mix to help with moisture retention they love moisture, but not so it hangs around the roots.