Even before I bought my first cactus every article or every comment on reddit I read said to water a cactus very sparingly and it would be like every couple of months between waterings.

Lies! Or is it? It’s not simply a yes or no answer but let me explain what happened with my rainbow cactus.

I purchased my pink little guy in March of 2021 and was sooooo excited to bring it into my home that Mr. Wolf would catch me sitting in front of the display just staring at it.

June comes around and I’ve only watered it three times: when it first was potted in March, April, and May. I decide randomly to rotate my succulents under the grow lights and to my horror I see my rainbow cactus slightly indented and leaning over.

Cue the panic.

 How on earth did I rot this guy already?! I haven’t lost a single plant (knock on wood) and I underwater my plants not overwater them.

I’m googling everything about overwatering cacti and it didn’t quite match what mine was doing and all the examples that showed signs of overwatering looked so differently than how my little guy looked like – did I catch it early?

I kept reading articles and posts about overwatering and the more I read the less I thought it was overwatering.

• No nasty/weird smell
• Not mushy or leaky (not to be confused with squishy: plants can be squishy when they need water; when the plant is gently squeezed it should go back to its originally form)
• No yellowing at base or anywhere on the plant
• No dark brown or black splotches forming at base or anywhere on the plant

I knew I was gonna have to check the roots sooner rather than later for root rot – I was just so scared to mess with my pretty cactus….

I removed the cactus from the pot and sighed in relief as I held my little cactus carefully. No obvious signs of rot on the roots; although they were shorter then when I first received it and the base of the plant didn’t have any black or brown splotches either. I added just a smidgen more of soil to the pot and repotted the little guy. The next morning I watered it thoroughly and I mean thoroughly: ran water through the pot 5-7 times.

Within 3 days that cactus was doing much better and although it’ll never be completely normal in that spot again I think the little guy is still beautifully pink under the grow light.

What I think happened:

• the roots couldn’t take up the water they needed because it drained too quickly with the inorganic mixture I used
  • Solution for me: added a tiny bit more soil to the mixture and letting the water drain 4-6 times over a short period of time through the pot so the roots have enough time to sippy sip

How I know my rainbow cactus needs water:

• Slightly squishy at base (after being squeezed it should go back to its normal form – not mushy which doesn’t bounce back)
• Slightly wrinkly
• Soil is dry when I stick my finger in it at the top and through the drainage hole

I think I took everything I read too heart and forgot to listen to my cactus regarding my environment, the potting mixture it was in, and how I originally watered it. I’m learning slowly and haven’t been scared away yet from cacti. Next year I’m hoping to get either another echinocereus or a astrophytum