How To Repot A Prickly Cactus

Anne Swithinbank’s masterclass on: potting on a cactus

- Anne Swithinbank

Top Tip. Care must be taken not to damage spines, so make a pit of loosely balled paper against which to lean the body, and wear gloves; I’m using Briers B0212 Gauntlet Gloves.

Q. Please can you tell me what is the best method for repotting cacti, and which compost should I use? Melanie Fischer, Coningsby, Lincolnshire

A. This is a great question because so many cacti are left in the same pot for many years and would grow, look and flower much better treated to fresh compost and more space. Some cacti are easy to handle, but the spiniest can be off-putting. Not wanting to shy from a challenge, I have chosen the golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) as a demonstration model.

Although numerous and popular in cultivation, the unkindly named ‘mother in-law’s seat’ is rare where it grows wild in the Rio Moctezuma Valley of east-central Mexico. Here, plants often grow sideways from steep volcanic rocks, and their habit of facing south-southwest has often been used as a compass by travelers.

They make great houseplants, not least because they dislike winter cold and can be damaged by too much hot summer sun. My golden barrel cactus, which was getting very pot-bound, lives on a west-facing windowsill.