Easy Cacti For Beginners – Top 11 Cacti

Most cacti are not hard to look after, and most don’t require any special care. However, cacti can also suffer from various problems that beginner keepers might have trouble dealing with. In this post, you will find a list of top easy cacti for beginners. Which cactus is best for beginners in terms of care requirements? Let’s find out.

Best cacti for beginners

1. Rebutia
2. Lophophora, or Peyote
3. Gymnocalycium
4. Mammillaria
5. Echinopsis
6. Hatiora or Rhipsalis
7. Astrophytum
8. Thelocactus
9. Pereskia
10. Opuntia
11. Ferocactus

#1: Rebutia cacti

Rebutia is a genus of small and cute globular cacti. The reason why these cacti are great for beginners is because they produce large colorful flowers rather easily. Also, they are hardy, easy to germinate and produce clumps freely.

Rebutia are resilient and don’t require too much care. Their flowers emerge from the lower part of the stem, rather than top/crown. Flowers can differ in color, including orange, yellow, pink, white. They flower in summer, during daytime.

Rebutia are small in size, but their flowers are large compared to them. These cacti prefer lots of bright sun, can even tolerate full sun for some periods of time. Water carefully, make sure soil is dry before watering again.

Ideal summer temperatures – 77-95 F (25-35 Celsius). In winter, make sure temperature is at 50-54 F (10-12 C). With cold winters, allow them to go dormant and keep in bright, but cool place.

#2: Lophophora, or Peyote

Lophophora is a small genus of round and mostly flat spineless cacti. Lack of spines is a great thing for beginners, as it removes any chances of prickling. Peyote reach around 4-10″ (10-25 cm) wide, and up to 4″ high.

Lophophora cacti, also called peyote, love bright sunlight, but during hottest hours, please shade them from direct light. They also flower from top of their stem. If you live in a place with cold winters, allow them to go dormant and keep at around 59 F (15 C).

Peyote cacti are hardy. The only drawback for beginners is that they can only be grown from seed or cuttings. This can make beginners impatient, so try to get a small cactus or at least a seedling. Also, peyote is a hallucinogen, so keep away from pets or kids who can ingest it.

#3: Gymnocalycium

Gymnocalycium is a genus of around 70 cacti, and they are also called chin cacti. Species of these cacti differ in size, and have both small and very large cacti.

These cacti flower easily, and produce beautiful flowers of different colors. They love lots of bright light, but most species require you to shade them from direct sun at all times.

Most will require frequent watering, but always make sure soil is dry before watering again. In winter, allow Gymnocalycium cactus to go dormant and keep at around 54-59 F/ 12-15 C. Make sure to check care guidelines for specific species, as some require full sun.

#4: Mammillaria

Mammillaria is the largest genus of cacti, and contains both easy to care and hard to care for cacti species. There are around 170 species of Mammillaria.

These cacti love bright and even full light, and this promotes their flowering. In summer, water frequently, around every 8-10 days. In winter, allow them to go dormant and reduce any watering to once in 5-6 weeks. Keep in a cool place at around 60-65 (15.5-18 C).

Mammillaria flower rather easily, and produce small flowers of different colors. They are easy to find for sale, and you can find lots of information on their care.

#5: Echinopsis

Echinopsis, also known hedgehog cacti, is a genus of cacti containing more than 125 species. They are very common and easy to find for sale, like this.

In their natural habitat, they have rich soil, so grow pretty quickly and have a good root system. They also flower beautifully. Their soil must be well draining, and they love good watering in summer. Keep shaded from direct sunlight.

In winter, make sure temperature is at least 50 C (10 C) outside, otherwise keep inside at around 50-59 F/10-15 C and cut down on watering.

#6: Hatiora or Rhipsalis

If you would like to grow something more unusual, you can choose tropical epiphytic (naturally growing on top of trees) cacti. Hatiora and Rhipsalis are two of a number of tropical cacti genera.

They don’t look like classic cacti, and lack spines. But they are very unique looking, decorative, and elegant. Common and easy to find for sale, like this.

What makes them great for beginners is that they can be easily grown indoors as houseplants, but also outdoors. Lack of spines and easy propagation are also their pros. They have flattened hanging stems, and produce flowers and fruit.

Depending on where you would like to grow and display your tropical cactus, you can choose from large hanging species, to smaller, more easily manageable in-pot grown species.

These cacti don’t require full sun and need shading, but need bright light. Water when soil is mostly dry, and can even spray these cacti with warm water during hotter months.

#7: Astrophytum

Astrophytum is small genus of cacti, which are also called star cacti due to their quirky shape. They are globular and somewhat columnar. Two species in this genus don’t have any spikes, which is great for beginners. These are Astrophytum asterias and Astrophytum myriostigma.

Astrophytum cacti need lots of bright light, and even direct sunlight is optimal. In winter, allow winter dormancy at around 45 F (7 Celsius).

They also bloom, but only once reaching around 5 years old. While these cacti are not the easiest to care for, they are very decorative and are worth learning how to care about.

#8: Thelocactus

Thelocactus is a genus of medium sized globular or columnar shaped cacti. These cacti have lots of beautiful spikes, and flower freely. They naturally grow in drier and arid places, such as Central and Northern parts of Mexico and Texas.

Thelocacti require lots of bright and direct sunlight. Only grow them if you live in hotter city/state/country. Water regularly in summer, when soil dries.

These cacti are hardy, and produce beautiful large flowers. They are known for their majestic spines and large flowers of around 3″ in diameter. In you have cold winters where you live, keep at around 54-59 F/12-15 C and make sure to water rarely.

#9: Pereskia

Cactuses in a genus Pereskia are also unique and interesting. Cacti which belong to this genus don’t look like cacti at all (but they have spines). There are around 17 species in this genus of tropical cacti. They are also sometimes called lemon vines or rose cacti.

Pereskia shrubs/climbing cacti grow rather quickly, and are great for growing outdoors. They get large, around 30 feet, or 10 m tall. However, they propagate easily and are easy to grow. Ideal to grow in warmer places, with winter temperatures not dropping below 27 F/-3 C.

#10: Opuntia

Opuntia cacti is another large genus of cacti that have unique looks. These cacti can get rather large, and their leaves are padded. Some Opuntia species have pads without too many spines. These cacti (also called Prickly Pear) produce edible fruits as well.

Opuntia are not too hard to grow and are great for beginners. You must provide good bright direct lighting in summer. Water well, but make sure soil dries first. In winter, protect from frost and too much humidity, allow them to go dormant. Keep at around 50 F/10 C.

#11: Ferocactus

Ferocactus is a rather large genus of around 30 barrel shaped cacti. Their beautiful strong spines make them very attractive to cacti collectors.

These cacti naturally grow in hot and dry areas, but they can also withstand frost. These cacti thrive in bright light. But make sure to keep away from high humidity, as they hate it. They also need good drainage soil. In winter, keep at around 54F/12 C.

Thank you for reading this post on best cacti for beginners. If you would like to find a list of best cacti for low light, see this post. You can also find a cactus care resource page here.