Cacti are very unique plants, and they also flower! And even though cacti can survive heat and drought, some small mistakes can prevent them from blooming. You will need to care for your cactus properly to get it to flower every year. In this post, we will discuss cacti flowers, how long cacti flowers last, why the flowers might be dying, how to care for a flowering cactus and much more. This post can also answer your question on ‘why is my cactus not flowering?’
How to get your cactus to flower – basics and myths
Some people might think that not flowering is normal for cacti. The truth is, all healthy and mature cacti 
(some bloom from an early age) should flower every year. Many things can contribute to preventing a cactus from flowering.
If you cactus is not flowering – assess its health and if growing conditions are optimal (light, water, location, humidity). Often, your cactus won’t flower if it has problems with roots and is not growing properly. Many cacti don’t show any symptoms of poor care for long periods of time, such as 6 months or more.
One of the myths is that you can use fertilizers or other ‘treatments’ to encourage your cactus to blossom. There is nothing that can help a cactus with poor health to bloom.
You need to take care of your cactus all year round for it to blossom. There is another myth that cacti blossom once in their lifetimes and die after that. That is not true – cacti can flower each year without any effect to their overall health.
Cacti flowers are very beautiful and different in each species. Cactus flowers don’t last too long – some only last a day and most will last for up to 5-7 days.
Which factors affect flowering of cacti?
- Cacti must have a rest period to flower. In the natural habitat, most cacti rest during hot summers and often start growing and flowering in autumn. But if you live somewhere with cold winters, this it the time that you need to create conditions for you cactus to rest. Rest period is crucial, as during this time they develop buds for future flowering. These buds become visible around 30-55 days before flowering.
- Your cactus must have a strong and healthy root system to flower. This is very important, as weak roots indicate poor health.
- Its general health – it should be getting enough light, water and be free of any pests.
- How much light and fresh air your cactus gets. Your cactus must get enough fresh air, especially during a growing period, or it won’t flower. A good tip is to leave your cactus outside in fresh air until end of October, because lower temperatures and night time temperature drops will harden off plants. If you keep your cactus in warm room temperatures straight after summer, your plant might become too sensitive.
- Position of the cactus to the light. You should aim not to turn your cactus to change its position to the light. We will discuss it in a second.
- The age of cactus. Some cacti start flowering from an early age, but some can take more years. If you don’t wish to wait, buy a cactus that has already flowered in the last season.
So what do you need to do to help your cacti flower?
To help your cacti flower, make sure that they are getting enough light, water. Make sure your cactus is getting maximum light (south-facing window if indoors) during the growth period and is moved into a cooler spot for dormancy.
Cacti must be growing to flower, because if your cactus is not growing, that is a sign of poor health. Cacti that are not growing will not flower!
Make sure to transplant your plant into the pot with fresh soil mix every year for young plants and every 2 years for mature cacti. Cacti will not grow or flower in old soil.
But what is also important is using the right soil mix – cacti have specific needs with soil. Cacti that are potted in wrong type of soil will not flower. Read about making soil for cacti here.
Impact of fertilizers on cactus flowering
Be careful when choosing a fertilizer for your cactus. Most fertilizers are not suitable for cacti – they will make them grow too fast or can cause bacterial accumulation in the soil. Avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen, or any manure.
The best fertilizer for a cactus is a high potash fertilizer, such as tomato and other vegetable fertilizer like this. Always 
search for a fertilizer that is high in potassium sulfate (potash). Avoid fertilizing freshly re-potted plants (wait for a month or two before fertilizing).
What is more, you can add some diluted time-release fertilizer such as Osmocote in the soil that will feed your cactus for up to 6 months. If you have followed our advice to add egg shells into the soil mix for nutrition, you might choose to get a pure potash feed like this for your cactus. Mix 1 gram of pure potash feed in 1 liter (35 ounces) of water.
Fertilize your cactus only if there is no time-release fertilizer in the soil. To fertilize your cactus, add it when watering. When to fertilize your cactus will depend on its type – if it is growing in summer – fertilize 2-3 times during the growth season (April to beginning of October). Don’t overfeed your cactus, or it will interfere with its blooming.
How you position your cactus to the light is important for blooming
It might seem strange, but how your cactus is positioned towards the light or sun is very important for flowering. This especially applies to cacti that are indoors, for example on the windowsill.
Generally speaking, moving and turning your cactus too often will prevent it from flowering. And you should not be scared about your cactus leaning to one side – it should not be major.
If you can see your cactus leaning, turn it to the other side for winter and spring. This way any leaning issues will be improved and fixed. If you have trouble remembering the right side – make a dot with sharpie on one side of the pot and keep your cactus in that position.
Cacti don’t like being moved or turned – try to keep them in the same spot and position most of the time (unless when you move them to a cool spot for a rest period).
Don’t repot your cactus when it starts flowering and don’t take any cuttings
If you repot your cactus and transplant into a new pot with fresh soil, it is very likely to stop flowering. So it is always a better idea to wait with repotting flowering cacti, and do it at the end of rest period instead. What is more, don’t water your cactus for around 5 days after repotting.
What is more, it is important not to take any cuttings from a cactus when it is flowering or separate its pups.
All of these actions will interfere with natural processes and flowers are likely to wither.
Thank you for reading this article and please share if you enjoyed it! Hopefully these tips will help you achieve flowering cacti! Make sure to read more on cacti care in our next posts.