Cacti have become a very profitable business. Being different plants than the ones we are used to seeing and having such low prices, nurserymen do not hesitate to get hold of a few specimens to obtain benefits.
However, in recent times the impossible has been done to sell them more if possible: either by painting them, gluing a flower to them with silicone, or even labeling them as indoor cacti. But, Is there really any succulent that is indoor? The reality is no. Let's see why.
Cacti, like all plants in the world, have been on the planet for much longer than humans. In fact, when we lived in caves, about 10 years ago, cacti had begun their evolution 40 million years ago. It makes no sense to say that there are indoor cacti, since they all originated in America and they all grow outdoors, the vast majority in full sun.
For this reason, when we place a cactus plant in a room where little light enters, it is quickly etiolated. What is etiolation? It is the process by which the stems of plants become thinner as they grow towards a more powerful light source than the one they receive. In doing so, they weaken, to the point that often to try to recover the plant you have to cut right from the area where it began to etiolate.
But… Can you have cacti indoors? Well, I won't be the one to say no 🙂. Even so, it is important that it is placed in an area where a lot of natural light enters, near a window for example, and rotate the pot every day so that all parts receive the amount of light they need. In addition, irrigation must be controlled closely, and water only when the soil is very dry; without forgetting the fertilization throughout the growing season.
All in all, you can decorate your home - or part of it - with these magnificent succulents. And anyway, if you have any doubts, you know, do not leave them in the inkwell 😉.