Size of pots?

Hi!

I've got a Golden Barrel Cactus and I replanted it a couple of weeks ago in a much larger pot. The cactus itself is only a baby - probably less that 10cm high. The pot is WAY too big!! I think it's a 10-12 pot. It's got excellent drainage and I used quality cactus mix.

Will this be ok, or do you think I should find a smaller pot and replant it again? I've heard about root rot, but hopefully it will be ok and not stop it's growth.

Cheers,

Paul.

Hi Paul. It depends on the pot type, I try to use shallow pots, if I have a deeper pot I put scoria in the bottom. I don't mind giving them room to grow, I know some people prefer not to put them in because of the danger of waterlogging, but the potting mix you use drains really well so it should be okay. Golden Barrels are tough.
I have just found some cheap terracotta pots at bunnings which have a shallow or tall type, and also the bowl types (a little more expensive) but they start at $1.40 a pot which I think is very reasonable.
I got my first Golden Barrel from there a few months ago and it got awful sunburn, so keep it out of full sun for a little while, they grow their cacti in protected conditions so they need to be out of full sun for a while.
Keep in mind my mother quite successfully has raised dozens of cacti from cuttings off my parent plants in old chipped mugs, jars, old bowls, and while she does knock a hole in the bottom and has good garden soil, she is a Greek lady in her sixties and not a savvy cacti collector, and has managed okay with your regular types

Keep in mind that in a natural setting cacti don't grow in pots - they grow in great big chunks of soil called 'the ground'.

Cacti often flower well when they're stressed, and root-binding helps with this; and some species, especially epiphytes, are adapted to growing in tight crevasses and are thus more comfy in smaller pots. Many species though are naturally surrounded by more soil than we plant them in, when we put them in pots.

One of the major reasons for not oversizing a pot is that the plant might not be able to suck excess water form the soil before it dries naturally, hence leading to rot. If you're careful with the amount and frequency of water that you supply to a plant, this should not be too much of an issue, especially for a golden barrel. And by the sounds of it you have decent soil. I guess it all depends on whether you want to bugger around with the roots, and with the hassle of repotting again.

I find these days that I am inclined to use larger pots than are conventional for terrestrial cacti, simply because my plants grow into them so quickly. With my epis I am a little more restrictive, but even then I prefer to let the plant grow into its pot and then settle in for the squeeze as it increases in size.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just be a little careful not to overwater, and it should be fine. And if it's a terracotta pot, your 'problem' - such as it is - is lessened just that little bit more.

good information