Cacti The cactus family or Cactaceae consists of several thousands of species with different level of demands that will accomodate any collector from beginner to experienced cacti grower.  Two most important things in cacti cultivation are watering and soil. The main cause of non-success with cacti is overwatering. Some people think that cacti should be watered often but with small quantity of water. That is totally wrong. The right culture would be to water them plentifully and freely, then make sure that all water drains out and doesn't stand around the roots and then let the soil to dry out completely before watering next time. To ensure that water doesn't collect around the roots, cacti should be potted into the light and well-draining soil. Please don't use all-purpose or tropical mix soils for your cacti. There are special cactus soil mix available at the stores where I usually still add some coarse sand. I wouldn't say that cacti are particularly picky about location, but ideally they should be placed on the bright warm and very sunny spot for active growth period and then moved to a bright but much cooler place for winterizing. Cacti are the flowering plants and although sometimes the flower lasts only for one day - it is a great reward to finally get it. I have lots of fun growing cacti from seeds and creating small dish gardens with them. Here are some species that are very easy to care for and they do flower without much effort: Mammilarias Rebutia Lobivia Notocactus.