Outdoor garding tips

[MeniaDimaridou]

Cactus naturally grow in deserts...places that are dry and warm.

Since there are probably no species of cactus that are native to South Carolina, it's a pretty good bed that the plants will not fare well outdoors in your area unless you have a way to keep them from freezing in the winter, drowning in the rain, or going mouldy in the humidity. That means you need a way to keep them dry and warm, even when they are outside.

They like sandy, well-drained soil (prepare the bed with gravel as the bottom layer, small river rocks on top of the gravel, and a sandy soil mixture on top of the rocks). You probably should look into a ventilated glass or plexiglass enclosure you can put over them in bad weather, or plant them in some kind of sheltered area where you can erect something to keep snow and excess rain off of them. And you will need a heat source for the coldest weather (it gets very cold in the desert at night but the earth stays warm...I used to live in Tucson and it snowed once while I was there, but the ground was too warm and the snow just melted at it hit the dirt), otherwise your cacti will freeze and once they freeze, they are done for.