Where Do Cactus Plants Store Water

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Welcome to this article that will be talking about how a cactus plant is able to store and utilize water when the weather might be too dry or simply too harsh.

The cactus plant is one of the hardest plants there is and is able to survive in places no other plants can. It comes down to it being able to store water in the stem of the plant. Here any excess water is collected and then when the plant needs it, it gets dispersed throughout.

Below we will go over even more features concerning the cactus plant and what makes it such a great one to have at home and grow. Both are fascinating and beautiful decorations in our opinion.

Flowering Cactus Plant

Where Do Cactus Plants Store Water

Just like we said at the beginning of this article here, the cactus plant will be storing a lot of water in the stem. Here it can utilize it during the seasons and therefore be able to survive very harsh conditions that might otherwise cause great harm to other plants.

But it’s worth noting that it’s not really the stem that collects the water. The spotlight should instead be on the spines for that. They are able to collect water condensing from the soil during the hot desert days.

This way the plant can survive when no other can. The spines take in the water and it gets stored in the spine of the plant. This fits in perfectly with cactus plants like sandy soil where there is great drainage and also good aeration in the soil.

People might think that the root system of the plant is what will store the water but they are simply too small and it would be inefficient. Instead, they will also collect and transfer water to the stem. 

The root system will be growing wide to get the most from the rainwater that will come very rarely. 

Are you curious about different types of cactus roots out there? In this article, we will discuss them more in-depth, Types Of Cactus Root.

Cactus Plant Flowering Outside

Do Cactus Leaves Store Water

The leaves of the plant will not be collecting and storing any water for the plant. Instead, they will be there to collect sunlight which provides energy for the plants so they can continue growing and thriving wherever they might be located.

Instead, the water connection in the plant will be found in the stem of the plant. Here it is kept so it can disperse throughout the plant whenever water might be scarce.

We have talked a little bit about how you should be keeping and caring for the cactus plant just above here. Since it’s very used to growing in harsh conditions where there is barely any water, we actually have to emulate this at home.

The best cactus plants will be growing in conditions such as this. We recommend keeping the watering to a minimum and only every other week. This way it can grow the way it has for many many years before.

Are you curious about the specific feature that prevents a cactus from losing water? Then we have the perfect article for you, Which Feature Helps A Cactus Prevent Water Loss.

Cactus Plant Growing In A Pot

Why Does A Cactus Hold Water Inside

The Arizona cactus plant will be holding water inside to have a supply and storage of it when it might be really hard to come by. Then it can utilize this and still continue to grow.

This is one of the main reasons why a cactus plant might be the only thing that you will see in a desert since there is a few plants that have the same qualities as cactus.

We highly recommend having cactus as a houseplant at home too, because of this reason that it will be very low maintenance. We have had some plants able to still grow even after not being watered for over a month. That’s the power of the cactus plant.

Cactus Plants Growing Indoors