What is a cactus for office desks? This is a question that comes up quite often, especially at Cactus Home & Office.
If you need a new desk, why not give us a call or visit our showroom? You can also check out some of our other collections such as bookcases, cabinets, storage solutions, etc.
A Cactus for Office Desk is a modern and functional solution to replace your old desk. They are made from natural materials and have a very unique design.
The best part is they are eco-friendly because they are handcrafted using sustainable wood.
Desks aren’t only useful for working, you can use them for storing books, organizing files, and even sleeping.
Some even contain wireless speakers, allowing you to listen to music throughout your home without disturbing anyone else. These are great for those who love nature since they come in different sizes, shapes, and colors.
Cactus plants are reaching new levels of popularity now. They have transformed from plants that only showed up in kids’ cartoons and drawings to plants that we see in homes all over the country.
The increasing popularity of these plants makes people want to have them around all the time. Your desk is probably just like any other place in your office, i.e., dull and boring.
If you’re looking to liven it up with something homely, then you can invest in a cactus plant for your cactus desk.
Many people enjoy having cactus plants at their desks as it helps them feel like they’re closer to nature, even when they’re spending eight hours a day in a cubicle.
It can become quite monotonous and boring to stare at a screen the entire day, which is why you must liven up the space with something like a cactus plant.
Offices are generally grey spaces with humid air that doesn’t have anywhere to go, so you’ll want to bring in something which elevates the atmosphere.
Like any other plant, Cactus plants will provide freshness to the air in terms of atmosphere. In the article below, we’ll discuss all the reasons you should have a cactus on your desk and all the ways you can benefit from it.
Most plants don’t seem well suited for offices, while other plants require more effort to maintain. However, since cactus plants are so hardy and easy to take care of, they can be great candidates as plants that you should keep at your desk.
Table of Contents
Low-Light Cactus
Many people believe that low-light cacti are the best option for office plants. Office spaces have many fluorescent lights; however, this isn’t the kind of UV light that most plants require to grow.
Sometimes offices won’t even have enough fluorescent light. It can all be extremely dystopic, which is why you would need a cactus plant that’s able to thrive in low-light conditions.
It may be difficult to come across such a cactus, given that cactus plants generally grow in the desert environment where there is a great amount of sunlight available to them.
However, some species can withstand these conditions and make the best of their situation. These species are the ones that you would want to opt for.
It would be too cruel to bring in a cactus when you know that it can’t stand the low-light situation of your office only to go and watch it die.
Thus, you will have to conduct some research into what you need to buy. Sometimes, smaller cactus plants can survive on a desk because they don’t need a great amount of sunlight to survive.
You also want to opt for a smaller cactus as it can fit on your office desk, and you won’t have to water it often. If cactus plants need less sunlight, they also need less water.
This feature works out for everyone as it helps you take care of the plant at hand without much fuss.
Cacti tend to vary in size, but there are certain cacti that you can place at your office desk conveniently. For example, the living rock cactus is only a few inches in width, making it a good fit for your desk.
Cactus plants are exceptionally resilient, but along with being resilient, they are also infinitely diverse as a species. Its diversity means that their cactus plants may thrive even in conditions of low light.
Which Cactus is Best to Grow Indoors with Low Light
As stated above, a wide variety of Cactus plants will grow well in limited amounts of light like that in an office setting. The office setting lends itself to an entirely different climate altogether.
The office is generally dry, airy, grey, and depressing. Even though offices are redesigning their spaces, the presence of natural light in spaces of work is a little bit of stretch.
Since you don’t want to have many plants die at your hands, you want to ensure that the cactus variety you get is adapted to low-light settings. We have listed some low-light examples below:
1. Scarlet Ball Cactus
The cactus is small and has several tiny thread-like spines. These cacti are also flowering, meaning they will bloom in the spring.
The flowers are brightly colored, so keeping them at your desk will make you feel more in touch with nature.
These plants can also help you make sense of the different seasons, so they’re also an indicator of the time of the year.
Many cactus experts also believe that this species is exceptionally hardy, making them a great option for beginners who want to start taking care of cactus plants.
2. Crown Cactus
These cactus plants occur in clusters and are native to South America. The cacti are also flowering. This species also has flowers blooming at the base between each cluster of the cactus plant.
These Cacti tend to grow best when there is a greater amount of sunlight. However, they can also thrive in conditions of low light and indoors.
Thus, the clusters of crown cactus plants are viable options for the cactus that you want on your office desk.
This cactus plant also needs very little water to thrive, so even if you leave it in your office over the weekend and you choose not to water it, the plant will still survive and thrive to Monday.
It requires the soil to become completely dry before you water it again.
A crown cactus plant is also an excellent option because it’s likely to survive in all conditions. Thus, you can keep it at your desk or even gift it to someone starting their first job.
3. Zebra Cactus
This cactus looks more like a succulent, but it’s a wonderful cactus that can survive in conditions of low light.
This cactus plant grows leaves that taper towards the end and have a striped pattern similar to a Zebra. They are classified as cactus plants because the leaves have spines at the edges.
Zebra cactus can enjoy an unlimited supply of bright sunlight. However, the sun can also cause them to burn and turn red.
It can thus have a better chance at survival when there’s a little bit of shade and in indoor conditions of low light. You have to be careful when you’re watering these cactus plants.
You will need to soak these plants in water completely and allow them to dry out before doing this all over again.
Since you want small cactus plants which you can grow without a hassle, these plants are some of the best you can buy.
4. Christmas Cactus
Christmas cactus plants are unique in all of their adaptations. Their leaves are flat and spiky. Furthermore, we also find that the cactus plants will grow flowers as soon as it hits the Christmas-winter time. These plants are called Christmas cacti for this very reason.
Unlike other cactus plants, this variety of cactus needs up to 14 hours out of the light and in the shade to grow and for the flowers to bloom properly.
You can thus place them indoors with complete ease. You don’t have to worry about keeping them at your office desk because they’re likely to thrive in these conditions.
These cactus plants are not that easy to take care of as they require a certain amount of effort, which you may not put in because you’re working in an office.
However, if you learn how to take care of them well, it won’t feel like a task for you. The cactus plant also requires a significant amount of water to grow and bloom.
The cactus plants need to be watered whenever the soil at the top becomes dry to the touch. This plant is a better option for all those who want to acquire new skills or information on how to take care of a cactus.
However, if you want something low-key, which you can leave as is, then the Christmas Cactus may not be the greatest option for you.
Does Cactus Improve Air Quality Indoors?
The simple answer is yes. Cactus plants are similar to any other plants because they take in carbon dioxide and dispel oxygen to make the air pure and clean. The notion that only specific plants can improve the air quality of rooms is outdated.
Cactus plants tend to filter air simply when they’re living. Having a small cactus plant may not drastically affect the overall air quality around your cactus.
But the presence and continual living of a cactus plant will make the tiny cubicle in your desk a lot more oxygenated.
If you were to get everyone in your office a cactus for their desk, that could also significantly impact how well all of you’re able to breathe.
How to Take Care of Succulent Indoors
Caring for succulents and cactus plants indoors is relatively easy. However, there are a few measures and steps that you can take to ensure that your office cactus is safe and well-supported.
Cacti plants need a special environment to grow, and we’ve listed some of the ways that you can give this to them from the confinements of your office.
1. Use the Correct Soil
To take care of a cactus plant indoors, you must ensure to fill your pot with well-draining soil. Cacti aren’t adapted to ample amounts of water, which means if their roots remain in the water for too long, they will lose oxygen and begin to rot.
Your office environment doesn’t have a lot of sunlight which means that if you mix lack of proper drainage with a lack of proper light, it will lead to the cactus plant dying.
To ensure that your cactus plant has a chance to thrive, you should use a cactus potting mix to maintain the drainage in the plant. A denser coil will lead to water subsisting, and that’s not what you want.
2. Do Not Overwater
Overwatering is how you kill your cactus plant. Since the cactus plant isn’t receiving a lot of sunlight, it’s also not getting a lot of heat.
The absence of heat means it will not require as much water because there will be less water loss due to transpiration. You should also make sure the soil isn’t wet when watering the cactus.
You can consider misting or spraying the cactus plant instead if it is.
3. Use the Right Pot
The right container for a cactus plant should have holes for proper drainage. Root rot is very common in plants that don’t have a proper drainage system, and it’s one of the easiest ways for you to lose a cactus plant.
Check if your small cactus pot has a small hole for drainage. If it doesn’t, make one.
Final Thoughts
We know now that growing a cactus on your office desk is not difficult. Many cactus species thrive in an environment of this sort. So all you need to do is pick the right one and bring it home.
I like cactus because it’s natural, organic, healthy, and renewable; it grows quickly and can be harvested easily. It also looks great and adds some color to any room.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
Is it good to keep Cactus in the Study room?
It depends on what type of cactus you are keeping. If you mean fresh cactus pads or flowers, then they will be fine and maybe even beneficial to humans.
But if you mean dried cacti, then there are chances that they might damage your eyes if you use them for too long.
Is it bad to have cactus in the office?
Cacti are plants native to arid climates. They thrive in hot, dry environments where there is little water for the roots.
Because they cannot tolerate standing water, they often appear on dry land or rock outcroppings. You may find them growing near roadsides, in fields, and even at power plant sites.
If you work in an environment with heavy amounts of humidity, such as a bathroom or kitchen, cacti should not be placed there.
However, if you live in an area with dry air, cacti make great houseplants.
Can cactus survive in office light?
Cacti are not sensitive to office lighting. They can live through direct bright sunshine or indirect office lighting.
Be sure to provide enough water and fertilizer to keep them healthy. If they need a change in temperature, use an air conditioner.
