Getting soft cacti in the mail

[EliWhitney3140]

I have been doing a lot of online shopping at the moment because most of the speices I am interested in are almost never in the nurseries around me. Many of the cacti I am getting are great with a few snags here and there (mealy bug and rust). I got that under control at the moment and a watchful eye on them. Not only am I buying online but I am buying internationally which means some long shipping.

So my question is what is the best way to do with soft cacti? Less light and more heat? Do I plant them or leave them bare root until they are firmer? What are your thoughts growers?

[esp_imaging]

So my question is what is the best way to do with soft cacti? Less light and more heat? Do I plant them or leave them bare root until they are firmer? What are your thoughts growers?

I don't understand what you are asking.
Are you asking about cacti which are a bit shrivelled after a long journey?
Unless they look seriously dehydrated, just pot them up and let them continue their dry winter rest for another 5+ weeks at a temperature suited to the species.

[7george]

Some cacti species have rather soft stems any time of the year and this is said in their description. Not a reason to take some special actions.

[Steve Johnson]

So my question is what is the best way to do with soft cacti? Less light and more heat? Do I plant them or leave them bare root until they are firmer? What are your thoughts growers?

First of all, avoid buying cacti from international sellers unless you know for absolutely sure that the plants are nursery-grown from seed and not poached from the wild. I purchase cacti online only from reputable US sellers precisely for that reason. As to your questions -- assuming that your cacti didn't freeze to death in transit (a good reason for not buying cacti online in winter), they should be dormant. Cool and dry is better than giving them artificial warmth that could encourage them to grow when they should still be asleep. Bare-root cacti don't need to be potted right away, so you can do it at the beginning of spring. The "rule of thumb" is to let them settle in for two weeks, then water. If you decide to pot the plants while they're still dormant, the mix must be completely dry, and don't even think about watering until their roots wake up and become active. Generally speaking, overnight lows above 50 and daytime highs above the low 70s trigger the start of the growing season. However, these temps need to be consistent -- for you, my guess is sometime in April.

[EliWhitney3140]

Thank you Steve, I will take all of what you say into consideration before I buy cacti from now on.