How Much Sun Does a Cactus Need?

Most cactus need some degree of direct sunlight, and all of the species we sell at Cactus Culture thrive in full sun. Even so, you have to expose your cactus to sun gradually, too much too soon and you risk your cactus getting sunburnt which can severely impact its health.

Inversely, a cactus that doesn’t receive sunlight for long periods of time will suffer from something called etiolation , where they grow thin and pale. Etiolation is irreversible and usually requires cutting and re-rooting any healthy parts to save the plant.

If you have recently bought a new cactus, and you’re unsure of how much light it has been getting up until now you are best to follow the instructions for freshly rooted cuttings and move it into sunlight gradually, even if it is an established plant.

Unrooted Cuttings

Keep them somewhere bright to root but absolutely no direct sunlight.

Freshly Rooted Cuttings

Once your cactus cutting is in its permanent pot you want to gradually acclimatise it to sunlight to avoid etiolation.

Begin by placing it in a spot that gets some dappled sunlight for only an hour or two a day and slowly move the cactus to sunnier spots over the course of several weeks.

Established Cactus

An established columnar variety of cactus like Saguaro cactus or San Pedro cactus should be a position where it gets full, direct and unfiltered sunlight for up to 8 hours a day. It’s best to pick a location that has some shelter from the harshest sun between the hours of 11:00am - 1:00pm.