How to care for a cactus at home: features of care after purchase, in winter, flowering, reproduction and watering | (Photo & Video)

Cacti are especially loved by flower growers for their unpretentiousness and decorative effect. In addition, the cultivation of these flowers has one interesting detail that constantly attracts enthusiasts to it.

It lies in the fact that it is relatively difficult to make a cactus bloom, moreover, from year to year the conditions under which the plant blooms can be different.

Thanks to this property, cacti will always be popular as an interesting object not only for contemplation, but also for research.

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plant description

From the point of view of botany, almost all representatives of the Cactus family do not represent anything special, one might even say that these are very primitive plants.

succulents with reduced leaves, dense tissues of which are adapted to accumulate fluid reserves - what could be simpler ...

However, due to the variety of external forms, representatives of this family occupy a worthy place both in landscape design, and in indoor floriculture.

The diversity of the structure, as well as the size of the shoots, the direction of their growth, the ability to branch, etc., led to the fact that in the family there are peculiar “analogues” of almost all representatives of the plant world, as well as several of their own forms, inherent only to Cactus

Simply put, the same anatomy and physiology of cacti does not interfere with their external diversity and unique, incomparable exterior. Well, do not forget about another important property of these plants. Most of them have beautiful and bright flowers.

The trunk of a cactus is a fleshy body filled with water. Its size can be different - from 1 cm to 20 m. The leaves of the cactus are reduced and are thin, pointed branches of small length, called spines. They grow from areoles - small modified axillary buds.

In some types of cacti (Echinocerus pectinate, hatior, lophophora, etc.), spines may be absent altogether. Others (for example, Capricorn Astrophytum), on the contrary, have very long spiny processes up to 7 cm long.

The flowers and fruits of the cactus have an original device: part of the flower, bud and fruit in them are at the same time part of the stem.

Areoles of an unusual shape on tree-like varieties of cacti

The root system of the plant is also reduced and consists of a rod with several medium-sized branches. Sometimes it is 5-6 short roots. Only in large species, it is similar to the branched root system of trees.

The homeland of all cacti is America, but thanks to man from there they spread throughout the world. Mostly cacti - plants are heat-loving, but some species can climb far from warm places. The most extreme species that can tolerate relatively cold winters are found in Canada and southern Argentina (57°N and 50°S respectively).

In the environment of cactus growers, there is a conditional division of the family into three groups:

Desert species can differ significantly from forest species and require different growing conditions. As for indoor plants, everything is a little simpler with them: most of them are bred artificially by cross-breeding and feel fine in apartments and houses.

Typical representatives of desert cacti are:

Echinopsis is the most common genus of domestically grown desert cactus.

All desert cacti are drought-resistant plants and can go without watering for up to six months. They are not afraid of sunburn, and in general, the more direct sunlight in the life of this species, the better.

The variety of forest cacti suitable for indoor cultivation is somewhat more modest. This is due to the fact that in the wild they grow on the trunks of other trees, and not everyone can be adapted to home conditions.

Typical representatives of forest cactigrown at home:

Unlike desert cacti, forest cacti, although they are photophilous, cannot stand direct sunlight on them. They are recommended to be placed in partial shade, or use diffused lighting. These varieties, although they are able to tolerate drought, but not as long as the desert ones.

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Features of caring for cacti

Zygocactus (Decembrist) - a popular forest cactus

In general, cacti are very unpretentious and hardy, but to get really attractive specimens, you have to work hard. The main task is to bring the conditions of keeping the plant closer to natural, which even at home can be a difficult task.

The main problem in growing all cacti is the lack of light. These light-loving plants literally suffer from a small amount of solar energy, so they must be kept on the windowsills of the southern windows.

In summer, it is highly recommended to take flower pots to the balcony or garden. It should be remembered that in winter, cacti have a dormant period, and light becomes not very important to them, to the point that you can even put the pot in the shade in a cool room.

In any case, if the cactus does not have enough light, he himself will report about it: the trunk will stretch, and its top will acquire a pale shade.

Despite the thermophilicity, cacti are able to endure low temperatures for a short time.

In addition, they are also well adapted to their sudden changes. In summer, the plant will feel fine both at + 20 ° C and at + 35 ° C, but in winter, during the dormant period, cacti should be kept cool. It is desirable to lower the ambient temperature for the flower during the dormant period to + 6-14 ° C.

Cacti love fresh air and need regular ventilation. (of course, without constant drafts). It is recommended to ventilate the room with cacti twice a day.

Since the homeland of most varieties of cacti has a hot and arid climate, in their natural environment, desert cacti practically do not encounter fungal diseases and have no immunity to them.

At home, this can be a problem., since in apartments, unlike deserts, fungi are distributed almost everywhere and special attention should be paid to protecting cacti from them.Further, various aspects of caring for cacti at home will be discussed in more detail.

Watering cacti

Watering cacti is carried out carefully, without blurring the soil.

The intensity of watering and their norms mainly depend on the type of cactus. In addition, there is some relationship with the season, temperature and light. Usually, moderate watering is carried out as the soil dehydrates and sets with a dry crust.

Try to pour water into the substrate little by little and very carefully, avoiding its erosion. Abundant watering for these plants is also undesirable.

With the awakening of cacti (the appearance of areas with an intense green color at the top), they are taken out of hibernation, spraying with warm water from a spray bottle for a month. In this case, the irrigation mode is again set to "summer". In spring or autumn, watering is carried out in the morning, and in summer - in the evening.

Watering cacti

Water for irrigation should stand for 2-3 days. You can use boiled, thawed or rain. Once a month, the soil is acidified - citric acid is diluted in irrigation water (0.5 g per 1 liter of water).

They also practice watering cacti with pouring water into the pan. To do this, use pallets with high sides, a few centimeters higher than the drainage layer in the pot. For irrigation, you will need to pour water into the pan to the maximum level.

Novice flower growers often make the mistake of leaving water in the pan for a long time. This, of course, should not be allowed, half an hour after watering, it is necessary to drain the water from the pan completely.

top dressing

Combining watering a cactus with top dressing

Cacti, as a rule, do not need top dressing. Usually, plants are fed in case of emergency (for example, when the shoots are deformed, the lack of flowering, or to stimulate growth). Fertilizers in the form of solutions are used no more than once a week, and foliar top dressing is not used at all. 

The most correct decision would be to purchase top dressing in a specialized flower shop, but if you want, you can cook it yourself. It is recommended to fertilize the so-called cacti. "a mixture of Kadatsky".

It has the following composition:

As you can see, the mixture contains a large amount of nitrogen, so it is not recommended to abuse it. Proper care involves the use of fertilizer at a concentration of 0.5 to 1.5 g per 1000 ml of water. As in the case of irrigation, boiled or settled water is used.

Soil and containers

For cacti, narrow but deep pots are mainly used.

To grow cacti that can please the owners with their spring appearance, they should be provided with the right soil. Cacti will grow well in a loose and porous substrate with good water permeability. For mature plants, increased air permeability is also desirable. The soil for cacti is chosen slightly or moderately acidic (pH from 4.5 to 6.0). It will be optimal to purchase the substrate in a specialized store, but you can make it yourself.

To do this, mix the following components in equal proportions: leaf land, sod land, washed river sand.In the case of growing hardy varieties (like echinopsis), you can do it even easier - use any earth and sand in a ratio of 1 to 1.

Usually, when creating a soil mixture, peat is not used. Although peat is an acidic environment acceptable for cacti, it would be wrong to allow an excessive excess of nutrients in the substrate. Perhaps this will cause increased growth of the culture, however, it will slow down the reproduction processes (even babies will not appear, not to mention the flowering of cacti).

Unlike most cultures that prefer clay containers, cactus containers can be either ceramic or plastic.

cactus pots

The height of the pot should be 20% higher than the length of the root system, and the width must be at least 50% greater than its diameter.

At the bottom of the pot, it is necessary to lay a drainage layer 1-2 cm high. It is desirable that the roots do not reach it. As a drainage, you can use a crumb of brick or expanded clay. Do not pour broken eggshells on the bottom, as it will contribute to the leaching of the soil.

Before planting, it is advisable to disinfect the pot, for example, dousing it inside and out with boiling water. After the cactus is installed in a pot and sprinkled with a substrate, it is recommended to compact it and sprinkle the surface with small pebbles on top. To do this, you may need small pebbles or small flat gravel.

Diseases and pests

One of the types of decay is the defeat of a cactus by white spotting.

Cacti are quite hardy, but in our climate two dangers can lie in wait for them - a lack of essential minerals and a fungus. The first often leads to the withering of the shoots, the appearance of yellowness on them. Usually, with yellowness, it is very easy to correct - to correct the irrigation regime and apply top dressing.

The fungus can manifest itself in different ways. Often, the decay of a cactus is also associated precisely with the activity of the fungus. The main reason for these phenomena is an excess of moisture in the substrate and air. Many people forget that the cactus is a desert plant and should not be watered like ordinary indoor flowers. You also need to follow a simple rule: the air in the room with cacti should not be too humid. 

In case of rot on cacti, it is recommended to follow the instructions below:

You can detect a worm by traces of vital activity - small white lumps

It should be said right away that the probability of success in such events is relatively low. As a rule, in order to preserve the variety and guaranteed disposal of the fungus, the entire plant is destroyed, leaving only the tops of the shoots or mature children.

There are relatively few pests in cacti. Despite the high attractiveness of the delicate tissues of the plant for caterpillars, native species, as a rule, are not interested in cacti. Even plants planted in the garden are rarely attacked by caterpillars or slugs.

The main threat to cacti comes from two species: the root worm and the hairy aphid. The worm is a small insect that lives in the substrate and damages the roots of the plant. 

The hairy aphid is a close relative of the mealybug (actually, another name for aphids is a stem worm), but it lives on the shoots of a plant.

Cactus affected by hairy aphids

This pest inflicts numerous wounds on the plant by making punctures in the stems and feeding on the juice of the cactus. With a large number of this arthropod, thorns may even begin to crumble in cacti.In addition, through the holes that the tick makes in the plant shell, fungal spores can enter it, which leads to the formation of foci of decay.

To combat both types of mealybugs, special means against ticks are used - acaricides. Aktara or Aktellik preparations are best suited for this purpose.

There is a way to get rid of these pests without the use of chemicals. To do this, the cactus is removed from the soil, the remains of the soil are washed off from it and immersed in water with a temperature of 50-60 ° C for 10 minutes. After that, it is dried for several days and transplanted into a new substrate. Just as in the case of a fungus, it is desirable to disinfect the substrate.

reproduction

Babies on the stems of mammillaria

Most often, the reproduction of cacti is carried out vegetatively. Usually, when the root system of a plant occupies all the available space in a pot, the cactus itself begins to form vegetative processes or children from its areolas.

Cactus babies are fully formed plants with a root system. And if the roots are already visible visually, you can simply separate the baby and transplant it into a separate container.

Plant propagation by cuttings is also used. For this, the top of the stem, at least 2 cm long, is most often used. It is cut off with a sharp knife, previously rubbed with alcohol.

The place of cut of the mother plant is treated with crushed coal, and the cut stalk is placed on paper for 3-4 days (always on its side) and sent to a shady and cool place.

View of the dried cut at the cutting

After the cut dries, proceed to the next phase. Drainage is placed in a new pot and the substrate is poured, and 3 not too large pebbles are placed on top of the substrate. On these pebbles, a cutting is installed in a vertical position with a cut down.

The pot is placed in a bright but diffused light. A suitable place for the handle would be an east window. After about 1-2 weeks, roots appear at the cutting. After that, large pebbles are removed, and the stalk is planted in a substrate and watered. During the first month, every day the cutting is sprayed with a spray bottle.

Propagation by seeds is used very rarely, because it takes too much time. Therefore, many flower growers cut off the flower stem after flowering, so that the cactus does not expend energy on seed formation.

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cactus bloom

Blooming mammillaria can have up to a hundred flowers

Cacti bloom once every 3-4 years for small varieties and once every 4-6 years for large ones. In order for a cactus to bloom, it should be properly looked after. To get a flowering plant, you must follow these rules:

In addition to these basic rules, each species has its own characteristics, consisting in special conditions for temperature, humidity and light. Practice shows that the more unpretentious and hardy the variety, the higher the probability of its flowering. For example, in echinopsis, the simultaneous formation of children and flowering is generally possible, which is rare in the world of cacti.

The use of dressings to stimulate flowering in cacti is not always effective. Moreover, in some cases it has a completely opposite effect.

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How to care for a cactus at home: features of care after purchase, in winter, flowering, reproduction and watering | (Photo & Video)