After personal computers began to appear in people’s homes, it became fashionable to place cacti near them. Many believe that such a plant has the ability to reduce the level of harmful radiation or completely absorb it. But after some time, most PC users began to notice that for some reason their cacti were withering and dying. The thing is that despite its unpretentiousness and resistance to drought, this plant needs some care.
It should be understood that cacti and deciduous indoor plants need to be cared for differently. If you want a cactus to become a real decoration for your apartment, then before you get one, you need to ask how to properly care for it and what can harm this unusual flower.
Selecting container and soil
Selection of container:
Cacti are quite demanding on the container in which they will grow. The size of the pot should match the root system of the cactus. To choose the right pot , you need to remove the cactus from the old container, carefully straighten the roots and inspect the root system. In some cacti, the roots are better developed in the upper part and are not very long, then the pot should be wide enough, but not deep. In other cacti, the roots grow in length, especially if the root system has a main taproot, then the pot should be deep , but not wide. In any case, the volume of a pot or other container for planting should not greatly exceed the volume of the root system in a straightened form, but it must be taken into account that some space in the pot will be taken up by drainage.
brown spots have appeared on it , or has been damaged in some way, then the dishes should be slightly smaller in size than the volume of the root system. Also, when choosing a container, you should take into account the growth pattern of cacti. For example, mammillaria form many children and many plants are obtained in one pot, so they need wider pots, but not deep ones (see picture). But for Ariocarpus, for example, the container should be deeper than wide.
What material the container for growing a cactus is a matter of taste. Cacti are usually grown in plastic pots, but they can also be grown in clay pots, plastic yogurt cups, ceramic cups, coconut shells, etc. It is undesirable to grow cacti only in metal containers, which can rust, and this will adversely affect the plant.
If there are a lot of cacti and the collection is growing, then it is quite convenient to plant the cacti in square or rectangular containers, which are then placed easily and tightly together on a common tray; this makes it easier to carry the cacti; the tightly arranged pots occupy a stable position. the frequency of watering depends on what material the container is made of . In plastic dishes, the earth retains moisture longer than in clay ones.
Another condition for containers for cacti is drainage holes. I would say that this is a mandatory condition, since cacti really do not like stagnant water in a pot (especially epiphytes). Water that remains in the roots can lead to rotting and death of the plant.
The soil:
Preparing soil for replanting cacti is a complex and controversial issue, in the sense that the composition of the soil depends on many factors, for example, the type of cactus, its age, etc. Different literature provides different recipes and methods for preparing soil for cacti. Despite the fact that they sometimes differ, each author who recommends one or another soil recipe, as a rule, relies on his own experience, which has had good results. The ingredients included in traditional cactus soils are varied, but always the same, these are:
| Ingredients | Properties | Where to get them |
| Leaf ground | rich in nutrients, loose, light, easily absorbs water | In the spring (April), when the snow is just melting in any birch grove or park where there are deciduous trees, the snow, old leaves are raked and the earth is collected with a scoop |
| Clay-turf soil | holds water firmly, and nutrients are washed out of it more slowly | Near the garden, where the ground is overgrown with turf (dense grass), this turf is removed along with the soil with a shovel and laid in layers that can be shed with slurry, then covered and left for at least one year. If this technology is difficult for you, then you can get this soil differently. You need to dig up the turf and, holding the grass, thoroughly shake off the soil from its roots. In this case, it will not be as nutritious as if it had been pressed for a year, but the structure will meet the requirements. |
| Old greenhouse land | used when it is not possible to obtain leafy and clay-turf soil | In the vegetable garden |
| Well-rotted manure (humus) | used in limited quantities to add to very nutrient-poor soil | In the spring, cow manure in the garden or vegetable garden is placed in a tank or compost pit and covered with leaves (birch or apple) and soil, then dug up and used the next spring. |
| Coarse river sand | gives the soil looseness and porosity, is an essential component in any soil for all cacti | On the river, on the beach, be sure to wash well |
| Charcoal | (only deciduous trees), used for disinfection in powder form (sprinkled on wounded roots) and added in pieces to the soil, because has anti-putrefactive properties | Burn any stick made of deciduous trees in the garden or vacant lot, preferably birch, break the firebrand into pieces. Crush some into powder, and leave some in small pieces and add to the soil. |
| Brick chips | Gives the soil looseness and porosity, has the ability to retain excess moisture | Use a hammer to crush red bricks into crumbs, which can be found wandering around the city or at the nearest construction site |
Before choosing a particular soil mixture, you need to know that in any case, it must meet the following requirements:
- the soil for any cacti should be loose, easily allow water and air to pass through,
- The acidity of the soil for almost all cacti should be slightly acidic, better than pH = 4.5 - 6.
You need to know that leaf soil is looser than clay-turf and greenhouse soil. Brick chips and river sand give the soil looseness. And to give the soil the necessary acidity, add either peat (to increase acidity) or lime (gives an alkaline reaction and reduces acidity). It should be borne in mind that young cacti and prickly seedlings need looser and more nutritious soil, so leaf soil makes up a significant proportion of the soil mixture for them.
Adult and old cacti need denser soil, so they take more greenhouse and clay-turf soil. For fast-growing cacti, humus is added to the soil mixture. What else will the composition of the soil mixture depend on? Depending on the species characteristics of the plant, for example, cacti that have absolutely no spines need less calcium in the soil than cacti richly decorated with spines, which benefit from adding crushed, crushed eggshells to the soil.
Diseases
The most common problems with cacti are fungi and rot. Most often they appear due to improper care: excess moisture and low temperatures. Here it is important to remove damaged areas, reduce watering, provide warmth and sun, and use antifungal sprays and solutions.
If the cactus trunk is too soft, the problem is an excess of moisture. When the root system begins to rot, it is very difficult to save the plant. But you can try with an emergency transplant, removing rotten roots and drying.
A slight change in color is a standard reaction to changing conditions, so most often it will go away on its own. Dropping buds or leaves can be a reaction to stress, and the death of young shoots is a sure sign of damage to the roots during transplantation or due to pests.
Photo: stroysoc.ru
Light and temperature
When growing cacti, you need to remember that they are light-loving plants. Lack of light leads to deformation of stems, underdevelopment, and plant diseases. Cacti love south windows. Place them in the brightest sunny location. Some people from deserts, as well as cacti grown on northern windows, require additional lighting with fluorescent lamps in winter
For a better understanding of all the life processes of these prickly creatures, we recommend acquiring serious, high-quality literature about cacti.
If the top of the cactus begins to stretch out and become thinner, it means that it does not have enough light.
Most cacti do not suffer from bright sunlight; in summer, rhipsalis and other tropical forest plants need to be carefully protected from direct sunlight. In summer, provide ventilation and fresh air to the cacti by placing them on a balcony or in a window box, but do not forget to cover them with plastic wrap in rainy weather.
In winter, in apartments with steam heating, cacti suffer from high temperatures and dry air. Place them on a light window between the frames or on a windowsill protected from steam heating radiators with plexiglass. Epiphytic species of cacti are kept in a warmer place in winter.
Wash your windows more often; city dirt settling on the glass greatly reduces the passage of light.
Protect cacti from drafts. Slots in the frames will, of course, lower winter temperatures on your windowsill, but this is not a solution to the problem of cold wintering.
Don't change the location of the cactus unless absolutely necessary, they don't like it. Do not turn the cactus around its axis to make it grow more evenly. In both cases, you may lose the long-awaited flowering. And even more so, there is no need to rearrange a cactus that is gathering buds. In order to always know, and in case of a forced rearrangement, not to be mistaken, which side a given specimen was facing the light, you should make marks on the pots.
Fresh air is much more important for cacti than for most other plants. Many cacti may not bloom only because they do not have enough fresh air. Therefore, in the summer it is better to place them on the balcony or veranda. At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that they are protected from dust, wind and rain. If the balcony is glazed, then the cacti are provided with both shelter and fresh air, and if not, then you can make a canopy over the shelf with the cacti from a light-transmitting material, for example, from a greenhouse film. If there are a lot of cacti, then it is best to put the pots on one common tray, so they are easier to transport.
Ideally, it would be good to gradually accustom cacti to the street, and leave them in the fresh air around the clock until the end of summer and even until the beginning of autumn. Accustoming cacti to night temperature changes helps strengthen the skin on the plant stem; the hardening procedure prepares it for a cold winter. Such cacti are distinguished by shiny spines, bloom better and easier, and have greater resistance to disease. However, with all the love of cacti for fresh air, drafts can be destructive for them.
Caring for a cactus in a pot after purchasing it in winter at home
If you purchased a cactus in winter, then the purchase conditions are the same as in spring. The cactus must be chosen correctly. As for replanting this plant, despite the fact that the cactus is in a dormant state, you can replant it calmly.
Cacti cannot be replanted only under two conditions: when the cactus is blooming and when it has buds.
In winter, cacti rest; no additional manipulations are performed with them. Cacti need to be properly wintered so that they bloom in the spring.
Wintering is dry and cool. This process consists of a sharp limitation of watering from November to March. Water the plant about once every three weeks and little by little, just to wet the soil. No feeding is carried out in this case. Cacti should be located in a cold room. If there is no glazed loggia or balcony, then a window sill with no heating radiator will do. On the windowsill, cacti are located closer to the cold glass.
At the same time, you need to keep an eye on the cacti. If they begin to wrinkle, then they need to be sprinkled with a little water. With the onset of March, the cactus begins to wake up. It is sprayed at this time, well at first, and then watering begins, gradually increasing its intensity.
Drainage for cactus
For cacti, drainage is simply necessary. Even drainage holes will not prevent stagnation of water in the roots, because excess water remains in the pan, from where there is not always time to drain it. Good drainage will certainly protect the cactus from stagnation of water. The dimensions of the drainage are relative - at least 1/6 of the volume of the pot, maximum - 1/3. For drainage, you can use expanded clay, small pieces of broken red brick, small crushed stone, and, for lack of a better option, pieces of foam plastic.
Broken egg shells are also added to the drainage. Preferably for drainage, or you can simply add pieces of charcoal (preferably birch) to the soil mixture.
Watering rules
Although needle plants are drought-tolerant, they still need watering. If possible, it is better to use warm rain or melt water. In winter, the soil should be moistened in small portions, approximately 1 irrigation every 7-10 days.
Recommendation: you need to give moisture to the plant in the morning and use 2 methods of watering - bottom and top.
Watering more frequently will have a negative effect on the succulent. In spring and hot summer, daily watering or 1 moistening every 2 days is recommended. In autumn, the flower requires 1 watering per week.
Fertilizing cactus
There are many different points of view regarding feeding cacti with fertilizers. This is a rather controversial issue and, as a rule, it is based on someone else's experience. Since cacti are very unique plants, fertilizers are special for them. First of all, they differ in that they contain much less nitrogen.
In cacti, the need for nitrogen is extremely limited due to certain physiological characteristics. If there is a lot of nitrogen in the soil, or a lot of nitrogen is in the applied fertilizer, then the cactus stem begins to grow quickly, becomes loose and watery. Many children and offspring appear, but they do not develop into full-fledged plants; the skin of the cactus does not have time to grow and bursts. Wounds and scars appear that rot or become crusty, and as a result the plant will be disfigured or die. Therefore, organic fertilizers are not used for cacti, except in very small doses for epiphytic, fast-growing cacti.
Cacti need phosphorus and calcium more; plants also need potassium during flowering. It is best to use special fertilizers for fertilizing cacti, which are now on sale almost everywhere.
These include “Cactus”
– special concentrated liquid
humic fertilizer
, contains auxins, cytokinins, vitamins B, C, humic acids, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Promotes growth, rooting, flowering, increases resistance to disease. Available in 0.5 liter bottles. Forest cacti - during the period of budding and flowering, 2 caps (8-10 ml) of fertilizer are diluted in 1 liter of water and watered after each watering. Desert cacti - 1 cap per 2 liters of water - water once every two weeks from March to October. Do not use during rest period. Feeding begins no earlier than two weeks after transplantation.
This is important: Since flowering in cacti does not always coincide with the growth period, do not feed your cacti with anything during flowering in winter. You can start feeding cacti only with the onset of the growth period - late March, early April. Fertilizing should be completed before the dormant period begins, i.e. in September. Winter-blooming cacti do not require additional feeding, since the plant itself does not grow, so watering is only slightly increased.
Varieties
At home, dwarf cacti are often grown; they were born with the help of breeders. You can purchase a huge number of miniature varieties, and placing several dozen of them on the windowsill will not be difficult.
The most popular of the domestic desert cacti are: Echinocereus Knippel and crested, Cereus peruvian, Aporocactus whip-shaped, notocactus, prickly pear, Rebutia dwarf, Echinopsis, Echinocactus Gruson, Chamecereus Sylvester, Espola woolly, Astrophytum capricornus, parodies bloodflower and gold yew-needle.
Varieties of forest cacti grown at home do not have external similarities with cacti that are familiar to everyone. In the wild, they prefer to grow under or on trees. At home, epiphyllum, rhipsalidopsis, and zigocactus (Christmas or Decembrist) are most often grown.
Replanting a cactus
The ideal time for transplantation is the end of March - May. Young cacti growing in small and cramped containers should be replanted annually. Replant large plants after 2-3 years, but regularly replace the top layer of old soil with fresh soil without damaging the roots. Replanting is necessary for cacti, since shaking the soil provides air flow to the roots and has a beneficial effect on the development of the plant. The pot for replanting the cactus must match the structure and size of the root system.
Do not take dishes that are too large, as this will delay the development of the plant; the soil undeveloped by the roots will turn sour. A pot is considered suitable if the previous one fits freely into it.
3-5 days before replanting, stop watering the plant so that the soil dries out and the roots can be easily separated from the old soil. The soil mixture for cacti is selected based on the biological characteristics of the root systems.
The soil should be loose, easily allowing moisture and air to pass through to the roots, rich in minerals, but not containing organic fertilizers. For most types of cacti, a mixture of leaf, clay-turf, peat soil, coarse sand in equal proportions with small pieces of charcoal is suitable. Sprinkle the prepared soil with granulated superphosphate and mix well. Most cacti prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH of no more than 6-6.5.
The individual characteristics of some species require additions to the standard mixture: plants with strong spines and abundant fluff need more lime, epiphytic cacti and echinopsis need a little rotted cow manure, columnar cereus need more turf soil and crushed stone.
To create the effect of calcareous rocks, i.e., as lime, crushed limestone or marble is added to the soil mixture. The most accessible lime material is old chipped plaster. Fresh lime cannot be added to the soil!
Cacti with tap and turnip roots naturally grow on clay soil. In indoor conditions, the soil for them should be dense, but water should not be allowed to stagnate in the pot. Therefore, weathered or frozen clay is added to the earthen mixture, which crumbles in the hands when squeezed. You can collect such clay from the ruins of old buildings or in nature, on mountain slopes.
The soil is watered in advance; it should not be very wet before transplanting. It is convenient to carry out the transplant as follows. Cover the holes for water drainage in the pot with shards, lay on top a layer of broken crushed stone, pieces of charcoal, coarse sand in a layer of 2-3 cm, and then an earthen mixture in a layer of 2-2.5 cm or more, in accordance with the characteristics of the root system. Place the plant prepared for replanting on a hillock of soil in the center of the pot and straighten the roots.
Gradually fill the gaps between the walls of the pot and the roots with soil, shaking the pot. This promotes even distribution of soil between the roots. Then, if the pot is small, press the soil with your fingers; if it is large, compact it with a flat wooden spatula. Add soil to the level of the root collar so that the entire green part of the stem is above the surface of the ground. Sprinkle sand or small gravel over the entire surface of the pot in a layer of 1-1.5 cm, which will prevent the stem from rotting.
Cover the transplanted cacti with a glass jar or plastic cap and water for 3-4 days. Cacti cannot be replanted during the period of budding and flowering.
The buds will fall off or degenerate. To avoid frequent transplants, which are poorly tolerated by some types of cacti, fertilizing with an infusion of superphosphate or a special store-bought liquid fertilizer for cacti will help. Feed in a dark place no more than twice a month. Before doing this, water the plant with water. Do not feed cacti that you are going to transplant or newly transplanted plants.
Special treatment method
(or root bath) for cacti with damaged root systems, used during replanting. It happens that a cactus is apparently healthy, but grows very poorly, and the roots turn out to be poorly developed and weak when transplanted. Then you can try the following procedure. After the cactus is removed from the pot, shake off the old soil; you can even wash the roots in warm water, but carefully so that there are no breaks. Then hot water is poured into a cup or glass, at a temperature of about 50-55 °C. For this you will need a thermometer. A dense material is taken and fixed to a glass above the water.
A hole is made in the middle and a cactus is placed there, while the roots up to the root collar should be in hot water, but neither the stem nor the root collar should touch the water. The cactus is kept in this hot water for up to 15 minutes. It is important that the water does not cool down, but is at the same temperature all the time; you can wrap the glass in a woolen shawl, or add hot water, monitoring the temperature with a thermometer, but under no circumstances should you cover the glass with the cactus. This procedure stimulates root formation in cacti. After this, the cactus roots must be dried for 12-24 hours, and then planted according to all the rules.
How to care for a cactus in a pot at home so that flowers grow on the cactus
Among all plants, cacti bloom infrequently. Yes, like other representatives of the flora, they bloom in the spring, however, this happens once every 3-4 years. Moreover, if not properly cared for, they may not bloom at all. But this does not mean at all that you should give up and either abandon cacti or not deal with them at all.
There are several simple conditions by which a cactus gains color. Firstly, the cactus must grow at this moment. If this does not happen, then this indicates that nutrients are not reaching it, which means there are problems with the root system. The main reason for this is the overgrown roots, which took up almost the entire volume of the pot. The solution to the problem is simple; the cactus must be transplanted into a larger pot, and the soil must be replaced with fresher and more fertile one.
Secondly, the cactus must go through a stage of winter dormancy before creating buds. If it was not there, then the cactus will not bloom in any case. It is also not recommended to frequently move the cactus from one place to another. If the lighting changes, a cactus that has already begun to bloom will most likely shed its buds. Lighting should be in a constant direction and as much as possible. In spring, this can be easily achieved by placing the plant on the sunny side of the house.
And lastly, if you replanted the cactus, it will begin to bloom only a year after that.
Possible mistakes during care
Cacti are very resilient, but even they, once in an indoor environment, can suffer from various influences. For example, mechanical damage, excess fertilizer or violations of the care regimen. It is also possible that the soil is overcooled or the substrate is overfilled. In this case, bacterial or fungal diseases may develop. With this development of events, you will have to use insecticidal preparations purchased in specialized stores. This cannot but affect the condition of the succulent.
Weakened immunity in a cactus can contribute to the proliferation of various pests. It could be a spider mite, aphid or scale insect. Pests can only be controlled using fungicides. An excess of nitrogenous fertilizers in the soil contributes to the pathological growth of the above-ground part of the plant. The skin quickly bursts, and areas of rot quickly form at the site of damage. Such a flower is practically doomed to death.
Drafts and changes in lighting levels also negatively affect the condition of the succulent. In the first case, the surface of the flower becomes covered with rusty spots, and in the second, a reddish tint appears, completely unnatural for cacti.
Excessive amounts of ultraviolet radiation can cause sunburn. This is especially noticeable in young and small plants that are installed on the windowsill of the south side of the house. If it is not possible to use less illuminated areas, it is better to come up with a small screen for the plant that will protect it from excess ultraviolet radiation without preventing it from reaching the flower.
In general, all cacti adapt very easily and quickly to any conditions. They take root well and grow quickly. If you take good and competent care of them, following all the recommendations of experienced flower growers, you can get a blooming succulent that decorates the windowsill with an unusual color.
Reproduction
Two main types of reproduction:
- Using cuttings.
- Using seeds.
Method No. 1
Simple and reliable. Separate the stalk. Place it in a glass of water until roots appear. Replant into the ground.
Important! The cut area must be dried in the sun.
Method No. 2
Buy seeds. Next you need to wash them in potassium permanganate. Pour soil 1 cm wide into the tray. Place the seeds. Cover with film. Ventilate 2 times a day.
Important! The soil must be kept moist at all times.
After the needles appear, they are planted in a pot. After a month, these plants are cared for in the same way as adults.
About the flower
The homeland of this plant is America. Cacti are common in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru and other countries where semi-deserts are located. Forest species live in tropical jungles. Wild cacti grow to gigantic sizes. If we divide this plant into two species according to their habitat, we get:
- Desert.
- Forest.
Each of these species requires special care. First you need to decide on the type of cactus.
At home we most often encounter dwarf specimens of this plant. Small cacti are obtained through selection.
