The cactus is an original and beautiful plant that is grown by many. Due to its particular unpretentiousness, flower growers want not only to have such beauty at home, but also, if possible, to breed it. Therefore, it is especially important for such people to know how to plant a cactus correctly.
If we talk about breeding, the easiest way to do this is with the help of shoots. The reason for this is that after planting, the children take root quite quickly. Although, of course, first you should separate this very process. The procedure must be performed with extreme caution so that no “mother material” remains on the shoot, and no baby parts remain on the main cactus. Many, when seating children, do not pay due attention to this, but it is completely in vain, since the remaining parts can lead to rotting.
The procedure can be performed at any time, but “experienced gardeners” advise breeding in the spring and summer, because that is when roots grow best from the shoot.
It is worth remembering that after separation the baby cannot be immediately planted in the ground, because it will probably rot; you should wait until the cut dries well. Until this time, it is better to place the shoot in a dark and cool room. After this, you can plant the baby in a small container, pre-filled with a substrate with the addition of a large amount of sand.
It should be noted that the sand is added wet, and watering is not necessary. Planting material is laid out on the prepared soil, but not deepened. When the appearance of roots is noticed, then you can start fully planting the still very young cactus.
Having figured out how to plant a cactus that was obtained using shoots, you can move on to which substrate to give preference to and why.
Important! Sometimes you can notice aerial roots on the shoot, which are easily separated from the mother plant. Such planting material can be planted in the ground within a day.
Selecting soil and container for planting
The cactus should be rooted in the ground. Some inexperienced gardeners suggest using water for these purposes, but this should never be done. We are talking directly about planting, which follows the appearance of roots. All processes should not be confused, because in this case both the shoot and the plant can be ruined.
For planting, select soil consisting of:
- Garden soil (one part).
- Chopped dry leaves (two parts).
- Sand (one part).
To make the soil softer and looser, charcoal or foam balls are added to it.
If the gardener does not have experience in preparing the substrate, then in this case you can purchase ready-made soil, which is sold in the store. True, you need to pay attention to the fact that it is low in nutrition.
Before planting a cactus, you should know some rules for correctly filling a flowerpot. So, drainage must be placed at the bottom of the pot, which can be expanded clay or pebbles. This material will be able to remove excess moisture accumulated in the pan. This is an important point, since not all gardeners know how to correctly follow the recommendations regarding watering, and in the end it turns out that the root system begins to rot.
The substrate that is placed in the pot must be compacted well. When planting, the roots are carefully deepened into the soil so as not to damage them. Upon completion of the manipulation, the soil is not watered for several days.
As for the soil mixture, everything is clear. However, it is necessary to pay special attention to what pots are needed for planting young animals. Considering that the root of the plant is quite small, it only needs minimal space, there is no point in buying large flowerpots. Many gardeners who have been growing cacti for a long time generally advise paying attention to the smallest containers in which the plants will be quite comfortable. If it is noticed that the flower has stopped growing, then you can transplant the cactus into a larger pot, which will be a couple of centimeters in volume larger than the previous one.
What to do if it doesn’t take root?
In general , the cactus can be called an unpretentious plant; it easily takes root in the ground . But under one condition: if no mistakes were made during preparation and landing. So, if the shoot is not dried enough before planting, it will rot in the ground and it will be impossible to correct the situation.
If the shoot is too small for planting, it will most likely simply dry out without ever sprouting roots. The “baby” must be large enough and contain the necessary supply of nutrients.
And, of course, it is necessary to comply with all the conditions necessary for keeping a succulent :
- do not fill it with water;
- Do not place in a dark and cold place.
Otherwise, the cactus will simply die without having time to grow.
Each flower is beautiful in its own way. And behind the prickly appearance of the succulent, flowers of unprecedented beauty are hidden . Therefore, the cactus is a desirable exhibit in the collection of many gardeners, since propagating the plant with shoots is not particularly difficult.
How to plant a baby cactus
The grower should plant the baby cactus in a separate pot with a prepared substrate. There is no need to dig the shoot to a depth of several centimeters; it can only be lightly stuck into a small hole.
In order to preserve the root collar, you should sprinkle it with pebbles. After this procedure, it is best to move the pot with the plant to a cool and dark place so that the cactus begins to get used to the new conditions. After a few days, maximum a week, the young plant will need to be watered. This involves caring for a newly planted flower at home. Watering is carried out with clean water. Some gardeners advise pouring liquid into a tray, others - directly into the pot. There is no right option in this case; everyone can do as they see fit.
Important! When watering, you should use no more than one spoon of water so that the cactus does not rot.
At first, the plant is watered once every 2 weeks. After a few months, when the cactus has grown enough, the procedure is carried out once a week. At this stage, the flower can be moved to an ordinary room with good daylight.
How to grow a cactus from seeds
Of course, growing a young cactus using cuttings is not difficult if you do everything correctly. Another thing is the seed method. However, nothing is impossible for amateur gardeners. Therefore, it would not be a bad idea to try growing the plant in this way. True, you should know that in this case, firstly, there will be more fuss than with children, and secondly, you will have to take some precautions.
First you need to take care of your “working tools”. We are talking about a container in which the seeds will be placed. It must be well treated with manganese solution or steam. The substrate, which is kept in the oven for about forty minutes before use, is not left without attention. After this, you can begin the process itself.
It comes down to these points:
- The soil should be thoroughly wetted and leveled.
- After this, make tiny holes, at a distance of a couple of centimeters from each other.
- If the planting material is large, then it is lightly sprinkled with substrate on top, if it is small, then everything remains that way.
- The container with seeds is covered with glass or tightly closed with film. After this, the container will need to be taken to a dark place, but with mandatory access to air.
Usually seeds germinate in 2-4 weeks. From this moment you can start removing the film or moving the glass away. It would not be a bad idea to take the container with the young animals into a bright room, but under no circumstances place it in direct sunlight. You can remove the film only after spines appear on the plant.
It must be said that young plants should not be forgotten to water, because they will dry out instantly. At the same time, you should ensure that the soil is not wet, otherwise all the seedlings will rot. It will be possible to plant the cactus when it is already more or less stronger. More details about this are written below.
Rules for caring for seedlings
With the appearance of the first thorns, the lid of the greenhouse can be removed for several hours a day for ventilation. This is an important stage during which it is necessary to handle the plants carefully. You can add watering from a watering can with a narrow spout to regular spraying. You still need to monitor the soil moisture, preventing it from drying out completely.
The temperature requirements remain the same, but now the plants feel good even at +30° C. At night, the mini-greenhouse requires a cooler room.
If the cactus was grown from seeds using fluorescent lamps, they can already be abandoned during this growth period.
Young shoots need moderate feeding and fertilizers. A product for these purposes can be purchased at a flower shop. Its composition is characterized by a high content of potassium, phosphorus and calcium and a minimal amount of nitrogen. The interval between feedings should not be from 10 to 15 days.
Picking cacti or replanting them
Cacti cannot stay in one pot for a long time. Despite the fact that they grow quite slowly, after the young growth has reached a diameter of 5 mm, it must be picked (replanted), otherwise the plants will become crowded and they will stop growing.
The procedure is performed almost the same way as when planting shoots. The only difference is that you should protect your hands from needles and needles from your hands.
Important! Under no circumstances should you damage a young cactus, because it can get sick and die.
Therefore, during transplantation, it is necessary to use either tweezers and use them to pull out young cacti, or wrap the plants with something. The disadvantage of the first method is that there is a risk of breaking the cactus during extraction. That's why everyone uses the second method - wrapping. For these purposes, you can use a towel, soft sponges, or simply wear rubber gloves.
In the first year, picking is performed quite often, because during the procedure the roots of the plant break off a little, at the same time lateral shoots are formed, and due to this, the young growth begins to grow well.
During transplantation, it is important to ensure that the substrate in the pot from which the cactus is removed is dry. This will make it easier to remove the plant from the pot.
Despite the fact that the process is quite labor-intensive, it is often resorted to, this is due to the fact that the quality of such cacti (grown from seeds and then picked) is much higher than those grown from shoots. By the way, they are also easier to care for. Some gardeners note that such plants have better resistance to diseases and pests.
During planting, it is important to pay attention to ensure that the cactus is not buried too deep into the soil mixture. At the same time, it should not rise above the ground so that the plant can be seen from afar.
Some gardeners, in order to highlight the cactus, if they really want to, use a flowerpot in which they place their flower. During the flowering period it actually looks incredibly beautiful.
Seed care rules
To obtain high germination and strong plants at all stages of growth, it is necessary to properly care for them. From the moment of planting until the emergence of sprouts, it is necessary to strictly observe the care requirements.
Watering
After planting cacti with seeds and during the period of their active growth, it is important to monitor the soil moisture, preventing it from drying out. If you overdo it with watering, the seeds may rot. Before watering, you should check the condition of the soil by touch: if it is almost dry, then it’s time to moisten it.
Under no circumstances should you pour water from a watering can or bottle. This must be done carefully, using a spray bottle or pipette (water each plant separately). Do not forget that for irrigation it is necessary to prepare warm boiled water.
Temperature
Regardless of the time of year when the cactus seeds were sown, they need a comfortable air temperature. The optimal indicator varies between 23-25° C. It is very useful to sometimes reduce the temperature to 15° C, so at night it is worth removing the container with seedlings to a cooler place.
Light
Young flowers are greatly influenced by lighting, so before planting cacti from seeds, you should choose a good location.
There should be a large amount of natural and artificial light on the windowsill (daylight lamps), while the greenhouse should be protected from exposure to direct rays of the sun.
How to plant a cactus without roots
Beginning flower growers, having learned that it is somehow possible to plant a cactus that has no roots in one pot, begin to actively browse this topic. In fact, not a single flower, and a cactus is no exception, can grow without a root system. In this case, we mean cuttings, the essence of which is to place the young shoot on specially prepared soil and allow it to take root. This scheme was described above.
Having learned how to plant a cactus in a pot and propagate it, you can create an entire flower garden at home, consisting only of cacti.
