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.
The soil
Now in stores there are ready-made soil mixtures for cacti, and even for different types. But you can mix the soil yourself. It should be light, airy, have good drainage and not too sour.
Regular soil for indoor plants must be diluted with raising agents - pebbles, sand, stone chips. Choose a substrate based on lowland peat. To reduce acidity, use dolomite flour and limestone.
Photo: codeseller.ru
Shading a cactus
If such a need arises, organza or a mosquito net is sufficient for shading. It is imperative to hide freshly transplanted plants from direct sunlight, because they are more sensitive. It is also better to do this in early spring, when the first sunny days arrive. Accustom the cactus to light gradually over the course of a week.
Photo: threadbaresupply.com
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Is it possible to place a cactus in a room without a window?
Often, cacti are placed in offices or bathrooms in the hope that their unpretentiousness will help them survive. But in fact, only certain varieties are able to live in such conditions, because most of them are southern desert plants.
At best, the cactus simply will not grow and develop. So we recommend avoiding such decisions. Or at least be sure to study the conditions of keeping a particular species and organize special lighting.
Photo: procvety.net
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.
How to water a cactus?
Any cacti must be watered only with warm, settled or filtered water. You must not let water get on the plant itself and allow it to stagnate. Moisture-loving varieties are watered more often, but desert varieties are sufficient several times a season. Therefore, there is no universal scheme, but remember: in the case of cacti, underwatering is always better than overwatering. And be sure to reduce the frequency of watering in winter!
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Mistakes when growing succulents
The health of your green pets depends on proper care, as well as whether the succulents want to bloom. Listen to simple tips:
- inspect your plants more often;
- immediately isolate sick or infected specimens;
- do not use hard water for irrigation;
- do not flood the soil, follow the watering regime;
- when transplanting, properly prepare and sterilize the soil;
- for prevention, treat pests and diseases once a year;
- do not replant flowering cacti;
- moving it to another place or simply turning the pot can cause the buds to drop;
- with a lack of light and heat, the plant will not bloom.
Caring for flowering cacti
During this period, protect the plant from direct sunlight, ventilate often and avoid weeds. For flowering varieties, proper wintering with a state of dormancy is especially important in order to have time to accumulate strength. You should not turn the pot with different sides to the sun - let it stand in one place. Do not disturb the cactus with buds with fertilizers, rearrangements or transplants.
Photo: vk.com
Transfer
Cacti are replanted in the spring, when they have just gained strength for active growth. In the process, carefully cut off all damaged roots, disinfect the pot and soil, and give the plant a bath with rooting agent according to the instructions.
When planting, a generous drainage layer is needed. The root collar must remain on the surface, because if the trunk gets into the ground, it will begin to rot the very next time you water it. When you need to strengthen an unstable plant, cover it with decorative stones. After transplanting, do not water the plant for 3-5 days, do not place it in direct sun and do not fertilize for 1-2 weeks.
Photo: topask.ru
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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.
Reproduction of cactus by children
Most cacti simply reproduce by babies, which you simply need to carefully pinch off and root in water or directly in the ground. It is better to take already grown children, at least 1.5-2 cm. When rooting in water, it should be warm (25-30 degrees), and not reach the trunk of the plant. The distance between the water level and the bottom of the cactus is 5-7 mm.
Photo: domashniecvety.ru
Content Rules
Plants of this needle family are quite unusual and require specific and careful care.
The secret of home succulents is that they prefer a warm and comfortable environment, otherwise they stop growing, and the owner of the cactus will never see such an amazing phenomenon as the appearance of buds and flowers of the plant.
What every novice gardener should know about and how to properly care for a flower:
- all succulents grow in periods - their growth and dormancy periods usually alternate between cold and warm seasons of the year;
- The vast majority react negatively to excess moisture in the soil. Excessive liquid threatens root rot and plant death;
- when a succulent begins its growth stage, it is better to move it to a warm and sunny place;
- flowers need air. In summer, pots with pets can be taken out onto the balcony or into the garden;
- In winter, the domestic thorn needs a slightly lower temperature (about 15-17 degrees Celsius), rest and slight darkness. This is how it gains strength before the warm season, when it can grow and even bloom.
Helpful advice: before purchasing a cactus, you should carefully examine it so as not to buy a diseased plant.
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
Selection of containers and substrate
Before planting plants in a container, you should find out which pots are most convenient for growing cacti. It is worth clarifying that both the volume and dimensions of the container will directly depend on the size and shape of the root system of a particular type of cactus. For example, if the crop has short but branched roots, you will need to purchase a low and wide pot. If the plant has long roots, then you should take a deep and narrow container.
Flowers can be planted in clay or plastic pots. However, it is not advisable to use metal containers.
The shape of the container can be anything, but for practicality it is advisable to take square or rectangular pots. This will save space if you are growing many plants at once.
As for drainage, it is advisable to lay high-quality material at the bottom of the container. Both small river pebbles and sand with large grains of sand are suitable for growing a flower at home.
The drainage material is laid out in two layers. The first one is placed on the bottom of the pot, and the second one is placed on top of the soil.
The composition of the soil for each plant variety will be individual. For young cacti, soil mixed with lime is suitable. For adult flowers, peat must be used. The soil should also include sand, turf and leaf soil.
It is worth noting that in a rather heavy and compacted substrate, the liquid will stagnate, and this can cause rotting of the roots.
Cactus pests
Pests on cacti are rare. Occasionally, small mites settle on them, leaving behind rusty spots. Less common are whitish scale insects, scale insects and false scale insects. The methods of control are the same: remove everything that can be removed with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, and treat the plant with an insecticide according to the instructions.
Photo: waysi.ru
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