Cacti: varieties and care. Cacti in the home

Lovers prefer to plant their homes in the mass prefer leafy plants. Their appearance is more familiar to our eye, and the needs are similar to what the owners of private gardens expect from their owners. Those who would not mind to have something prickly on the windowsill are afraid of making irreparable mistakes. Or they fall into the other extreme and consider that the cactus is a plant similar to a weed, therefore it does not need supervision at all. Both are mistaken. The omissions can be avoided with some knowledge. And do not make other mistakes, just remembering that cacti are alive, have their needs and satisfy them on their own can not.

Delusions of novice cacti

Most often, "illiterate" flower growers believe that these plants do not need water at all. They say they grow in the desert, they see rain every five years ... But cacti, especially at a small age, during the rapid growth without water will perish. And adults will stop developing and certainly will not bloom without watering.

The second error is caused by the habit of dealing with deciduous plants. At those, when through the holes for drainage the roots begin to protrude, this is a signal that it is time to transplant them. Unlike them, cacti at home in this state were only prepared for flowering. If they are transplanted, plants will have to start again.

The third myth: cacti can not only be rearranged, but even rotated. If you believe this delusion, you will get curves and deformed plants. After all, the shaded part of them will reach for the window.

And the fourth often made mistake: the addition of clay in the soil. After watering, it does not dry for a long time, which can cause rotting of the roots. And after drying - bursting, tearing all the same roots.

And the last. Cacti have many varieties, and care for each of them is very different from the brothers on the sill. The features of each species must be taken into account.

Kinds and specificity of care

It is most convenient to divide them at the place of their growth. Not only are cacti (varieties) found in the desert, and care must correspond to their origin.

The first group: desert cacti. They need a very bright light, in summer - street maintenance, and in winter - a temperature of not less than six degrees. The soil for these cacti is advised to mix with the garden land.

The second group: mountain. For them, lighting and "walking" are similar, but the land should not contain humus, it needs drainage not only from below, but also from above, and it should be watered very rarely.

The third group: cacti from grassy plains. Not too bright lighting, heavy enough soil, generous summer watering and very rare - winter.

Fourth group: cacti from dry forests. These are almost shade cacti - varieties, and care primarily lies in their some shading, plenty of water in summer and dry winter content

Fifth group: origin from moist forests. To her, in particular, is the cactus epiphyllum (photo above). Strong watering in the summer, moderate, but regular - in the winter, and fresh air in the shade during the warm months.

What to Raise

Requirements for pots in these plants are strict. Their volume should exactly coincide with the root system. Those indoor cacti, in which the surface roots, are planted in squat, narrow bottles. Plants whose roots go down are placed in deep, but narrow vessels. Ill or damaged cactuses are planted in smaller pots. The material for the containers is not particularly important. The only condition is to avoid rusting dishes. And all the rest affects only the frequency of watering: in the plastic soil gives out moisture worse than in a clay pot.

How to plant

In addition, these plants are noteworthy in that cacti can be planted in one container, the varieties and care of which are similar in type, but in appearance and growth they differ. Thus, you can get very decorative mini-gardens. Small plants are located at the edge of a wide pot, higher ones are closer to the center. When planting, so as not to break spines and not injure hands, plants take forceps or put on leather soft gloves. The soil is either bought specialized, designed specifically for cacti, or it is taken more nutritious and depleted of crumb of foam or coarse-grained sand. Such additives also increase the water permeability of the soil.

Where to put

First of all, they take care that the cactus flower is on the window with enough light, that is, on the south or east. It should be remembered that the "multi-storey" accommodation is inadmissible - the plants will be deformed, even if the shelves for them are made of glass. If there is a lack of space, pots can be moved to small greenhouses equipped on the balcony for spring and summer (if fresh air is contraindicated). For the winter, cacti still come back to the room - they are at this time coming to rest, and they need a little light, so you can put them on any vacant places.

How to water

To create the right climate, flower growers often create home-made greenhouses-aquariums like the ones shown in the photo. Cactus home in such conditions, firstly, it receives the heat it produces, and secondly - the normal amount of water that evaporates and returns back. However, we can do with more traditional irrigation methods. For most cacti, the time to pour water is determined by the complete dryness of the soil, and in the winter months - even by its cracking. Naturally, this applies to those species, which generally put water in the cold. The amount of liquid is measured by a measuring cup based on the volume of the pot. If, after watering, the water in the pan is not absorbed within half an hour - it is superfluous, it is drained, and the next time it is measured for the marked amount of drain is less. If this surplus is not removed, it will provoke rotting of the roots and death of the plant itself.

Problems with lighting

Light is one of the main factors that cacti need. Varieties and care are different, but most of these plants require bright light. In the summer, there are no problems with it, if the windows go to the "right" side, and in winter the need for lighting decreases. However, if there is a shortage of sunlight, it will be necessary to mount fluorescent lights so that the window sill is illuminated continuously for several hours. When using as a greenhouse of aquariums, lighting is attached around the perimeter. So cacti will receive light evenly.

Correct transplantation

No less important action for the cactus flower to develop normally and have the ability to reproduce is its movement into a new pot. Capacity is taken only a little larger than the previous one. Transplant is performed annually, in the spring, before the beginning of active growth. Exceptions are only colonoid specimens, grown so much that there is a threat of their fracture. Such cacti remain in the same container as they are for several years, until signs of apparent tightness for their roots begin to appear. After the migration, the plant can not be watered for several days, until it just does not take root.

How to propagate

The most convenient way is to jiggle the "children" growing on an adult plant. This is how the most beautiful cactus is most often propagated - the epiphyllum (photo in the article). The shoot is gently cut off or broken off (the method depends on the type of cactus) from the mother plant and is dried - at least a day and up to two weeks, if the "baby" is large enough and the cut is wide. This is done in order to prevent the appearance of soft fungal decay, which very often occurs during planting. For the same purpose, it is important to use a clean and extremely sharp knife to avoid damaging the cut.

More rarely, flower growers grow cacti from scratch, that is, from seeds. Less popular is the way that seeds sprout for a very long time, and inexperienced gardeners begin to believe that plantings are ruined. However, if you have patience, you can make sure that the germination of cactus seeds is not more difficult than any other. The main thing is to do everything in time. If you, like most of our compatriots, do not have a greenhouse in the house, the seeds should be sown not earlier than April. Otherwise they will simply freeze out even on a heating battery. If you are lucky and equipped a greenhouse, you can start sowing in January.

So a little bit of courage, a lot of care and patience - and on your windowsill there will be a piece of tropical exotic.