How to care for a cactus: how to water it properly at home, that it loves a small indoor plant, does it need a large pot for living, photo is given

Cacti are plants that are perfect for collection. Indeed, in the world there are already more than three thousand species, and still more and more are opening up.

In addition, these succulents are long-livers, they live for several tens or even hundreds of years, but subject to proper care.

We consider in the article how to properly maintain cacti at home and what care rules must be observed so that the plant does not die. And also talk about how to grow these succulents in the open ground.

How to care for a room flower at home?

Whatever the methods of growing succulents, they are all based on the biological characteristics of plants.

Cacti have a pronounced periodicity of cycles and slow growth. Therefore, to grow it you need patience and attention.

Temperature and place

Despite the fact that the cactus has an unusual appearance, they are not advised to arrange it based on the design decision. Plant requires a lot of light. It is advisable to place the flower on sunny windowsills facing south or east, closer to the glass. In spring and summer, the cactus can be taken out onto the street or onto the balcony. However, the first couple of weeks to shade, until the delicate stem of the plant gets used to ultraviolet light. It is important to ensure that dust and dirt do not settle in spines.

And if the pet has a smooth stalk, then it is not advisable to leave it in direct sunlight, it is better to place it in partial shade. There is a misconception that cacti love heat. It all depends on the species, season and climatic conditions. A temperature of + 35 ° C and above will provoke a suspension in growth. Ideal parameters in summertime are + 26-28 ° С, in winter + 6-15 ° С.

Cacti calmly react to sudden changes in temperature, so they are shown staying in the fresh air in the warm season. In more detail about the placement of a cactus in an apartment, we talked about in another article.

Spraying

Do I need to spray the plant and how to do it?

Cacti should be sprayed exclusively in hot weather and in the evening.
It is preferable to choose a finely dispersed atomizer, the drops should be in the form of fog.
Cactus can be washed with a warm shower, removing dust and making spines clean.
Perform water procedures every 2 weeks.
Can I spray with tap water? It is advisable to use clean, filtered water.

Top dressing

The need for feeding a cactus is not as significant as other indoor plants. During the flowering period, it is worth feeding a pet with potash and phosphorus fertilizers.. And it is better to refuse nitrogen preparations. Due to certain characteristics of succulents, the need for this mineral is extremely small, but an overabundance can lead to deformation of the trunk and drying out of the children.

Transfer

Proper care involves a plant transplant every 2 years. Make it desirable until mid-spring. Three days before the procedure, do not water the flower, this will facilitate extraction from the pot. The new landing capacity should be larger than the previous one, which will allow the root system to fully develop.

In a new pot we put drainage on the bottom, sprinkle with special soil on top for cacti or succulents.
We put on gloves and wrap the plant with paper.
Carefully remove it from the container.
We remove the earth from the roots and place it in the prepared pot.
Sprinkle with the remaining ground, but do not ram.
After 3 days, water.

Pot

The main criterion for choosing a landing capacity is size. It should fit the size of the root system. You should not buy a pot for a cactus, far exceeding the volume of roots in a straightened form. Cacti are grown in both plastic and clay pots. In the latter, the earth dries and cools faster after watering. This is good for the sensitive root system in the winter.

In plastic dishes, on the contrary, the soil dries out more slowly. It is optimal to plant young, not yet rooted plants in such pots. For a long time, square-shaped pots were in demand. They were put in a row, thus saving space. However, round containers provide a more favorable mode of humidity and breathability.

Important. In flowerpots, drainage holes must be provided.

Pruning

If the cactus has lost its previous shape, stretched or deformed, then it is worth doing pruning. To do this, take a blade or sharp knife and cut off the top. Then the lower part of this sprout is ground like a pencil and put in water. After 1.5-2 months, roots will appear, and then you can plant a young flower in the ground.

Priming

All types of cacti, without exception, prefer light, loose soilwhich passes water and air well. Since stagnant fluid causes root system to rot. When self-preparing the soil, the priority will be the following components, taken in equal parts:

turf land;
sheet earth;
coarse fractional sand;
pebbles, gravel, charcoal.

You can also buy a ready-made substrate for cacti or succulents in a garden store. About what soil is suitable for cacti, you can learn from this material.

How to water?

It is believed that if the conditions of the natural habitat of cacti are desert conditions, then at home it can also not be watered for months. But this is completely wrong. If the plant does not die from drought, it will certainly suffer the deepest stress. Cacti should be regularly watered in the spring and autumn.when they grow up. And this should be done as the soil dries. An exception is moments of sleep in the heat or in winter. In the first case, you can spray moisture from the spray gun over the flower to increase humidity and cool the plant a little.

In the summer, on rainy days, you can not moisturize, he will get enough fluid from the atmosphere. For irrigation at home, use exclusively water without salt impurities, soft. And be sure to pay attention to the temperature, ideally it should be + 30-40 ° C. When moistening the succulents, it is better to not add water than it will stagnate in the pan. Read more about how and when to properly water this plant, we wrote here.

Photo

Next, you can see a photo of the cactus.

Wintering

The life cycle of cacti is divided into two main periods: vegetation and stagnation. The transition from one state to another occurs under the influence of ambient temperatures. For flowering and full development, a cactus needs a winter dreamThat starts in October and lasts until March. In the cold season, it is worth keeping the plant in the house greenhouse, or build a mini-greenhouse on the balcony. The temperature should be + 6-12 ° C. From the frost, of course, the plant will die. Also, there should not be a lot of sunlight, you need to choose a dim place.

During wintering, metabolic processes are minimized. Therefore, the cactus does not need to be watered and fed at all. The succulent should be awakened in mid-March, sprayed with water a little. At first, 1 time in 3-4 days is enough, and when the flower gets used - every day. Also, gradually the plant needs to be accustomed to light, with each day increasing the duration of exposure to the sun.

Features of the conditions of the small plant

The principles of growing young flowers are not much different from the rules for adult plants. He also needs bright lighting, special soil, a small pot. Watering should be about once a week. But the little cactus does not have enough juice to hold out for 5 months in the absence of water. Therefore, a little every week you need to moisturize. Or do not send it for wintering, but leave it at room temperature, where it will slowly grow. A young plant is transplanted every year..

On a note. If the cactus is wrinkled at a temperature of + 10 ° C, it must be taken to a warm room and watered.

How to care at home after purchase?

After buying a cactus in a store, it should be transplanted. After all, the soil in which it is located mainly consists of peat, which is not suitable for home cultivation. After transplanting, do not water for some time, and do not feed for 3-4 months.

Features of outdoor cultivation

Garden cacti grow well in any soil, but prefer sandy and sandy soils. Drainage never hurts, it is usually made of broken brick and ash. Most cactus species respond positively to slightly acidic or neutral soils. When growing succulents in open ground, fertilizers are completely excluded. Since they promote rapid growth, to the detriment of flowering, and also reduce the winter hardiness of the plant.

Watering is important only for rooted, young sprouts. Adults have enough precipitation. Wintering is the most difficult time in the process of growing cacti in the garden. The more snow and less thaws, the better the flowers will winter. As a rule, the appearance of a garden cactus is fully restored during the season, but there will be no flowering. As a protection against rainfall, the plant is covered with a kind of greenhouse, on top of which there is a film or glass, and a brick stand on the sides. Also for the winter, the cactus is covered with dry branches.

What do they not like?

I would like to note some points that cacti do not like to exclude them. And the acquired plant quickly adapted to new conditions.

Succulents do not tolerate drafts, so the cracks in the windows should be repaired.
Flowers do not like to be rearranged from place to place. They should be turned to the light always on one side.
Large pots.
Stagnation of air, so it is worth a day to air the room.
Acidic substrate.
Fertilizers during the growing season.
Cacti do not like heat and cold.
You can not feed plants immediately after transplantation.
Does not tolerate fluid stagnation in the pot.

Diseases briefly

Diseases in a cactus can be almost asymptomatic, and only when the flower is badly damaged, the question arises, what was the reason. First of all, the fault is the improper care of the plant. Also succulent diseases can be triggered by viruses, fungi or bacteria.

The main diseases affecting the cactus:

Phytophthora - An ailment that falls on a plant from contaminated land. Carriers are mold fungi. The disease affects the roots and base. It is not subject to treatment.
Dry rot - fungal disease, manifested by dry rot. Most often diagnosed in the last stages, so it is difficult to overcome.
Stem rot - It mainly affects young shoots, their surface is covered with green bloom, maturing spores of the fungus. A diseased flower should be destroyed.
Fusarium - the disease is caused by fungal infections, dangerous for jointed cacti. Occurs with an excess of moisture. Treating is not recommended.
Cancer of the roots and stems - leads to deformation of the tissues and stalk of the cactus. The disease can be local or generalized. Most often, viruses kill flower cells. If succulents is affected by cancer, it should be destroyed.

As for pests, the spider mite and mealybug cause the most trouble for indoor cacti. They are struggling with them by means of acaricide and fungicide preparations, respectively.

It turns out that even unpretentious and hardy plants require a rational approach. Not comfortable content parameters, improper care leads to the fact that the plant weakens, immunity is not able to cope with the infection. And unfortunately, the flower is dying. Therefore, to prevent this from happening Before buying a cactus, read the basic rules of content.