Decembrist at home, reproduction

Botanical description of the Decembrist

Schlumberger (Latin Schlumbergera) belongs to the genus of epiphytic cacti. Epiphytes are plants that grow or are permanently attached to other plants. Many varieties of this genus are grown as houseplants.

Schlumberger or Decembrist is a highly branching bush. Its shoots are flat, not prickly, segmented, the edges are jagged.

Decembrist's flowers are zygomorphic, tubular. Buds are formed at the ends of the shoots. The color of the flowers is different: white, red, pink, light purple, orange.

At home, the Decembrist is grown both as an ampelous crop and for growing in tall flower pots.

Flower Decembrist white

What periods does the plant go through

Active growth

Decembrist is actively developing from March to September. The root system increases significantly in size. Fresh air is required during this period. It is possible to use both window sills and warm balconies and loggias. If possible, the Decembrist should be placed under a lush tree, provided that the daytime temperature is + 20 ° C and above. As the soil dries up, regular watering is carried out throughout the summer. Excess moisture or its stagnation should be avoided, since the cactus does not like this. Fertilizers and fertilizers are used to accelerate growth and are applied every few weeks.

Recreation

The whole October is allotted for this plant. Growth during this period is inhibited, as new buds are being laid. The length of daylight hours is getting shorter, as well as the need for frequent watering fades into the background. The temperature regime should be 12-19 ° С. The plant remains in the same place (balcony, meadow, windowsill) until the end of the period.

The trick to increasing the number of buds is to irrigate not with ordinary water, but with tea leaves. After such manipulations, even those representatives who have not released their buds for the last few years begin to bloom. As top dressing, formulations used for flowering plants are used, which are applied at the end of the month.

Abundant flowering period

This stage in the life of the Decembrist drags on for two months and lasts until January. The plant is in a warm room, in which the temperature is 16-19 ° C. Watering is plentiful, but not frequent. The settled water should be replaced with not strong tea without fillers and flavors. Phosphorus and potassium compounds are used as top dressing. For the development of strong and healthy buds, then you should use egg tincture or calcium nitrate. After the first buds appear, the pot should not be rearranged or turned.

Stasis

It lasts no more than a month and is interrupted with the onset of March. The time has come for the formation of the Decembrist bush. It is not recommended to remove the upper segments, they are carefully unscrewed. Otherwise, branching and increased density may begin

During this time, you should often pay attention to the surface of the soil, which should not dry out

The mistakes of novice gardeners lead to the following consequences:

1. Termination of the flowering of the Decembrist for an indefinite period. It is a consequence of the lack of compliance with the correct temperature regime. An improperly selected soil mix will give the same result.
2. Fragile buds are rapidly crumbling. Says that the pot was often rearranged or twisted. Watering conditions may not be met. It is impossible to stop the bud shedding process.
3. Segments begin to blush rapidly.The plant is simply frozen over. If the ambient temperature drops below + 5 ° C, the plant begins to turn red. To change the current situation, the plant is transferred to a heated room.
4. Darkening of the segment and subsequent wrinkling. The reason lies in the irrigation, which was carried out incorrectly. Both excessive and insufficient watering leads to this. If no measures were taken to change the situation, the roots of the plant will begin to rot.

Pests and diseases of the Decembrist

Diseases of the Decembrist

The Christmas tree is susceptible to fungal diseases such as late blight, fusarium and phytium. If you notice that the Decembrist is withering, then the reason for this phenomenon is most likely that it is destroyed by a fungal disease

The causative agents of infection die after 2-3 treatments of the plant with drugs Maxim, Topaz, Vitaros or other fungicides, however, it is very important to recognize the disease as early as possible and change the conditions that led to the disease

Sometimes the Decembrist is defeated by Erwinia bacteria: a dark spot appears on the stem in the root zone, which gradually grows and covers the entire stem, which makes it discolored or takes on a reddish tint. No amount of drugs will help you stop the disease. The only thing you can do is cut the affected part of the stem to healthy tissue. at the initial stage development of the disease. If the process has covered a significant part of the stem, the best way to preserve the Decembrist is to carry out cuttings and grow a new flower. The parent copy will have to be destroyed.

Pests of the Decembrist

Of insects, mealybugs and spider mites can harm Schlumberger. Worms love a humid warm environment, while mites love dry air. Both those and other pests are sucking: they bite the stems of the plant and feed on their sap. If you notice that the leaves of the Decembrist are crumbling, then, most likely, the cause of this phenomenon is spider mites. You can only find these small arthropods through a magnifying glass. They usually settle on the underside of the segments. A sign of the defeat of the Decembrist by ticks is the thinnest cobweb.

Mealybugs are covered with a white waxy compound that reliably protects them from insecticide exposure. These small white oval-shaped insects, sticking to the juicy stems of the Decembrist, leave honeydew on them - a product of their vital activity, which is a favorable environment for the development of a sooty fungus.

Decembrist processing

You can get rid of insects with insecticides or insectoacaricides of systemic action. Aktara, Fitoverm, Karbofos, Biotlin and similar preparations have proven themselves well in pest control. But before you start treating the Decembrist from worms, wash the flower with warm soapy water. After that, try to remove the mealybugs from the plant with a cotton swab or ear stick dipped in alcohol. And only after removing the pests mechanically, treat the plant with an insecticidal preparation. You will most likely need three or even four treatments at weekly intervals, and the plant should be washed with warm, soapy water before each spraying.

As for the fight against spider mites, it also begins with water procedures: the plant needs to be washed (without soap) and sprayed, that is, to create high humidity around it, in which the ticks are uncomfortable to live. And the treatment of Schlumberger with acaricides will completely destroy arthropod pests. However, it is better not to count on a quick victory, but to tune in to the methodical destruction of pests and to correct the conditions of detention of the Decembrist and mistakes in care, which led to the appearance of parasites.

Other problems of the Decembrist

Sometimes the Decembrist loses stability and begins to swing in a pot.This can happen if the roots of the plant have died from cold watering, burned with an overly concentrated nutrient solution, or when the Schlumberger is overheated in the sun. If the reason is an overdose of fertilizers, the only salvation for the plant may be transplanting into a fresh substrate. But if the roots of the Decembrist have died, try to carry out the cuttings procedure as soon as possible, because you are unlikely to be able to save the plant.

"Why doesn't the Decembrist bloom?" - our readers often complain that the Christmas tree refuses to bloom from time to time and does not even form buds. How to make the Decembrist bloom? The most important thing is to provide the plant with a full-fledged dormant period: from the end of September, watering should become scarce, fertilization is stopped altogether, and Schlumberger is kept in a cool room. At the end of November, the Decembrist is transferred to a permanent place, watering is gradually increased and the flower pot is regularly rotated around the axis, achieving uniform illumination for all shoots. As soon as the plant begins to form buds, it is no longer moved or rearranged, and the substrate in the pot is kept in a slightly damp state all the time.

Description of a tropical plant

The Decembrist is an epiphytic cactus. It grows best not in the ground, but on another plant, feeding on moisture from the bark. But in indoor conditions, it is still usually grown in simple land. Stems are branched, flat, consist of a large number of separate segments (leaves), which have denticles along the edges. He has no thorns, unlike cacti.

Interesting!
The Decembrist also has other names: Rozhdestvennik, Schlumberger's zygocactus, Varvarin's color, crayfish neck.

Flowering occurs when most other plants are dormant. Although it is believed that it can bloom 2-3 times a year, with proper care, one of these blooms always falls in December. In its homeland (Brazil), it blooms in the summer, not in the winter. But the summer in Brazil falls on the winter in Eastern Europe and Asia, which makes for an interesting flowering period. In nature, flowers are white or red. But thanks to the work of breeders, many indoor varieties were obtained with buds of a wide variety of shades.

Photo of blooming Schlumberger

In their natural environment, they grow in tropical forests with an abundance of moisture, high temperatures and lack of soil. In order for a plant to grow in indoor conditions without problems and difficulties, it needs to provide, if possible, similar conditions, then the Decembrist flower will grow healthy and beautiful at least 25 years.

Plant species

In total, several species of Schlumberger have been found. But there are very, very many hybrids and plant varieties. And this list is constantly growing due to the appearance of new copies. But we will list only the most basic varieties of the Decembrist.

1. Schlumbergera truncatus (truncated). The growth of an adult plant reaches half a meter. The stems are long (up to 300 mm), consisting of several segments with pronounced teeth. The flowering plant is completely covered with clusters of flowers of white, pinkish, lilac or violet color. In their place, small fruits of a bright red hue are subsequently formed.
2. Schlumbergera bucklei (booklei). This zygocactus is less tall than the previous Decembrist species. Branched stems, dark green, shiny. There are no thorns, instead of them there is a light edge. The flowers are large - up to 80 mm, in different shades. You can buy yellow varieties of this variety of Christmas tree.
3. Schlumbergera Russelliana (Russeliana). Small cactus up to 300 mm in height. Stems well developed, without thorns, divided into flattened shiny segments. The plant is grown in hanging pots, since the shoots can reach a length of 100 cm. The flowers are large, their color can be reddish, pinkish, carmine or purple.
4. Schlumbergera gaertneri (Gertner). This zygocactus is quite large.The segments of the stem alone can reach 60-70 mm in length. The main feature of this type of Decembrist is the huge buds that resemble bells with pointed petals. The color of the flowers is bright red with an orange tint.
5. Schlumbergera opuntioides (opuntia). As the name suggests, the plant is very similar to the prickly pear, that is, the cactus. Stem segments are very fleshy, covered with thorns. During the flowering period (in early spring), this Decembrist variety is also covered with pink-purple buds.

If you want to please yourself with more daring and unusual Schlumberger varieties, then start growing hybrid varieties. The most popular are Madonna Danse, Madame Butterfly, Pasadena, Golden Cream. The beauty of their flowers will amaze all plant lovers.