Land for cacti at home: composition and cooking rules

Cacti always have a place in the room. Residents of the northern regions, where these amazing plants cannot survive on the streets and in gardens, are attracted by their unusual appearance and decorativeness. Admiring cacti, you involuntarily feel yourself in a hot desert or prairie. It is believed that there is no need for special care for the plants. But that's cheating: for growing cactus it is necessary to have knowledge of room culture agrotechnics.

For indoor plants, soil selection is important. Each species will need its own components of the soil substrate, their proportions will vary depending on the structure of the root system. You can, of course, purchase the soil in the store, but will it meet the requirements. The mixtures are not always formulated correctly. Therefore, it is better to choose the composition yourself that will allow the cacti to fully develop.

Content:

• Review of the best cactus varieties to grow
• Selection of containers for plants
• What is the best soil for cacti?
• How to properly prepare the ground at home?
• Room culture planting rules
• What kind of care do cacti need?

Review of the best cactus varieties to grow

Cacti belong to the Carnation family. They are able to grow in deserts, places where precipitation rarely falls. Their succulent, fleshy leaves store moisture, just like succulents do. The arid regions of South America and the West Indies are considered the birthplace of wonderful plants. But the best types of cacti have spread all over the world and they successfully inhabit the windowsills of apartments.

Among them stand out:

• Mammillaria. As soon as the plant is not called: a snowball, and ladies' fingers, and a gold star. These spherical or columnar cacti are small in size. The growth of the fleshy stem reaches 20 centimeters. A feature of the species are bundles of thorns that protrude from closely spaced tubercles. From an early age, mammillaria begins to bloom, becoming covered with flowers of various colors.
• From large lobivia cacti. The dimensions of the stem, cylindrical in shape, reach half a meter. On the surface of the stem, areas of light and dark shades of green alternate. The entire stem of the plant is decorated with spines, straight as well as curved. The root is a stem or looks like a turnip. At the root, many children are formed, with which the lobivia multiplies. The funnel-shaped flower petals are located on the side of the stem. An adult plant opens up to 25 brightly colored buds. Another name for the cactus is echinopsis.
• Cereus is a columnar cactus. This long-liver is capable of reaching a height of up to a meter or two, and in nature - up to 6-8 meters. On the straight, like a candle, the stems have thorns. And during the growing season, white or red buds are formed.
• Prickly pear. The flat-oval fleshy stems are divided into segments. The bluish-green color of the cactus is interesting. The prickly pear spines are modified, and the short hairs bring trouble to those who touch the stems. They pierce the skin and are difficult to get rid of. From spring to autumn, the plant blooms.
• Phyllocactus, or epiphyllum.These are leafy types of cacti, although the flat stems of the plant are called leaves. Decorative flowers at the cactus. They are large, bright colors. There are species with fragrant buds.

Depending on the type of cactus, the capacity and soil are selected.

Selection of containers for plants

It is necessary to decide on the size of the cactus pot in advance. The root system in plant species differs in shape and length. Mammillaria has many babies on the sides, therefore, the volume of the pot should be 10 centimeters.

Branched roots in some species require a wide but low capacity. Lobivia has a long root, and a deep pot is selected for it. The material from which the cactus container is made does not play a special role. Both ordinary plastic and ceramic are suitable.

Do not plant a plant in a metal container.

Different containers are produced in shape. They are all good for cactus. You can have round, and preferably rectangular or square pots or tubs, if the plant has reached a large size. A good owner always closely monitors the condition of his "prickly friend", in time transplanting from a container that is small for him into a more spacious one.

What is the best soil for cacti?

Specialized stores will offer substrate for cacti and succulents. But it is not suitable for all types of plants. The finished mixture is based on peat. This component is not always useful for cacti that came to us from deserts or mountains. After all, there cacti grow on dry ground, stones, in sand and clay. And nutritious peat can destroy cacti, since microflora undesirable for cacti develops in it.

The ideal environment for desert dwellers would be one that mimics grainy, dry soil, lacking nutrients. Harsh soils, minimum rainfall - this is normal for cacti. They manage to develop, bloom in such conditions. Therefore, the soil must be selected taking into account the needs of indoor crops.

How to properly prepare the ground at home?

The main components of mixtures for cacti will be:

• clay-sod soil
• leaf land
• coarse sand or fine gravel
• mineral component

Clay-sod land can be found in meadows in river floodplains, near water bodies. It is light brown in color, and heavy in structure. Leafy soil is taken from parks, gardens, forests. A pronounced black color indicates decomposition products of plants and leaves. The soil is nutritious and loose.

Sand of the desired structure is found on the banks of rivers or in quarries. Suitable from mineral components vermiculite, expanded clay. You can replace them with brick chips, crushed charcoal. They form a substrate for cacti from two parts of sod and leafy land, three parts of sand and one part of mineral components. Of the fertilizers, more potassium is required for cacti. If the root system of the cactus is turnip, then the amount of vermiculite is increased to 60 percent of the total mass of the substrate.

The finished mixture is checked: it should be loose, permeable, slightly damp, and after being compressed into a lump, it crumbles easily.

Interestingly, cacti with pubescence and thorns need chalk or marble chips in the soil. Leafy cacti require a more nutritious soil, so you can add humus to the pot, eliminating the calcium and magnesium minerals. When the land for cacti at home is prepared correctly, the plant will develop and bloom without problems.

Room culture planting rules

It is better to plant or transplant a cactus in April or May. A layer of drainage is placed in the container, and then a little prepared soil.

It is advisable to disinfect the soil mixture before planting.

You can spill the ground with boiling water two weeks before planting the plant. Steaming in the oven is also not excluded by placing the container for an hour in a slightly heated cabinet. A microwave oven is also used for these purposes.In any case, the procedure is carried out in advance so that the earth has time to be saturated with beneficial organisms.

The roots of the cactus are straightened, dipped in a pot and sprinkled with soil. After it is lightly tamped and poured, you need to add earth and a drainage layer on top. Cacti are transplanted twice a year, picking up a new pot and substrate.

What kind of care do cacti need?

For drought-resistant plants, watering is required regular, but scanty. During the growing season, moisture is sufficient every two days. By autumn, the frequency of watering is reduced, and in winter it is enough to water once a month. Even less adult specimens.

Water for irrigation should be separated, at room temperature.

You need to feed the cacti twice. Humic liquid preparations are required during flower formation and after the plant has bloomed. At home, cacti are constantly illuminated by the sun. Therefore, at home, it is necessary to provide them with sufficient lighting. In winter, you need less.

The spherical, thorny stems of the plant suffer from dust, therefore, they are covered with film caps in the summer. The air temperature for indoor crops should not exceed 35 degrees. And it is better to protect young plants from the scorching rays of the sun, otherwise they will burn. Cactus require care, competent care. Then they will grow for a long time, being covered with beautiful flowers every year.

More information can be found in the video: