There is an opinion that cacti are very unpretentious plants. But any florist can easily prove to you the opposite: most cacti are capricious and demanding of the conditions of detention. Let's find out how to take care of cacti at home.
Basic rules of cacti care
The first thing you need to provide for cacti is light. They should be placed on the sunny window, and only in winter time you can put it in the shade. After wintering, you can not immediately put the plant in the light, you need to let him get used: for this, cover the glasses with paper or a curtain.
As for utensils, for planting cacti it is preferable to use small round flower pots, in no case exceeding the size of the root system. Be sure to use drainage, since stagnant moisture affects the plant fatal. As a soil, you can use a ready-made earth mix for cacti or make it yourself from river sand and foliage, adding a little peat and charcoal. In this case, the acidity of the soil should be weak, and the soil itself - loose. When planting cacti should not be deepened into the ground, it is better to cover them with a few drainage or decorative stones, and if the plant is high - tie it up. After transplanting a few days you can not water the cactus and expose it to light.
All varieties of succulents live according to the laws of nature: they have periods of growth, flowering and rest. And take care of cacti should be given the time of year.
Special attention should be paid to watering cacti. Water should be as soft as possible, preferably thawed or rainwater, in the extreme case - permanent during the day. You can water it in a pallet or on top, it does not really matter. The frequency of irrigation directly depends on the type of cactus (which are known to be both dry and moisture-loving) and from the season.
How to care for cacti in winter?
With the arrival of cold weather, there comes a time when watering a cactus requires a minimum. This does not mean that watering the plant is not necessary at all - it all depends on the type of cactus. Some "spines" can do without water until 2-3 months, others require a little irrigation once a month. In any case, the golden rule of cactus care is that these plants are much better tolerated by drought than excessive humidity, so the lack of watering in the winter will not hurt them.
But it's not just about watering. Know that cacti, most of which grow in nature under conditions of a hot desert, are very sensitive to temperature. And if during the period of growth and flowering they tolerate the heat well, then in winter the temperature should be within 5-15 ° C (in the absence of irrigation). Cold, multiplied by humidity, will easily ruin your plant, so avoid this combination.
Begin regularly watering cacti should be the first signs of growth, usually in March.
How to properly care for a flowering cactus?
When buds appeared on the plant, care should be taken with special care. Watering at this time should be slightly increased, it is also not superfluous to be periodically sprayed.
As soon as the cactus fades - and this often occurs literally in one or two days - you should remove the faded inflorescence and continue to care for the plant, as usual.
Many beginning flower growers, having acquired a color cactus, are interested in how to take care of it. Such phenomena as multi-colored cacti are obtained by tinting the soil substrate with safe food dyes: the spines of the plant gradually acquire the desired shade. And the rules of care for such a plant are no different from the usual ones described above.