Aporocactus - home growing and care

Once upon a time, aporocactus could only be found in Mexico on rocky slopes or in the middle of a pile of bare rocky stones, on tree branches and shrubs. But due to its unusual appearance and unpretentiousness of the plant, you can see it among lovers of cacti on window sills and glazed balconies in pots.

It is quite easy to distinguish this species from other representatives of cacti by its fleshy bright green, almost meter-long stems, which, upon reaching adulthood, hang like whips. Their surfaces are dotted with small thorns.

The color of the stem can determine the age of the plant:

• young - has shades of light green;
• more solid - darker, and over time acquires a bluish coating.

Raspberry or pink flowers, directed upwards, decorate the plant. They bloom in spring or summer. It has aporocactus and its own fruit. It represents a berry wrapped in delicate bristles, red and rounded.

Caring for certain rules

Florists distinguish five species of this type of cactus, and each is willingly bred at home.

A place
Depends on the location of the plant, how it will grow, bloom, and, therefore, delight its owners. Aporocactus loves a large amount of light, but fears being exposed to direct sunlight. Professionals advise keeping the plant on the windows located on the eastern or western part of the room - these are the most favorable zones. If there is no way out, and the cactus is on the south side, you will have to create artificial shade, diffused lighting in the hottest hours.

In cold weather, the plant does not require additional lighting. However, when buds begin to form, more light is needed, so you need to move the pot closer to the window. Only if aporocactus gets a lot of sunshine will the buds be good and bloom profusely.

Important! Short daylight hours need to be extended with additional artificial lighting.

Temperature
The temperature regime for this plant is also very important:

1. In spring and summer, you should adhere to 20 - 25 degrees Celsius, preferably in the open air, but hide from direct sunlight.
2. In late autumn and winter, the plant needs complete rest, and it is quite happy with a temperature of 8 to 10 degrees of the body.

As for the humidity of the room in which the plant is located, then for him this is not so significant. Dry air and central heating do not scare the plant. In warm weather, aporocactus can be sprayed periodically, but in winter this procedure is not required.

Watering
All plants require watering, and aporocactus is no exception, but there are some features.

1. When the autumn-winter period comes, watering occurs only when the earthen lump becomes completely dry. Some gardeners believe that, starting from mid-autumn until the time the growing season begins, it’s impossible to even moisten the soil.
2. Starting from the spring season, you need to ensure that the earth in the pot is always wet. When active growth begins, it should also be watered quite often, but be careful not to accumulate too much moisture. Soil should only be wet.
3. Water for irrigation must be defended, it should be soft enough. Many cactus lovers try to accumulate rainwater, considering it the best.
4. You should not water the plant with very cold water.

Soil and soil, top dressing
Aporocactus prefers a particular soil, consisting of equal in equal proportions of turf, leafy land, peat and sand (preferably river). But there is another option - a ready-made composition, a substrate made specifically for cacti. You can buy it at any flower shop. It is advisable to add a small amount of small pebbles to the finished soil.

In order for the plant to be in comfortable conditions, the soil must be loose, pass water well, with a drainage layer, and the soil's hydrogen indicator should be neutral or slightly acidic.

Requires aporocactus periodic top dressing, from spring to mid-autumn. In winter, it is not necessary. It is enough to add fertilizers only once a month, and after flowering this procedure is not recommended.

Transplantation should benefit!

This plant has a very weak root system, and therefore it is best to choose pots with small holes, small depths for planting, but they should be wide enough in diameter.

Young plants are usually transplanted, and this will be required every year. Adult aporocacti undergo such a procedure every three years, when the need arose, that is, when the roots have already filled the entire space. In order not to damage the weak roots, transplanted with an earthen lump, being careful.

It is advisable to transplant the plant after purchase, completely replacing the soil, since in a flower shop it is usually contained in a special shipping container that is not suitable for growing.

Procreation

This cactus can be propagated not only by cuttings, but also with the help of seeds. To continue the genus using cuttings, you should:

1. Cut the long stalk into parts that correspond to 7-8 cm, and dry them for 7 days. Some gardeners advise cutting parts only from the top of the shoots.
2. Place each part in the prepared sand and peat soil, cover with glass, creating a temperature regime of 20-22 degrees Celsius, and light - at least 10 hours.
3. When the cuttings gain strength a little, strengthen, they will need separate pots.

Reproduction using seeds is a very complicated procedure, because at home it is not easy to carry out. Usually, specialists in the botanical garden do this, having available equipment and conditions.

Malicious insects and dangerous diseases

This beautiful, but very gentle plant has enemies. First of all:

1. Shield. Noticeable immediately on the wax shield. Young individuals actively move, the rest are motionless. By piercing the stem, the pest sucks the juice. A sticky liquid remains on the surface of the plant, it turns yellow. Usually treated with a soap solution, if there are too many parasites, chemical preparations are used.
2. Spider mite. It feeds on plant juice. Its presence can be determined by the appearance of dry yellow spots and thin whitish cobwebs. It should be treated with insecticides.
3. Nematode. In fact, a microscopic worm that is common in a humid environment. The danger is that it releases toxic substances, clogging tissues. Most often, it is impossible to save the plant.

If watering occurred in large quantities or the temperature in the room is very low, then a fungal disease can begin. The most common is root rot. It is dangerous because it is almost impossible to detect immediately, because the condition of the stem at the base must be checked periodically. It is difficult to fight rot, but it is possible to save the plant. It will be necessary to cut off the already affected stems, and treat the remaining sections of the sections with fungicides and charcoal, previously crushed.

If suddenly the plant began to lose flowers - most likely, it lacks moisture or fertilizing.

Plant species

Varieties of aporocactus are very beautiful:

1. The Concatti has a long stalk of saturated green color with clearly defined ribs, covered with yellow or light brown spines and decorated with large dark red flowers. In the wild grows near the sea.
2. Martius. It has large dark pink flowers, stems are long with indistinct ribs, the surface is strewn with small spines, the color of which is gray. In nature, can be found in the mountains.
3. "Lash-like." It is considered the most unpretentious. The main difference from other species is that it has a lot of hanging shoots with a thickness of no more than 1.5 cm, covered with small yellow-brown spiky bristles. When the plant is very young, the stems grow up, and only begin to fall over time. The flowers are pink, and the fruit is a round red berry, which also has small bristles on the surface. It does not bloom for long, and when the flower dries up, fruits appear in this place.

Video: care for aporocactus