How to care for a cactus at home

Cactus is considered an unpretentious plant, but in reality this is far from the case. If you want to buy this plant in the house, then first read the rules for caring for it. After all, even small deviations from the regime will affect the health of the cactus, its appearance and future inflorescences.

Choose the soil

If you just bought a cactus or gave it to you, then you should not keep the plant in a store container. Young shoots need loose soil, because the older, denser. Experts advise using the following types of land for transplantation:

1. Sheet. It is best to collect it in parks and forest areas in the spring, when the snow has completely melted, and the new grass has not yet begun to grow.
2. Clay-sod. If you decide to seriously engage in the cultivation of cacti, then try this method of soil preparation. Find a place in the garden overgrown with tall grass, dig it with the root, put it in a container, fill it with manure and wait until next year. Then the soil will be of exactly the quality and consistency that cacti need.
3. Greenhouse. This is ordinary land, which is located on the beds. It can be used when there are no other options.
4. Humus. Also requires lengthy preparations. In the spring, pour cow dung into the barrel, cover it with leaves and close the lid. After a year, the humus will be ready for use.

The main condition for choosing soil for cacti is acidity. It should be at a level from 4.5 to 6. If the earth is more alkaline, add peat to it, if it is too acidic, then lime.

Choose a pot

In this matter, you need to focus on the shape of the roots of the cactus. When transplanting, pay attention to how it grows. If the root is long and narrow, then the capacity should not be wide, but deep. If, on the contrary, the root grows to the sides, but short, then choose a pot with a large diameter and a small height. Do not buy too spacious a container, as water will linger in it.

The pot can be made of any material other than metal, which rusts from water and reacts with other organic substances. Plastic, clay, glass - ideal for growing cactus. There must be holes at the bottom of the pot so that moisture does not linger and does not cause rot. For the same purpose, a layer of expanded clay, broken red bricks or polystyrene is first poured out, and then the earth.

Transplant a plant

Small plants require an annual transplant, larger ones once every 2-3 years. It is best to do the procedure in the middle or end of spring. Before transplanting, do not water the cactus for several days, so that the soil dries and can easily detach from the root system. And the ground into which you will move the plant needs to be moistened in advance. Since the cactus will quickly take root in a new place.

How to transplant a cactus:

• Put drainage on the bottom of the pot.
• Cover with a layer of coarse sand.
• Then fill the pot halfway with earth.
• Carefully place the plant in it, holding it with your hands.
• Fill the remaining voids with soil, sometimes shaking the pot.
• When the cactus becomes stable, add earth, not reaching the rim of the pot half a centimeter.
• Sprinkle the soil with sand.
• Put a jar or bag on top of the cactus.
• Water daily.
• Remove the jar after 3-4 days.

A weakened plant or during its flowering should not be transplanted. Moreover, the cactus does not like any movements and can feel bad only because it was turned the other side to the light. Therefore, do not transplant, do not rearrange, or twist the pot unnecessarily.

Light, water, temperature

Contrary to popular belief, cacti need to be watered frequently. Especially in summer. To understand how much water to pour into the pot, check the soil more often. If it does not have time to dry in a day, you moisturize too much.

Closer to winter, the number of waterings is reduced, this helps to prepare the cactus for the hibernation period. Water is best collected during rain or thawed out of snow. If this is not possible, then defend it for one day with the addition of a small amount of peat or boil.

Cacti love light, so you need to keep them on the windowsill of the south window, and when the rainy season comes, turn on the fluorescent lights. To understand that the plant needs additional lighting is simple. It will begin to stretch up and take the form of a cone. Fresh air is no less important, without it the cactus will never bloom. In the summer, give him air baths in the sun.

Cacti do not like the heat and dry air, which often leads to heating the apartment in winter. Since the plant is close to the battery, you need to fence it off from hot air. Attach a small rectangle of glass to the windowsill parallel to the window. Take it off in the summer.

Do cactus need fertilizer

With proper care, the cactus does not need additional fertilizer. But if there are no suitable conditions for him, then you can sometimes feed him. Take the choice of fertilizer responsibly, some species are categorically not suitable for cacti. In gardening stores there are special series specifically for these types of plants. It should contain phosphorus, potassium, cytokinins, auxins, vitamins.

Start feeding during the growth period, that is, with the arrival of heat, and finish in September. Another reason to apply fertilizer is the flowering period, when the cactus needs additional nutrition.

What to do with cactus in winter

Wintering for a cactus is important. The plant is resting, gaining strength, buds are emerging in it, which in the summer begin to bloom. Therefore, your task is to provide him with comfortable conditions.

The temperature in the place where the cactus stands should be 5-15 degrees. Keep in mind that near the window it is always colder than in the whole room. Insulation of the window will help to avoid freezing. Check if there are drafts in the apartment, if any, eliminate them. Install a thermometer near the window and monitor its performance. In winter, do not water the cactus often. Enough 1-2 times a week.

In conditions of love and care, even the most prickly cacti will thank the hosts with incredibly beautiful blossoming flowers. For the sake of such moments, it is worth caring and worrying about the plant, creating comfort and coziness for it.

Video: how to care for cacti and make them bloom