The house cactus in our representation is a plant with prickles of a streamline shape and green color. But among the group of similar flowerpots, scientists have identified unique tropical varieties that are significantly different from the hardened standards in our mind.
Description and features flower Decembrist
Dekabrist or zigokaktus (Latin name - Schlumbergera) botanists belong to the genus of epiphytic cacti. Homeland - the tropical forests of Brazil. On the branches of an exotic tree are beautifully flowering densely.
Did you know? Christmas tree was brought to the European continent by a collector of tropical plants A. Kanninger almost 200 years ago. In 1858, C. Lemaire came up with the name of the plant Schmerberger.The flat shoots of the articulate type are free from the thorns characteristic of cacti. They have several notches along the edges of the branch. Most common shades of flowers on hanging stems:
- red;
- Orange;
- pink;
- purple;
- Violet;
- white.
The flowering of the Christmas tree begins in December, literally before the cycle of the New Year and Christmas holidays. In this regard, the pot has become familiar to us the name. Petals reach from 4 to 8 cm in length. The buds open with a slight slowdown, so during the winter the plant pleases the eye with bright flowers on the windowsill.
The Cactus family also includes: prickly pear, epiphyllum, hatiora.
The genus of zigokaktus has only three species and many plants, hybrids. There is a flower that is very similar to the Christmas pot. It is called the "Easter cactus". Externally, on the eye they are difficult to distinguish without much knowledge of floriculture.
The most common types of flower in our area "Varvarin color" and trunkata. The first species of Schlumbergara grows in the wild in the moist forests of northern Brazil. Its flowers reach a length of 8 cm. The bud has a large number of petals of radially symmetrical shape with sharp ends.
The second type of zygocactus has a straight or spreading crown with a small number of segments. Their edges have a certain pointedness. Flowers amaze with beauty of modulations of a combined color.
What conditions to create in the house
Schlumbergera is one of the few home flowerpots that can pamper its flowering during the cold winter. Flower Decembrist requires careful care at home. The formation of inflorescences begins in the December days, lasting up to two months. But for this you need to create special conditions for the care of the Christmas cactus.
Location and lighting
The plant develops normally on window sills facing the northeast or west side. Pick a bright place without direct rays of the day sun, with a light level in the range of 70-85%.
Important! You can place a zigokaktus in a pot and on the south window, provided there is sufficient shading from the direct rays of the sun. Direct UV rays can cause burns on the leaves.
Temperature
The Brazilian blooming cactus is tolerant of a flat temperature of + 2 ... + 39 ° С. The optimum summer temperature is + 18 ... + 20 ° С, and in winter - + 13 ... + 15 ° С. The main thing is to observe a sufficient level of humidity - stock up on spraying the crown with soft, slightly heated water.
How to care at home
The Decembrist belongs to the whimsical indoor flowers. From the beginning of spring to the end of summer soft water is harvested. Zigokaktus constantly sprayed in the hot period, fed no more than two times during the month.
In the summer, a pot with a Christmas flower is carried out onto a balcony or an open terrace. Can be placed in the yard under the wide crown of the tree, but make sure that it does not spoil the slugs and snails.
With the arrival of September, watering is gradually reduced and the flower is transferred to a cool room or a closed balcony (the optimum figure is about + 15 ° C). With the advent of cold weather, inflorescences are born in the plant. With their gradual growth, they increase watering and air temperature. Long stay in a cool pot will prolong the flowering period.
Read also about the care of other plants: Kalanchoe Kalandiva, clerodendrum, tsiperus, havortiya, kampanuloy, plumeria.
Watering rules
The main rule of procedure is regularity. Over-dried soil has a bad effect on the condition of the plant. But pour the pot over the pot is also not worth it. This can lead to a Decembrist's disease and will require immediate treatment. The signal for watering is a clear drying of the soil surface.
Optimal Seasonal watering schedule:
- From October to November - the stage of "rest" in a cool place with a one-time watering per week. In the second decade of the last month of autumn, the plant is watered every other day and a spraying procedure is introduced.
- From November to December - budding. It should be abundantly and regularly irrigate as the dryness of the soil in the pot is traced.
- From December to February - observe the usual watering with water and do not move the pot to another place.
- From March to August - the period for uniform watering with softened water.
Few housewives pay attention to how and how to water the Decembrist. Avoid using running water from the tap. In its composition note a high concentration of chlorine or lime sludge. The best drink is collected rainwater. Allowable analogue - distilled boiled tap water.
Air humidity
It is important to take care of a sufficient level of humidity in the room. Remember the South American origin of zygocactus. This fact speaks for itself. Exotic Decembrists need timely spraying of leaves with warm water, so that they do not become lethargic.
Did you know? Decorative branched cactus likes an increased level of humidity. In addition to spraying, under his pot you can put a tray with wet expanded clay.
In the hot summer period, you can do the procedure several times a week, and in the winter - 1-2 times during each month. For spraying use a spray or a watering can with a shower. Water for this operation should be at room temperature.
Fertilization
In the form of feeding the Decembrist cactus fertilizers are suitable for flowering. They can be purchased at any flower shop. The required interval of the procedure is every two weeks during the period of growth and development of the stem (from March to August).
Mixtures containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus inclusions are diluted with water. Indoor flower fed to the formation of buds.
Pruning the Decembrist
Zigokaktus is recommended to make a "haircut" for the formation of a neat and attractive flowering crown in the future. "Shattered" Decembrist can be improved by trimming. The procedure is unscrewing the extra links and pruning old and dried branches. Removed parts of the pot can be used for cutting the Christmas cactus.
How to care after flowering
Acquired flower often resets its buds. This traces the standard process of adaptation to new conditions of detention.
In the period of "rest" the Decembrist is placed on the window sill with light penumbra, not far from the window behind the transparent curtain. Stems after flowering can grow at temperatures from +2 to + 37 ° C, but the best temperature for growing is + 18-25 ° C.
Did you know? According to the latest results of research by German scientists, the Decembrist has a slight degree of toxicity. Therefore, asthmatics should replace the pot with other plants to decorate the windows of the home.
How to transplant
Young Schlumberberg is transplanted every two to three years, older plants - with an interval of four to five years. The middle of March is the optimal calendar time when you can repot the Decembrist flower.
The rhizome of the plant can not be called too powerful, so do not plant it in a large wide pot. For further abundant flowering, the Decembrist is planted in a narrowed vessel.
Soil for home zigokaktus do from such components:
- sand;
- peat;
- equal shares of sheet and turf soil.
How to multiply at home
The flowerpot is propagated in two proven ways: cutting and grafting. For the first variant of the procedure, segmented cuttings will be needed (from 3-5 parts). The prepared parts of the stem are added dropwise to a moistened substrate.
Important! An additional glass jar or plastic cup is put on the cutting to create greenhouse conditions.. From time to time, "protection" is raised to avoid rotting the cutting.
For planting in a permanent pot you need to wait for the formation of sufficient thickness of the roots. Florists do not recommend planting young shoots in massive pots. It creates a ridiculous look. There is also a threat to the development of an unstable sprout due to an excess of moisture in the ground.
The second method flower growers use little because of some nuances. You will need a plant for replanting under the fancy name Opuntia. At the workpiece, the stem is cleaned from the upper crown and the upper end is split in half.
Zigokaktus replanting should consist of two or three segments. They are sharpened with a knife and fixed in the cleft of the prickly pear. Then fasten the two parts of the divided stem with a needle, fix with scotch tape or tape. The period of accretion will last about 14 days. The desired temperature in the room is + 18 ... + 20 ° С. The fixator is removed as soon as the graft begins to grow. From the base it is desirable to tear off the new shoots and leaves. The imparted Decembrist in April will please with flowering already in the first winter.
Possible problems with growing
The Decembrist most often suffers from ailments of fungal nature (Fusarium, Phthium or Phytophthora). The mold touches the neck of the rhizome. Among bacterial diseases, the pathogens of the Erwinia group have a negative effect on the stem. Sometimes drugs are powerless, you have to cut the affected part of a branched cactus. Spider mites and mealybugs irritate a flowerpot a lot.
Many are interested in the actual question: why does the Decembrist dry near the window? Sometimes it fades due to too dry air coming from heated batteries in winter - you need to monitor the spraying and feed the earth in a pot.
Problems with flowering associated with the wrong lighting. Unlike other types of home plants, you should not often change the location for a flowering branched cactus.
Important! Moving the pot during the budding period is fraught with premature spontaneous dropping of the petals.
Excess moisture of the roots can cause abundant leaf fall. It is better to separate the cuttings from the pot if a rotten dark-colored rhizome is noticed and a musty smell is present. "Flooded" pot dies soon.
