Christmas Cactus, Easter Cactus And Other Decembrists (part 2)

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

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Such different Decembrists

"Christmas cactus"

"Christmas cactus " - Schlumberger (Schlumbergera - Hybriden), or truncated zygocactus(see photo). Belongs to the Cactaceae family. The homeland of Schlumberger is the tropical rainforests of eastern Brazil. There they grow at an altitude of 900–2800 m above sea level. The real Christmas cactus is a hybrid. Some experts divide this group into cacti that bloom in mid-October and cacti that bloom for Catholic Christmas (December 25). At home, it blooms at the height of the southern tropical summer (coinciding with the winter of the northern hemisphere). The range of colors and shapes of this plant is extensive and continues to be supplemented with new hybrids every year. Its colors are red, pink, white, salmon, lavender, red-orange, peach, yellow. There are also multicolored flowers: pink and white, red and white, and others.

Transplants

I transplant Zygocactus once every 2-3 years. The next pot should be 2-3 cm larger than the previous one (but not larger). The best time to transplant (or propagate) a plant is early spring (March-April). During the spring and summer, the plant will have time to build up its green mass. It is possible to transplant zygocactus during the summer, but it is important that it begins to receive nutrients from the earthen mixture in the spring, then it will be able to better prepare for flowering. In the first year after transplanting, I do not feed the plant, but only water it once a week with HB-101, Ribav-Extra, Energen, alternating them. From the second year I begin to feed the zygocactus (see general recommendations for feeding). >

Conditions of detention

Zygocactus live on my glassed-in balcony. The door to the room is constantly open. In the autumn-winter period, when the temperature on the balcony drops below + 8 ° C, I bring them home and put them on the windowsill. As soon as the temperature on the balcony rises, the plants are sent back to the balcony. In "warm" winters, they still winter on the balcony. In 2009, it was such a winter, and my zygocactus bloomed three times that year, as they stood on the balcony all the time. True, the second and third blooms were not as abundant as the first.

In the warm season, I water the plants as the earthy coma dries out (at any time of the year - only with warm water). From late August (or early September) to early November, when the weather is cool, I reduce watering. During this period, I water the plants once every 7-10 days, drying the earthen lump. Do not watered with fertilizer solution! After all, at this time of the year, zygocactus begins a period of rest. The optimum temperature should be + 10 ° С… + 12 ° С. If these conditions of keeping in the autumn are not met, then the zygocactus will not bloom!

How to ensure lush bloom

As soon as small buds appear on the plants at the beginning (middle) of October, they can be brought home and put on the windowsill or hung in a pots, but away from the battery. From this moment on, the zygocactus should never be moved, rotated or rearranged from place to place, otherwise they will drop the buds. This rule applies to all Cactus.

When I bring home a new plant from the store, it will certainly drop flowers within a few days. You can also leave zygocactus on the balcony. However, in this case it is impossible to predict what the weather will be on the street during the flowering period. If there is frost outside and the temperature on the balcony drops below + 8 ° C, then the flower pots will have to be moved home, and then you may not see the Decembrist blooming. But I want to enjoy its flowering for a very long time. This is only possible in a cool room. In this case, only on the balcony. There zygocactus blooms for a month and a half. And at home - only a week and a half. Moreover, at home, all the buds will not open (due to the hot and dry air), and in the cool conditions of the balcony, all the buds that have set will bloom. The blossoming flower looks like a fluttering hummingbird.

From the moment the buds appear on the plants, I resume feeding (once a week). I do not pluck withering flowers, so as not to damage the segmented leaves. They will fall off themselves when they dry up. But if you do not like such an untidy plant, then you can carefully remove them, twisting them.

Reproduction

Zygocactus reproduce with segmented leaves in spring. To do this, you need to carefully unscrew the stalk with several segments from the mother plant, hold it in the open air for two hours to dry the lower part, and plant it in a small pot with slightly damp earthy soil. The pot should be placed in a plastic bag, inflated and tied. The bag will contain carbon dioxide, which the plant needs for better rooting and growth. Then you need to place the bag with the pot in a bright, but not sunny place. It is necessary to water the zygocactus in it as the earthen coma dries.

After watering, the bag should be inflated again. As soon as new leaf-segments appear on the plant, it can be removed from the bag, having previously accustomed the zygocactus to open air. To do this, the package must be untied, but not fully opened. After three days, the bag can be opened slightly, and after another three days it is opened halfway, then the bag is removed completely. Instead of a plastic bag, you can also use a glass jar. But I noticed that the plant takes root faster in a plastic bag (because carbon dioxide is present there).