I am often asked questions about what is wrong with the cactus, why it does not grow, gets sick, does not bloom, etc. And often in photographs I see half-dead plants tortured by improper care. And I'm angry because I really love cacti. A violet lover would be so angry to hear that you poured your violet directly into the outlet, while it stood in the direct sun, and now you are worried about its condition .
When buying any plant, you think where to put it, how it will be better. In the case of a cactus, it is worth considering whether it is worth buying. Because in the absence of some conditions, the cactus simply will not survive, no matter how the rest of the conditions are met.
So, in what case should you refuse to purchase a cactus right away:
1. You have north, northeast or northwest windows, or light constantly obscures the neighboring house, trees, etc. It's too dark for a cactus, and you need to highlight them too intensively. On the northern windows, cacti sooner or later die, slowly and painfully. I have a sad experience of living in an apartment with north windows, where almost all the cacti of my mother's collection have died in 5 years, and, alas, it was impossible to provide lighting in the early nineties.
In case you have experience growing illuminated plants, you can try. Please note: for cacti, the lighting rate is approximately 15,000 lux, you can find the characteristics of lamps to provide such light in the "Winter Garden" section of the forum.
2. You have a tendency to water plants liberally, or you just love the watering process. Alas, cacti are afraid of the bay, and if you accidentally flood it badly, then it will most likely die.
If the above is missing, then you can buy a cactus. But now you need to know the following:
1. A cactus is not a decoration, but a plant, and it should stand on a window or on a balcony. Because even a meter from the window, only 4% of the light intensity on the street remains, and a cactus standing in the dark dies.
2. To prevent the cactus from turning into an elongated pale spirochete in half with powerful green thickenings, and also to make it bloom, you need a cold, dry wintering. It is easy to provide - choose the coldest window, take a box with a cut-out front side and a hinged lid, put cacti there and place the box on the window with a cut-out side to the glass. How to water cacti in winter and how to ensure wintering, there are in the topics "Watering in winter" and "Wintering cacti." If you overwinter cacti correctly, they will not grow, pale and stretch in winter, will remain homogeneous and beautiful potbellies, and will most likely bloom in spring .
Let me tell you one secret. Cacti count years not by the number of years, but by the number of winters. That is, if there is no wintering, then spring is likely too. The cactus will live, as it were, in a very long, long autumn. Provide him with peace - and in the spring he will thank you with flowers and growth.
3. Never water cacti in cloudy and rainy weather! Wait for the sun. Otherwise, cacti can rot or catch a cold. Fear not - a couple of days without watering will not do anything to cacti.
4. Cacti need light ground and good drainage. The main thing is that it is crumbly and breathable, because from humus heavy earth cacti fat and do not bloom. The Dutch must be transplanted from peat to soil.
5. After transplanting, never water a cactus like other plants! For transplantation technique, see the topic "Cactus transplantation ."
6. Fertilizer for cacti should contain a lot of potassium and phosphorus, and nitrogen - a minimum. Avoid nitrogenous fertilizers. You can fertilize cacti only in spring and summer, after watering .
7. And finally about watering. You rarely need to water cacti, but abundantly. You need to wait until the ground dries after the previous irrigation. As mentioned in paragraph 3, water in sunny weather. In the spring - in the morning, in the summer, when the nights are stuffy - in the evening. It is better to water it into a pallet, but you can also water it from above. In the morning, if the sun does not shine on cacti, it is good to spray them with a small sprayer to imitate dew in the desert. Cacti also wake up after wintering - by spraying for 2 weeks, and only after that you can start watering them .
So far, all the wisdom. If you are willing to abide by them - you may well buy your first cactus! Go for it!
Author of the article Colleague