Cactus pots
Cacti are quite demanding on the capacity in which they will grow. The size of the pot should correspond to the root system of the cactus. To choose the right pot, you need to remove the cactus from the old dishes, carefully straighten the roots and examine the root system. In some cacti, the roots are better developed in the upper part and not very long, then the pot should be wide enough, but not deep. In other cacti, the roots grow in length, especially if the main rod-shaped root is expressed in the root system, then the pot should be deep, but not wide. In any case, the volume of the pot or other container for planting should not greatly exceed the volume of the root system in expanded form, but it should be borne in mind that drainage will take some place in the pot.
The incorrectly selected pot is too large, the cactus will grow in it too slowly, it remains to admire the decorative pebbles.
A well-chosen pot commensurate with the root system. In addition, in a properly selected pot, the cactus is less likely to suffer from excess moisture.If the cactus is sick, or somehow injured, then the dishes should be slightly smaller in size than the volume of the root system. Also, when choosing a capacity, the nature of the growth of cacti should be taken into account. For example, mammilariae form many babies, and one pot produces many plants, so they need wider pots, but not deep ones. But for ariocarpuses, for example, the capacity should be deeper than wide.
What material will be the container for growing cactus is a matter of taste. Usually cacti are grown in plastic pots, but they can be grown in clay pots and plastic yogurt cups, ceramic cups, coconut shells, etc. It is undesirable to grow cacti only in metal dishes that can rust, and this will adversely affect the plant. If there are a lot of cacti and the collection is growing, then it is quite convenient to plant cacti in square or rectangular containers, which are then easily and tightly placed on a common tray, this facilitates the transfer of cacti, tightly composed pots occupy a stable position. Only the frequency of watering depends on what material the container is made of. In plastic dishes, the earth retains moisture longer than in clay.
Another condition for cactus container is drainage holes. We can say that this is a prerequisite, since cacti really do not like stagnation of water in a pot (especially epiphytes). Water that remains in the roots can lead to their decay and death of the plant.
Cactus soil
Preparing the soil for transplanting cacti is a complex and controversial issue, in the sense that the composition of the soil depends on many factors, for example, on the type of cactus, its age, etc. Various literature provides various recipes and methods for preparing the soil for cacti. Despite the fact that they are sometimes different, each author advising a particular soil recipe, as a rule, relies on his experience, which had good results. The ingredients included in traditional cactus soils are diverse, but always the same, these are:
| Ingredients | Properties | Where to get them |
|---|---|---|
| Leaf earth | Rich in nutrients, loose, light, easily absorbs water. | In spring (in April), when the snow is just melting in any birch grove or park where there are deciduous trees, snow is shaken away, old foliage and the ground is collected with a scoop. You can gain land under beeches and hazel. |
| Clay-turf land | Retains water firmly, and nutrients are washed out more slowly | Near the garden, where the ground is overgrown with sod (dense grass), this sod is removed with the ground with a shovel and laid in layers that can be spilled with slurry, then covered and left for at least one year. If this technology is difficult for you, then you can get this soil differently. It is necessary to dig up the turf and holding the grass to shake off the soil from its roots. In this case, it will not be as nutritious as if it was pressed for a year, but the structure will meet the requirements. |
| Old greenhouse land | It is used when it is not possible to get sheet and clay-turf land | In the garden in the garden |
| Well-rotted manure (humus) | Used in microscopic amounts to add to very nutrient-poor soil for large cacti (mainly forest) | Since spring, cow manure in the garden or in the garden is laid in a compost pit and piled on top with leaves (birch or apple) and earth, two years later it is dug up and used after sterilization |
| Coarse-grained river sand | It gives the soil looseness and porosity, is a mandatory component in any soil for all cacti | On the river, on the beach, it is necessarily well washed from fine dust, for cacti a sand fraction of 2-3 mm is required, this is almost fine gravel. |
| Zeolite or fired clay | Increases soil porosity, helps moisture absorb quickly, and the soil dries quickly | Zeolite pellets may be prepared from a Barsic Standard cat litter or the like. A non-rolling filler is needed, such that the granules can be washed and sieved. All fines less than 3 mm - throw out, use granules 4-5 mm. |
| Charcoal | Charcoal from deciduous trees is used, used for disinfection in the form of powder (wounded roots are sprinkled) and added in pieces to the soil, because it has antibacterial properties | Burn in the garden or in the wasteland any stick made of hardwood, preferably birch, break the head into pieces. Crush part into powder, and leave part in small pieces and add to the soil. |
| Brick crumb | Gives soil looseness and porosity, has the ability to retain excess moisture | Break a red brick into crumbs with a hammer, which can be found by wandering around the city or at the nearest construction site |
Before choosing a particular soil mixture, you need to know that in any case, it must meet the following requirements:
- the soil for any cacti should be loose, easy to pass water and air;
- the acidity of the soil for almost all cacti should be a slightly acidic reaction better than pH = 4.5-6.
You need to know that the sheet earth is looser than clay-turf and greenhouse. Loose soil is given by brick crumbs and river sand. And to give the soil the desired acidity, either peat (to increase acidity) or lime (gives an alkaline reaction and reduces acidity) is added. It should be borne in mind that young cacti and peaked seedlings need looser and more nutritious land, therefore, leafy land makes up a significant share of the soil mixture for them. For adults and old cacti, denser soil is needed, so more greenhouse and clay-turf land is taken for them. Quickly growing cacti add humus to the soil mixture. What else will the composition of the soil mixture depend on? From the species characteristic of the plant, for example, cacti that have absolutely no spines need less calcium in the soil than cacti richly decorated with spines, which benefit from adding crushed eggshells to the soil.