Cacti in winter

 
Кактусы на окне

Most cacti need cool or even cold wintering. It provides plants with a period of rest, in terms of time it is enough 2-3 months. And the meaning of the rest period for the cactus is special. With a period of rest, the cactus stops growing and since that time its summer growth has matured. In addition, it is during the dormant period that the buds of future flowers are laid.

The minimum temperature for different species varies somewhat, mainly cacti are kept in winter at a temperature of 5-12 ° C. To transfer cacti to a period of rest, in autumn they begin to gradually reduce watering. The temperature is also gradually decreasing. If the watering is reduced, and the temperature remains high, then the plant will continue to evaporate moisture, but not receive liquids in return, so the reduction in watering and the decrease in temperature should occur simultaneously. Reducing light in winter will be natural for the plant if watering and temperature are reduced at the same time.

To provide cacti with a cool wintering, you can arrange a fence made of a sheet of glass (plexiglass) on the edge of the windowsill, so that the heat from the batteries does not touch them. We just need a thermometer. You will have to control the temperature during the winter. Even if you insulate and seal the frames, if it gets colder outside to -30 ° C and below, then the temperature on the windowsill can also drop too low. If on the windowsill + 6 ° С, and for your cacti the winter minimum is + 5 ° С, then it is better not to risk, but to take action. With the onset of severe frosts, you can insulate the frames additionally by placing a woolen blanket along the windowsill or by placing pots of cacti on a sheet of foam or thick foam rubber, but you cannot remove the protective glass from the windowsill until the heating is turned off.

To control the temperature, you need a thermometer, and to control watering, it is better to start a calendar, since watering is rare in cold weather, it is easy to forget what number you watered the plant. You need to hang a calendar somewhere in a prominent place and mark the days of watering on it.

How to understand that the cactus is at rest? It is very simple - if the cactus sleeps, it has no signs of growth, there are no new areoles and thorns, there is no tilt towards the world. It kind of freezes and changes neither size nor shape. If you doubt and do not believe your eyes, it is better to photograph cacti at the time of retirement. And then compare.

If suddenly the thaw on the street and in the apartment warmed up, then cacti can begin to awaken from hibernation. One or two days of temperature changes will not affect the rest period, but longer warming forces us to resume watering for a while or end the rest period. If the temperature has risen slightly, for example, it lasts about 17-18 ° C, and you know that this is only for a few days, then look at the state of the cacti: if they do not shrivel, wait another day or two; if wilting (or skin wrinkling) is noticeable, pour the cacti once from a pipette to restore fluid loss. But do not stimulate growth on purpose, especially if winter has just begun. By the way, it is very convenient to use empty vials from under drops from a runny nose, other pharmacy vials or a 10-20 ml syringe for drip irrigation.

If it becomes clear that warming is delayed for more than a week or two, you will have to bring the cacti out of hibernation: turn on the illumination with fluorescent lamps and resume watering, otherwise they will simply stretch out and become ugly.

Watering cacti in winter

How to care for a cactus in winter was very well told by Maria (Colleague), a forum participant and cactus grower:

Now, when cacti sleep, the issue of watering is very important. As for the technique: you can take a cocktail tube, lower it into the water, close the upper hole with your finger. We lower the open end of the tube into the cactus into the pot - away from the root neck. Let go of your finger, water pours into the pot. So you can selectively, carefully water your cacti during the winter. And a small educational program for watering some types of cacti:

Cacti that do not need to be watered during cold wintering Cacti that need light moisture in the soil during winter *
  • Opuntia prickly pears (temperature + 5 to + 10
    • )
  • Opuntia articulata (Tephrocactus articulatus Tephrocactus articulatus) (resting period in severe cold 0 degrees and without any watering!)
  • Mammillaria mammillaria, Dolichothele Dolichothele
  • Parodia parodies
  • Lobivia Lobivia, Pseudolobivia Pseudolobivia, Mediolobivia Mediolobivia
  • Rebutia, Sulcorebutia
  • Aylostera aylostera
  • Echinopsis echinopsis
  • Copiapoa Copyapoi
  • Astrophytum astrophytum
  • Ferocactus
  • Coryphantha corifants
  • Matucana Matucana, Submatucana Submatucana
  • Chileans: Neochilentia Neochilenia, Neoporteria Neoporteria, Pyrrhocactus Pyrrhocactus, Horridocactus Horridocactus, Eriosyce Eriosyce)
  • Cephalocereus cephalocereus (absolutely dry and cool (+ 15) wintering
    • )
  • Turbinicarpus turbinicarpus (do not water, cold wintering)
  • Echinocactus Echinocactus (about + 8 - + 10, if higher, about + 15, you can pour a little
    • into the pallet once a month)
  • Aztekium Aztekium
  • Lophophora lophophora
  • Neoporteria neoporteria
  • Brasiliopuntia brasiliopuntia
  • Cylindropuntia cylinder
  • Acanthocalycium acanthocalycium
  • Coleocephalocereus coleocephalocereus
  • Discocactus discocactus
  • Harrisia harrisia
  • Notocactus notocactus
  • Cleistocactus cleistocactus
  • Gymnocalycium gymnocalycium
  • Echinofossulocactus Echinofossulocactu
  • Thelocactus telocactus
  • Myrtilocactus Myrtillocactus
  • Hatiora Hatiora
  • Hylocereus hylocereus
  • Lepismium lepismium
  • Pilosocereus pilosocereus
  • Quabentia Quiabentia
  • Ripsalis ripsalis
  • Schlumberger Schlumbergera
  • Weberocereus Weberocereus

* watering once a month - literally a teaspoon of water away from the root neck - most cacti do not like or tolerate moisturizing the root neck, especially in winter, so when watering from above, make sure that water penetrates the substrate near the walls of the pot. Table updated by Natalie

For more details on the conditions for keeping cacti, see the article by Irina Bagdasarova Cacti. Brief requirements for soil, temperature, lighting.

By the way

If cacti are warm and watered regularly in the dark, they are likely to stretch out. That is, the cactus grows, but its stem is ugly curved, and flowering does not occur.

With the end of winter and the dormant period, you need to especially closely monitor cacti, gradually accustoming them to a brighter sun. To do this, the plants are shaded by attaching a strip of tulle or mosquito nets to the glass.

Most often, even the sunniest cacti get sunburn in the spring, when the bright sun is unusual for them in the spring.

By the way

It is believed that Dutch cacti do not require cold wintering, that as a result of lower temperatures and lack of light, they are more often susceptible to various diseases.

In fact, this is not at all the case. A young cactus bought in a store can be safely left to winter at normal room temperature, only providing them with enough light.

Adult cacti and home-adapted cacti need cool temperatures from October to February to thrive and bloom.

However, the temperature for the Dutch may not be as low as given in the advice for caring for a particular species, but higher by several degrees, about 12-13 ° C.

Cactus wintering

Question: cacti without watering on hibernation are gradually drying out. Do I need to do something?

Answer, Vladimir Melnikov: do not be afraid when your cacti shrivel, shrink, even "bury" in the ground. This is preparation for budding. Only "wake them up" correctly. And they will "repay" you with either cool growth or abundant flowering.

Question: do you bring cacti into the watering room if they are in the cold winter quarters?

Answer, irina-bahus: I bring mine in for the night before watering, in the morning I pour water at room temperature, after lunch (so that the sun is preferably shining, even a little) I bring it back. I water it by eye, from a thin watering can along the edge of the pot. I check - so that the pot is a little heavier.

Answer, Stivi: I don't wear mine anywhere, I only water it in the morning, when it's sunny, and it's relatively warmer on the balcony. If it's time to water in time, but there is no sun, I just don't water. Watering itself from a syringe (along the edge of the pot) with very warm water (only for the hand to endure). Kids get about 5 ml, the larger and up to 10 ml.

Question: how to wake cacti?

Answer, Colleague: As soon as the snow starts to melt in spring, this is a signal, but if spring is late, no later than March 15th. We need to start spraying cacti with small splashes every morning. This will give them a signal that spring has come and dew has begun to fall out. Then the cacti, whose roots die off over the winter, will launch dormant roots into growth.

After 5-7 days of spraying, you must first carefully pour warm (25 degrees) water into the tray (syringe, pipette). From the sun, so that unusual cacti do not burn, you can shade with white paper.

So cacti will gradually move away from hibernation and grow. Between the first and second watering - 2 weeks (but spray every morning). Gradually reduce the gap between watering. In May, there should already be a full summer watering.