How to care for cacti: three "whales" that you should know about

About fifty years ago, cacti growing in our country was rapidly gaining popularity. For kaktusisty clubs were created on interests, lectures were read, books were written, instantly bought up, specialized shops were opened. It seemed that no one asked - everyone thoroughly knew how to care for cacti. Traces of this craze have survived to this day, although he remained true to either the most faithful, or received prickly handsome by inheritance: like, and there is no need, and throw a pity.

They say that there are no two identical cacti. Even "brothers by sight" can have different forms only because one has received a lot of sunlight, and the other hid in the shade. Nevertheless, all cacti, like the three "whales", are based on soil, light and water. Consider these three factors correctly - and most of the problems will be removed, and your plants will be healthy and strong.

The soil

In the soil of dry desert areas, where cacti live, there are many mineral salts, and almost no humus and soil microflora. Be sure to consider this when preparing the soil mixture for cacti. Of course, they will only be happy with humus and will grow rapidly. But in the end you will not get a giant, but a loose plant, painful, barely blooming and poorly tolerating the winter temperature drop.

When you learn how to care for a cactus, please note: the characteristics of the soil mixture for it should be similar to the natural conditions of their growth. This, first, porosity, good permeability for water and air. Secondly, the mixture must be coarse and cloddy. Thirdly, an undeveloped organic must be excluded from it.

For such soil mixtures, the following proportions are suitable: heavy turf ground (2 parts), sheet earth (2 parts), coarse-grained sand (1/2 part), brick crumb or claydite grain size grains (1/4), charcoal 1/6), lime (1/12).

Shine

He plays a vital role in the life of any plant. In how to care for cacti, light will be your faithful assistant, if you understand the important details.

Many species of cacti are residents of the highlands, the atmosphere is sparse and due to this, more transmissive ultraviolet rays. During the evolution of cacti have adapted to this, having acquired a thick cover of thorns and hairs. In the conditions of artificial cultivation, in the list of other problems concerning how to care for cacti, the question immediately arises: how to provide the "mountaineers" with the right amount of ultraviolet rays? After all, most of the year they will have to spend behind the glass, cutting off the lion's share of ultraviolet radiation.

We will have to take care of artificial lighting, and in the winter time - also to obtain fluorescent or DRL lamps. In summer cacti must be kept in the open air.

But there are also cactus epiphytes. Their house is saturated with moisture of the forest of the tropics. They should be shaded all year round in greenhouses.

Water

Of course, the cacti and succulents to which they relate have adapted to the water deficit of deserts and semi-deserts. But this does not mean that asking experts how to care for cacti, one should not pay much attention to this topic.

Of great importance is spraying - because in natural conditions cacti in the mornings collect abundant dew even where there is no rain for years. For morning and afternoon spraying, the warm sunny weather is compulsory. This is especially important during the budding period.

If the winter watering is usually reduced to a minimum, then in spring and summer ensure that the earthen does not dry out. When watering, consider a number of factors, individual for this type of cacti. In autumn the plant is watered less and less, already without spraying.

Gradually you will get used to all these requirements, and they will not cause you any difficulties. And the cacti will more than once please you with its healthy appearance and beautiful flowering.