Instructions for creating a mini greenhouse at home. How to grow and care for cacti mix?

Cacti are a popular indoor plant, as they are present in a wide variety and are not demanding in care.

The cacti mix are in great demand. This is a unique opportunity to immediately purchase and grow several types in the house, creating a mini-greenhouse.

This article describes in detail the instructions for creating a mini greenhouse at home and growing cacti mix.

What it is?

A mix of cacti is a Dutch cactus that combines several plants similar in nature.

With proper care of plants, they will delight with their beauty and long flowering. Many mixes have already been bred. For example, the D5 mix includes cacti with white needles, but Indiana mix collected plants of different shapes and sizes.

Names and photos of species that can be grown together

At home, you can grow many types of cacti together., here are just some of them:

Espostoa

Espostoa has soft and silky hairs instead of needles.

Echinocactus gruzoni

These are balls with a diameter of 40 cm. The thorns are powerful and transparent yellow.

We offer you to watch a video about Echinocactus gruzoni:

We wrote about echinocactus here.

Stenocactus

It should be noted that a feature of the species is the presence of zigzag folding of numerous ribs.

Hamatocactus networkspinus

This cactus has white spines, it is not demanding in care and is suitable for a beginner.

Gymnocalycium Damsey

This is an undemanding plant, which during flowering is covered with large white flowers. Belongs to small-sized, and begins to bloom from an early age.

You can familiarize yourself with the hymnocalciums here.

How to grow?

It is necessary to grow a mix of cacti in loose and light soil.. You can cook it yourself, if you mix in equal proportions such components:

• sheet earth;
• river sand;
• peat;
• charcoal powder.

As for the capacity, it should not be too deep, but at the same time wide. A round pot is best. The material from which the cactus is made is not picky. It can be grown in a plastic or clay pot, the main thing is that it is not metal.

Home Care

Let's figure out how to properly care for planted cacti mix at home.

Temperature

In spring and summer, the temperature regime should be 22-27 degrees. In autumn, the temperature should be gradually reduced to 16-18 degrees.

Watering

For cacti, mix watering is very important in the summer, as on hot days they need water to cool. Irrigation is carried out every other day using room temperature water.. Carry out these activities in the morning or in the evening.

You can not fill the plant strongly, otherwise it will lose turgor.

Shine

Cacti mix love ambient light. They can withstand direct sunlight, but during the day it is better to protect them with curtains.

Pruning

Pruning should be done when the cactus is out of shape, his appearance deteriorated or he began to slowly fade. Procedure:

1. Using a sharp and alcohol-disinfected knife, cut off the top of the plant.
2. To prevent the appearance of a cavity when the cut dries, its edges need to be slightly sharpened.
3. Place the cut-off top into a container ¼ filled with water. Keep there until roots form at the cut site (about 2 months).
4. Plant a young plant in a container with light sandy soil. Place drainage at the bottom of the pot. 6 days after planting, the plant can be watered.

Top dressing

Organics for cacti mix is ​​not recommended. The exception is only fast-growing species, for which it is necessary to introduce organic compounds in a small dose. Cacti mix need calcium and phosphorus, blooming most need potassium. A special nutritional composition for cacti and succulents is best suited for plants. You can buy fertilizer "Cactus" with a balanced composition of micro and macro elements.

Transfer

Transplant cacti mix is ​​necessary in the spring, following the following procedure:

1. 3-4 days before transplanting, it is not recommended to water the plant. This will facilitate the process of separating the soil from the roots.
2. Lay a 3-4 cm drainage layer at the bottom of the tank, as stagnation of water is contraindicated for cacti. Lay the drainage holes with shards, lay crushed stone, expanded clay or coarse sand on top.
3. Given the depth of the pot and the length of the root system, lay a soil layer (2-4 cm) on top of the drainage. Set the plant on the ground and spread the roots. It is necessary to ensure that the base of the cactus is on the line of the edge of the container.
4. Now you can fill the ground to the root neck, from time to time shaking the container and compacting the substrate. Lay a layer of sand (1 cm) on top of the soil.
5. The first 3-4 days after transplantation, you can not water and put the pot with the plant in place with direct sunlight.

Wintering

In winter, it is necessary to maintain a minimum temperature of 10-12 degrees indoors.

Cacti mix do not like too dry air, so you need to provide them with coolness. You can put the plant on a glazed balcony, but only the temperature should not be lower than 8 degrees.

From November to March, cacti have a rest period. Their moisture requirement is minimal. Large and old plants should be watered once a month, and small ones - once every 2-3 weeks. Cacti can be sprayed with warm water.

Diseases and Pests

When growing cacti mix the following problems are possible:

1. Plants form curved stems and small spines. - the result of improper wintering.
2. Cacti are crusted with lime and rot. - wrong watering.
3. Cactus redness - the result of being in bright sunlight, without shading from direct sunlight. The plant receives a burn, which leads to its redness.
4. Puckering plants. It occurs due to a sharp and severe cooling.
5. Brown spotting - the result of too intense lighting, increased humidity of the ambient air and soil, excess fertilizer.
6. Stopping the growth of buds and their dropping - occurs due to the use of cold water during irrigation.
7. Etiolation - the result of insufficient lighting of the plant. The cactus becomes colorless, and its stem stretches.

Of the pests, the cactus mix affects aphids and red ticks. If they are detected, it is necessary to conduct treatment with insecticides:

• Spark.
• Tanrek.
• Actara.

Cacti mix - a whole set of Dutch cacti, which differ in size and appearance. It’s easy to take care of them, if you create full conditions in your apartment, regularly feed and monitor the soil moisture.

Watch the video: How to Grow Cactus From Seed With update video (October 2024).