Varieties of indoor plants cacti and succulents. Watermelon - agricultural technology, interesting facts about the plant and the best varieties

Proper care of cacti ensures their rapid growth and harmonious development. It is possible to organize care for cacti at home only if all natural features culture and particular variety of flower. Succulents are cared for the same way, and great importance is given to watering, the process of selecting the appropriate and transplanting. You need to start by choosing the right place. It should be a warm and well-lit place on the windowsill, where direct sunlight does not penetrate. Soil temperature is more important than this in relation to ambient air. Therefore, it is recommended to put pots on window sills, under which radiators are located.

See how cacti are cared for - the photo shows the main agrotechnical measures and techniques:

Cactus houseplant care and growing conditions

Planning care indoor cactus, it is worth knowing that the cultivation of most of these plants does not present any problems, which in itself is simply amazing. After all, cacti come from regions with completely different climatic conditions than in our latitudes: the climate in the natural habitats of cacti is characterized by a pronounced dry period and a rainy period; moreover, the difference between summer and winter temperatures there is often less than between day and night.

It is easy to organize the care of a cactus plant, since most of them are hardy, easily adapting to different conditions and grateful flowers. When an amateur cactus grower learns the basic rules for cultivating cacti and follows them, he will be surprised at how little labor is required to care for these plants, they grow and bloom. When caring for succulents at home, you should strictly adhere to the methods of agricultural technology recommended by experts.

The cultivation conditions of any plant must always be considered as a whole. For example, there is a close relationship between plant placement, utensils, substrate, frequency of watering, and the amount of irrigation water. By choosing the right conditions for a cactus, care can be made quite simple.

Therefore, a plant in a hot sunny window, in a small pot with a loose, poorly retaining moisture substrate, should be watered accordingly more often.

See how succulents are cared for at home in the photo, which demonstrates the basic techniques:

Flowers cacti and succulents: growing and care all year round

As a summary and at the same time as a kind of working calendar, the care of cactus flowers throughout the year is described below. The indicated seasons may vary slightly depending on whether the cactus grower lives in a mild or harsh climate, and whether the cacti are kept in warm and sunny or cooler conditions.

Cactus cultivation and care should be based on agricultural practices that all year round provide stable growth and development of plants.

Early spring (mid-February - end of March).

This is the most favorable time to transplant them from dry to dry substrate when caring for them.

On the blooming in spring buds appear. The first flowers bloom in Notocactus haselbergii and early flowering mammillaria such as Marnmillaria bombyciana or M. microhelia. It is necessary to gradually accustom cacti to more humid conditions, for which at first the plants are only sprayed with water, and then very carefully, as growth begins, watering begins. Care must be taken in the first unusually warm and sunny spring days. If necessary, particularly sensitive plants are shaded with thin tissue paper from direct sun rays during the hot afternoon hours.

In areas with a milder climate, at the end of March, strong and hardy cacti, such as Echinocereus, can withstand light frosts in a dry state. On a warm window in the room, especially if it is possible to provide soil heating from below, you can start sowing cactus seeds.

look proper care for succulents in the photo, which shows healthy and beautiful plants:

Spring (April to mid-June).

For many cacti, spring is the peak of flowering. Most cacti of the genera Aporocactus, Echinocereus, Echinofossulocactus bloom. Lobivia, Marnmillaria. Rebutia and Sulcorebutia, as well as phyllocactus. Now the plants are watered more abundantly, and starting from May, cacti can be fed with fertilizers. Favorable time for sowing seeds, cutting and rooting cuttings. Cacti that do not re-grow are suspected to be diseased, so they should be removed from their pots and the root system checked.

From mid-May, suitable cacti can be transferred to external window sills or outdoors in the garden. In the first days after the transfer of cacti to Fresh air special care is needed, as the plants are not yet accustomed to bright sunlight outside.

Summer (mid-June - mid-August).

Flowering is at its peak blooming in summer cacti from the genera Gymnocalycium, Notocactus, Parodia, Coryphantha, many species and hybrids of Astrophytum and Echinopsis.

Spring-flowering species and hybrids have faded, and in hot weeks they have a short summer period rest. At this time, they should be watered less often. It is necessary to constantly and carefully monitor the crops and, if possible, harden them as early as possible.

Autumn (mid-August - mid-November).

Autumn-flowering species bloom, such as Marnmillaria gracilis and M. rhodantha or neoporteria proper, as well as plants with more long period flowering plants such as some astrophytums, coryphanthus, telocactus or Ferocactus setispinus. For many cacti, the growth period is gradually coming to an end. Therefore, cacti are no longer fed, or, if necessary, a final dressing is carried out with a weakly concentrated solution of potassium-phosphorus fertilizer. For better ripening of shoots and the formation of beautiful powerful spines, cacti need to be provided with a lot of fresh air and, if possible, direct sunlight, that is, with suitable weather conditions wide open frames of greenhouses. From mid-September to October, watering of cacti is gradually reduced, and from October to November it is completely or almost completely stopped. Starting around mid-October, cacti located on external windowsills and in greenhouses in summer must be moved back into the house.

Winter (mid-November - mid-February).

Only a very few types of ordinary cacti bloom. It's time for some types of Rhipsalis or "Christmas" cacti to bloom. In accordance with their cultural needs, these naturally occurring epiphytic plants are kept in somewhat warmer and wetter conditions. The rest of the cacti are kept in dry and cool conditions in their winter quarters. Winter is a good time to expand your knowledge by reading specialized literature, studying your notes, observations and transparencies made during the past growing season, and planning for the next growing season.

How to properly care for cacti and succulents in pots at home

Instructions on how to care for a cactus may seem rather confusing at first glance. However, most cacti can be cultivated in a specific pattern. And although there are always some exceptions to this basic scheme of how at home, nevertheless, entire groups of cacti have to some extent specific requirements that can be considered similar. In order not to repeat the same recommendations for care during the subsequent description of individual species and genera, it is advisable to combine cacti into groups depending on their requirements. Before you care for succulents, you need to determine their belonging to a particular group.

Look at the care of cacti at home - the photo shows how to properly arrange plants in pots, transplant and water:

Group 1: how to take care of a succulent flower as standard

Group 1 includes the vast majority of cacti presented in this book, for example, almost all cacti of the genera:

Marnmillaria

Notocactus

Parody

Gymnocalycium

Echnofossulocactus

Before you care for succulents at home, you need to know that plants in this group need a bright, sunny location; only for looking green, having some cactus thorns in summer time Light shading from the scorching sun in the midday hours is necessary. The temperature in summer should be from 25 to 35°C, in winter from up to 10°C. During the growth period, from about April to October, the plants are thoroughly watered once every 8-14 days, in winter, these cacti must be kept dry or watered very sparingly.

Before caring for a succulent flower, it is important to understand that the cooler the place where the plants overwinter, the drier they need to be kept. Southeast and southwest windows are especially suitable for growing cacti of this group; a very hot south window can only be used with certain reservations.

You need to know exactly how to care for a cactus in a pot, and put this knowledge into practice.

Group 2: how to care for semi-desert cacti at home

Group 2 includes semi-desert cacti, which, with their "white" appearance, with its white felt specks (flakes) or wax coating, as well as large quantity large white or colored spines show that they have adapted to strong solar radiation and high temperatures.

This includes many "white" Mammillaria, most of the species from the genera:

Echinocereus

Astrophytum

Thelocactus

Ferocactus

Before you properly care for a cactus, you need to know that these plants love a lot of sun and temperatures up to 45 ° C in summer. Therefore, cacti in this group are suitable for south-facing window sills or closed flower windows. Another subtlety about how to care for a cactus at home is that some of these plants - for example, many Echinocereus - tolerate low temperatures in winter, while others, such as ferocactus, must be kept at a temperature of at least 12 ° WITH.

Group 3: how to care for a flowering cactus

Some cacti come from areas with relatively high rainfall and fertile soils. They can not do with poor soils and a small amount of moisture. That is why these cacti have a strong growth.

Group 3 includes many columnar cacti, among which the famous:

Cereus Peruvian ( Cereus Peruvianus)

M many types of cleistocactus ( Cleistocactus)

Pilosocereus ( Pilosocereus)

Some Echinopsis originating from the plains, as well as many Phyllocactus and Selenicereus.

Before taking care of blooming cactus, you need to know that these plants prefer a light, although not always sunny location. soil mixture for them it may be more nutritious and contain more humus than for other cacti. Watering plentifully, plants can be fed more often and more than is usually customary when growing other cacti. These cacti tolerate higher temperatures (up to 20°C) also in winter and in some cases even need it. Therefore, in winter time watering is not completely stopped, but only reduced.

Group 4: how to care for a small cactus

Before you take care of a small cactus, you need to know that they differ from those described in group 1 and require standard care cacti in their origin from highland areas. That is why they prefer, although bright, but not very hot location; they love a large difference between day and night, summer and winter temperatures, and also require a lot of fresh air.

Group 4 includes:

succulents- one of the plants that are well suited for a novice gardener. These plants are easy to care for if you forgot about them on long time and gave them improper care then nothing will happen to them. Succulents are also easy to propagate. For excellent growth and development of succulents, you need:

• Sunlight or very good lighting;
• Good drainage is also required;
• Fresh air supply;
• During the dormant period (in winter), coolness and dry soil are necessary.

Succulent care:

• Temperature should be kept moderate from spring to autumn. Succulents prefer day and night temperatures to be different. In winter, keep in cool conditions at 11-13 degrees;
• Lighting- optimal placement of plants on window sills, as a certain amount of sunlight is required. Haworthia and gasteria require diffused light;
• Watering produced when the soil dries up. During the growth period (from spring to autumn) once a week and once every 3-4 weeks during the dormant period (in winter), or when kept in a cool place, they are watered when they begin to wrinkle.
• Spray leaves optional. succulents grow optimally and efficiently in flat pots.
• Reproduction: Succulent cuttings root easily. Rooting must be done in spring or summer. Before planting, the cuttings must be dried for 1-3 days, if large cuttings, then 10-15 days.

Despite the fact that the melon is a "purebred southerner", summer residents grow it not only in the south. And all because this culture is exceptionally tasty and very healthy. Yes, and varieties "for the market" are not always distinguished by high palatability, not like the fruits from your garden or greenhouse. True, the melon has its own "secrets", but they are not particularly difficult. Therefore, if you have not yet grown a melon on your hundred square meters, you must definitely try it, at least once!

Salad "Red Sea" with squid, crab sticks and red caviar - a light and healthy snack that is suitable for a pescatarian menu, it can also be cooked in fast days when fish and seafood are allowed on the menu. The salad is simply extremely tasty and it is prepared easily. Buy frozen squids. I do not advise you to cook a dish with giant squid fillet, although it looks appetizing and tempting, it has a sharp ammonia flavor that is difficult to get rid of.

From ordinary fruit trees columnar are distinguished by a compact crown, low height, and the absence of lateral branching. With a slight habitus, these miracle trees are distinguished by their ability to form large crops of large, tasty and beautiful fruits. On 1-2 acres, you can place up to 20-25 columnar trees - varieties of apple trees, pears, plums, peaches, cherries, apricots and other crops of different maturity. Our article will tell about the features of creating a columnar garden.

August can be a little sad - autumn, followed by a long winter, is already on the threshold. But the flower beds are still full of multicolor, and their colors create an atmosphere of warmth and joy. The rich palette of August flower beds mainly consists of yellows, oranges, and crimson tones. And it seems as if the garden has become warmer and the color of the sun has increased. What flowers should definitely be planted in flower beds so that they brighten up the inevitable departure of summer with flowering?

Peach jam with bananas is fragrant, thick, healthy and, most importantly, it has half as much sugar as ordinary jam. This is a quick jam with pectin, and pectin powder is known to reduce the sugar content in jam, or even make it without sugar. Sugar-free jams are fashionable sweets nowadays, they are very popular among supporters healthy lifestyle life. Peaches for harvesting can be of any degree of maturity, bananas too.

Coriander is one of the most popular spices in the world, and its greens are called cilantro or cilantro. Interestingly, cilantro leaves no one indifferent. Some people adore it and are happy to use it in any salads and sandwiches, and they love Borodino bread for the special flavor of coriander seeds. Others, referring to the smell that evokes associations with forest bugs, hate coriander and flatly refuse to approach bunches of cilantro even in the market, let alone plant it in their garden.

Saintpaulias are making a comeback and redefining the cute blooming violets that love to live on any windowsill. Trends in the "market" for uzambara violets indicate a rapid increase in interest in plants with unusual leaves. More and more admiring glances are attracted not by unusual colors of flowers, but by exotic variegated colors of leaves. Variegated saintpaulias are almost no different in cultivation from all the others.

Sweet and sour pickled cherry tomatoes with red onion and basil marinated with balsamic vinegar and mustard. Such pickled vegetables will decorate any festive table They are very tasty and fragrant. Marinade filling is a completely different story: it turns out a delicious brine, the only drawback of which is not a large number of. Onions choose sweet, red. Cherry - strong, slightly unripe, the smallest. Fresh basil is suitable for both green and purple.

My first acquaintance with hydrogel took place a very long time ago. Back in the nineties, my husband brought funny multi-colored balls from Japan, which greatly increased in size if they were filled with water. They were supposed to put bouquets or use them for some other decorative purposes. Of course, at first it was funny, but then I played enough and abandoned them, I don’t even remember where they went. But I recently returned to the use of hydrogel. I will share my experience in this article.

Watermelon and summer are inseparable concepts. However, not in every area you will find melons. And all because this African plant takes up a lot of space, is quite demanding on both heat and the sun, and also on competent watering. But still, watermelon is so loved that today not only southerners have learned to grow it, but much more northern summer residents. It turns out that you can find an approach to such a capricious plant, and if you want, you can get a decent harvest.

You can cook red gooseberry jam in 10 minutes. However, it should be borne in mind that this is the time required for cooking jam without preparing berries. It takes a lot of time to harvest and prepare berries for processing. Cruel thorns discourage any desire to harvest, but you still have to cut off your noses and tails. But the result is worth it, the jam turns out to be excellent, one of the most fragrant, in my opinion, and the taste is such that it is impossible to tear yourself away from the jar.

Monsters, anthuriums, caladiums, dieffenbachia ... Representatives of the Aroid family are considered one of the most popular categories of indoor plants. And not the last factor of their wide distribution is diversity. Aroid presented aquatic plants, epiphytes, semi-epiphytes, tuberous and lianas. But despite such a diversity, because of which it is sometimes difficult to guess the relationship of plants, aroids are very similar to each other and require the same care.

Salad "Donskoy" for the winter - savory snack from fresh vegetables in a sweet and sour marinade with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. AT original recipe regular or apple cider vinegar, but with a combination of wine vinegar and light Balsamico, it turns out much tastier. Salad can be prepared without sterilization - bring the vegetables to a boil, put them in sterile jars and wrap them warmly. You can also pasteurize blanks at a temperature of 85 degrees, then cool quickly.

The main collected mushrooms: porcini, boletus, boletus, chanterelles, boletus, mossiness mushrooms, russula, milk mushrooms, volnushki, saffron mushrooms, honey mushrooms. Other mushrooms are collected depending on the region. And their name (other mushrooms) is legion. As well as mushroom pickers, which are becoming more and more every year. Therefore, there may not be enough for all known mushrooms. And I know for sure that among the little-known come across very worthy representatives. About little-known, but tasty and useful mushrooms I will tell you in this article.

The word "ampel" comes from the German word "ampel", meaning a hanging container for flowers. Fashion for hanging flower beds came to us from Europe. And today it is very difficult to imagine a garden where at least one hanging basket was not found. In response to the growing popularity of container floriculture, a large number of ampelous plants, whose shoots easily fall outside the pots. Let's talk about those that are valued for their beautiful flowers.

Cacti and succulents are popular indoor plants for beginners. We especially recommend them for learning to care for plants to choose for children. They are easy to grow and care for those who are lazy but want a green living space in their home or office.
Very few cacti and succulents can get by with little human care, but all can die from too much. We used to think that their native places are deserts. But nature just at one fine moment modified the organisms of these plants so that they could survive in difficult dry conditions. This is evolution! And they have lived for many centuries and will probably outlive us.
In order for cacti and succulents to grow and flourish, you must adhere to everything 5 essential conditions.

1. Cacti and succulents need well-drained compost. For 1 part of drainage, you need to take 2 parts of compost.
2. Cacti and succulents need a lot of light. Keep them only on well-lit window sills.
3. Pay attention to the active growing season from mid-March to the end of September. Water and fertilize as needed during this period. They can not "sit" in a plate of water. Such watering will lead the plants only to raw death - rotting from the root. Feeding succulents and cacti is rarely necessary. for sale ready mixes for them or, for example, you can use the same fertilizers as for tomatoes. Use liquid solutions.
4. The rest of the time, observe the "cool winter holidays"- minimal watering and no top dressing at a temperature of + 5⁰С.
5. Keep a constant eye on pests such as flour beetle and red spider mite. If you find them, immediately destroy them with insecticides.

Rebutia cactus

The Rebutia cactus is native to South America from the Andes and is a perfect plant for beginners. The Rebutia cactus blooms beautifully. From mid-December, the plant begins to form flower buds. If you do not overdo it with watering during this period, then by mid-March your Rebutia cactus will begin to open the first flowers. He loves sunny window sills and timely transplants. This cactus is transplanted when it outgrows its pot.

Mammillaria cactus

MAMMILLARIA FRAILEANA

MAMMILLARIA MAGNIFICA

MAMMILLARIA LUETHYI

Mammillaria Backebergiana

This genus of cacti Mammillaria is the most diverse and largest genus of cacti. These plants are mainly native to the United States and Mexico. Most species in this genus are suitable for growing on window sills full of indirect sunlight. Mammillaria cacti will delight you with a ring of flowers for a long time during the summer. For species with long spines and white hairs, lime must be added to the substrate. All Mammillaria love generous watering and spraying during growth, and in winter period they are given maintenance watering and kept in cool rooms with temperatures up to + 10⁰С.

Echinopsis cactus

Echinopsis oxygona

Echinopsis rhodotricha

Echinopsis schickendantzii

Echinopsis candicans

Cacti from the genus Echinopsis attract growers with their large bright colors. Breeders are constantly trying to breed varieties of this plant, the flower of which would last longer than 1-3 days. The homeland of these cacti - South America. During the period of active growth, they prefer fresh air, a lot of sun, but not direct rays, and moderate watering. Cacti from the genus Echinopsis propagate by seeds and lateral sprouts.

Succulent Echeveria

Echeveria "Lace"

Echeveria 'Lady-Aquarius'

These plants are very fashionable now, and care for them is identical to care for cacti. The main thing that attracts in succulents, and more specifically in Echeveria, is the patterns and shapes of the rosette of leaves. They differ in color and pattern on the leaves. Some have a powder coating that must not be touched. The soil for the Echeveria succulent needs nutritious, clay-sandy. They love the sun and abundant watering in the summer, but without stagnant water. In winter, they are watered sparingly. If Echeveria does not have enough light, it stretches. Echeveria succulent is propagated by seeds, leaf and stem cuttings and side child outlets.

Euphorbia succulent

The Euphorbia succulent family has many members, and they can be very different from each other. In favor with growers Euphorbia obesa. This plant is native to South Africa, but the color - European - like Scottish skirts. The plant is easily propagated by seeds, but for this you will need both dad and mom. You can pollinate manually with a brush. A new plant should be accustomed to new conditions gradually, and not immediately exposed to the sun, so that the Euphorbia obesa succulent does not get burned. For the first time it will bloom at 5-8 years of age.

Succulent Lithops

"Live Stones" is the second name of Lithops succulents. These are real miniature plants that will never outgrow your home. There are more than 30 species in the genus. Homeland - Africa, namely the deserts of Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. When it is dry and daylight hours are short, Lithops succulents are in a dormant period, when the rainy season they are actively growing. This is very important to them. During the year, a pair of leaves is replaced by a new one, flowering occurs, the fruit is tied and the fruit ripens. Leaves form such a strange shape by storing water. Sometimes, in place of one pair of leaves, two may appear with a common root system. In a few years, a whole colony can form in this way.

Fans often refer to the Cactaceae family as all plants that have thorns and can store moisture in their bodies. Only with time comes the understanding that not all such plants belong to cacti, although they have a number of similar features.

As a rule, the presence of thorns and the ability to store moisture are a sign inherent in a large group of plants called succulents. We can say that almost all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.

What are succulents?

Succulents are not a taxonomic concept and have nothing to do with taxonomy. Succulents (succulentus - juicy, fleshy) are general concepts. This is the name of a group of perennials drought-resistant plants, which are able to accumulate moisture in a highly developed specialized tissue - water-reserving parenchyma and have a number of morphological and physiological adaptations for its economical use during the dry period.

On our planet, wherever there are deserts and semi-deserts, native plants, regardless of their origin, adapted to the conditions of life in a similar way.

Today, there are about 15,000 species of succulent plants, which belong to 80 families. There are many succulents among the plants of the families Cactaceae, Aizoaceae, Crassulaceae, Orchidaceae, Bromeliaceae, Asclepidacae, Agavaceae, Asphodelaceae, etc.

These plants are extremely diverse in form and adaptability to survival in conditions of low humidity.

It should be noted that succulents also grow in tropical rainforests, or, for example. But most often these are epiphytic plants, they grow on tree trunks and store moisture during rains, so that later they can store it in fleshy stems.

For example, the branches of cylindropuntias have turned into oblong segments, on which cylindrical fleshy leaves grow, but they are temporary - after a while they dry out and fall off.

Spherical and columnar cacti are completely devoid of foliage. The stem has only spines and hairs. The thorns of cacti are not decoration, they play a very important role in their life. Such reservoirs of moisture as cacti in the middle of the desert could not go unnoticed for a long time. Therefore, thorns are practically the only defense against eating for most of them. In addition, spines and hairs protect the plant from heat, wind, heavy rain, and also trap dew and protect the surface of the stem from rapid drying.

How to distinguish a cactus from other succulents?

By what signs can representatives of the cactus family be distinguished from other succulents? Among the signs available to an ordinary cactus grower, it is necessary to dwell on the five most important ones: all cacti belong to the class of dicots (the seeds of these plants and their seedlings have two cotyledons); they are perennial succulents; cacti have a special organ called the areola; the ovary of the fetus in cacti is lower; cactus fruit is a berry.

From an amateur's point of view, the most important sign the belonging of the plant to the cactus family is the presence of areoles in them. We can assume that the cactus areola corresponds to the shoot and axillary bud deciduous plants. The upper and lower areolas have different functions. On the upper part, which corresponds to the axillary bud, buds and young shoots appear in species that branch. The lower part, which corresponds to the shoot, gives spines, which in cacti are easily separated from the stem: cactus spines are an independent organ.

The concept of "lower ovary" indicates that in cacti the part of the flower, from which, after fertilization, the fruit will develop, is located below the petals (as, for example, in cucumbers).

Cactus fruits, regardless of size and shape, are always typical berries: their small seeds are contained in a pulp covered with a leathery shell.

These five signs allow you to confidently establish whether your plant belongs to the cactus family. However, if as a result of the test, your initial diagnosis is not confirmed and your "cactus" turns out to be an "imposter" - this is not a reason for despair. It is rare to find a collection of cacti that does not include any other succulent. This environmental group plants are so large and diverse that it is almost impossible to ignore them.

In room culture, both cacti and other succulents are very widespread. Many cactus lovers collect large collections of these amazing plants.

Most succulents grow slowly and do not require special care, so they are the best for creating plant compositions, all kinds of desert gardens, miniature landscapes.