When do cacti start to grow flower buds
Abstract: This article provides a brief introduction to the knowledge of flower cultivation, including when cacti start to grow flower buds and a simple introduction to the flowering period of cacti. Detailed introduction is provided below.
Cacti belong to the cactus family, but they are actually epiphytic evergreen herbaceous plants. You've got it right; cacti are broad and flat herbaceous plants. Therefore, it is necessary to stabilize them during maintenance, as they are prone to falling over and becoming tangled. Generally, we set up a trellis for them to climb and grow to ensure that the cacti bloom abundantly, and we often use grafting for this purpose.
Cacti and仙人掌 belong to the same family, so we usually use cacti to graft cacti. Both cacti and蟹爪兰 are short-day plants. Therefore, controlling light exposure is essential for their care and flowering. Cacti prefer a warm, humid, semi-shaded environment and are afraid of high temperatures, direct sunlight, waterlogging, and root rot, as well as severe cold in winter. When the temperature drops below 5 degrees Celsius in winter, measures should be taken to keep them warm.
In response to netizens' questions about when to pinch the tips of grafted cacti and when they bloom, this is a good question. Pinching affects the appearance of flower buds. If pinched too late, it will be ineffective, and if pinched too early, it would waste nutrients. Therefore, we need to know the time of cactus bud differentiation. Once we know this, we can determine the right time to pinch.
The main grafting period for cacti is from May to June. If done too early, it is difficult for the wounds to heal, and if done too late, no flowers will be seen that year. Therefore, May and June are the best times for grafting, as this is the recovery period after the spring flowering. After surviving the hot summer, September marks the beginning of the bud differentiation period in autumn, so autumn is the time for cactus bud differentiation.
When do cacti start to grow flower buds
Therefore, the main period for pinching cacti is in autumn. Netizens can observe the condition of the cactus seedlings. If the seedlings are strong, pinching can start at the end of September, mainly removing all the tender branches at the top of the cactus. If the seedlings are weak, it can be postponed to mid-October to the end of October. After pinching, the growth of nutrients is controlled, and then it enters the reproductive growth stage, which is the bud differentiation. After pinching, flower buds can be seen from mid-November to December, and flowering begins in January, reaches the blooming peak in February, the end of flowering in March, and enters the withering stage in April, thus continuing the cycle.
If two points are forgotten in autumn for grafted cacti, be careful not to see flowers this year, as pinching is the key
1. Pinching
This has been mentioned before and will not be emphasized again. The purpose of pinching is to switch from vegetative growth to reproductive growth.
2. Water and fertilizer
As the temperature gradually decreases in autumn, it is very suitable for the growth of cacti. It is necessary to supply water and fertilizer at this time. In summer, the main focus is on dry maintenance without fertilizing, but in autumn, when the temperature is lower, attention should be paid to the supply of water and fertilizer, keeping the potting soil slightly moist and then spraying potassium dihydrogen phosphate to promote bud differentiation and flower bud formation.
3. Light
In autumn, appropriate diffused light is needed for maintenance. As long as there is no direct sunlight, it is fine. Without sunlight, it is easy to cause etiolation and falling over, which is not conducive to bud differentiation and can lead to no flower buds. Therefore, proper lighting should be considered. Of course, after the flower buds appear, attention should be paid to shading to promote flowering.
The above comprehensive knowledge explanation about when cacti start to grow flower buds and a simple introduction to the flowering period of cacti, brought by the Green Plant Enthusiast website, is hoped to be of help to you.