Cactus Management and Care Methods
Introduction: This article covers the planting of cacti, cactus management and care methods. Corrections are welcome if there are any mistakes!
Cacti can be divided into two main categories in cultivation: terrestrial cacti and epiphytic cacti. These two categories of cacti have different requirements for temperature, light, and water during the winter. However, I believe that the management of their overwintering should start in the autumn. After the mid-autumn, cactus plants should be exposed to as much light as possible. In late autumn, watering should be gradually reduced until it is stopped. A small amount of potassium chloride solution can also be applied if necessary to increase the concentration of the plant's sap, enhancing its cold resistance.
From late autumn to early winter, do not rush to bring the cacti indoors. Instead, try to let the plants receive full sunlight during the day and be trained in low night temperatures. If there are no cold spells, the cacti can be brought indoors only when the minimum night temperature drops to 4°C. Do not interrupt this process. Cacti treated in this way generally have an increased tolerance to low temperatures, which is beneficial for overwintering.
Terrestrial cacti are native to arid regions, highly drought-resistant, and often have a dormant habit. After entering winter, watering should be strictly prohibited, keeping the potting soil dry to encourage dormancy. If the temperature does not drop below 2°C-5°C, they can safely overwinter. Cacti plants are most cold-tolerant during their dormant period. If inappropriate watering is done in winter, breaking their dormancy and restoring their physiological activity, the plant's cold resistance decreases and they are prone to frost rot.
If the room temperature is too low during overwintering, the plant can be covered with a plastic cover to retain heat. In case of necessity, the plant can be wrapped with cotton and straw and placed in a wooden box or cabinet for storage. Even at temperatures below 0°C, it can safely overwinter. Sometimes, in situations where there are many potted plants and limited space, after the potting soil becomes slightly dry in winter, the plant can be removed from the soil, the bare roots wrapped with cotton and straw, and placed in a box or cabinet for storage, saving space and retaining heat. When the temperature rises to 10°C, the wrapping material is removed, and the plant is repotted and placed in a dry indoor area to gradually adapt to sunlight. Although this may slightly affect the plant's growth the following year, it is not a bad method for families with limited space and poor insulation facilities.
Epiphytic cacti are native to tropical rainforests with higher humidity, such as epiphyllum, phyllocactus, andDisocactus. They also require higher temperatures and humidity in winter, have no dormant period, and are more difficult to manage than terrestrial cacti. An ideal overwintering environment needs to be created for them. I have assembled a 5 cm thick glass box next to a south-facing window, with a layer of charcoal ash at the bottom, and a 100w light bulb inside for heating. The cacti are placed in the box and covered with a thin layer of plastic film, with the pot buried in the charcoal ash.
On sunny days, the film is slightly lifted for ventilation, and if the weather is bad, the plastic film is covered, and a cotton quilt or straw mat may be added, with the light bulb turned on for heating. Even on sunny nights, the glass box is covered with a straw mat or cotton quilt to retain heat. The temperature inside the box is generally maintained between 12°C-13°C. A small amount of watering is done to keep the potting soil in a semi-dry state. Additionally, the inside walls of the glass box are occasionally sprinkled with water to maintain a higher humidity level. This can meet the moisture needs of epiphytic cacti, allowing the plants to maintain low-level growth, which is beneficial for the following year's growth and flowering. It should be noted that if a glass box is not available, a similar management can be achieved by setting up a plastic film greenhouse.
Due to their unique and easy-to-grow flesh flower shapes, cacti can purify indoor air and many people are interested in growing them. So, how can one grow cacti well? I believe there are several aspects:
Temperature: Cacti prefer a high temperature and dry environment. The daytime room temperature in winter should be maintained above 20°C, and the night temperature should not be lower than 10°C. Low temperatures can cause root rot, but high temperatures can easily lead to scale insect infestations.
Light: Cacti require plenty of sunlight but need to be shaded from strong sunlight in summer. Indoor cultivation can use artificial lighting to promote healthy growth.
Soil: Cacti thrive in well-drained sandy loam soil. Artificial potting soil is often used for indoor cultivation, usually a mixture of peat and fine sand; fine sand can also be mixed with crushed pine needles.
Watering: Cacti require a dry environment and are afraid of accumulated water in the pot, usually maintaining the potting soil "dry and wet." It is best to use water that has been exposed to sunlight for watering.
Fertilizing: When repotting cacti, a small amount of base fertilizer, such as horseshoe slices, soybean cakes, or芝麻 paste residue, should be applied at the bottom of the pot. During the growing season, every two weeks, a fermented organic liquid fertilizer (with a concentration of 20%) can be applied, but be careful not to use too high a concentration of fertilizer.
Disease and Pest Control: In a high temperature and poor ventilation environment, diseases and pests can easily occur. Diseases can be sprayed with carbendazim or thiram, and pests can be sprayed with dimethoate. Regardless of which type of liquid is sprayed, it should be done outdoors.
Cacti can be propagated through grafting, usually using the flat grafting method, with the rootstock being a triangular arrow or a robust leafy pad. The specific method is as follows: first, the top of the rootstock is cut off, the base of the scion is cut horizontally, and the two are joined together, then tied with a string. After two weeks, the string is removed.
The aging of cacti starts from the bottom. When yellowing occurs, applying undiluted Cloudy 120 several times with a brush can fade the yellow color and rejuvenate the cacti. Cloudy 120 is a plant growth regulator containing hormones that is harmless to cacti at high concentrations. It has fewer side effects than other plant growth regulators.
The above is[] the complete content on the management and care methods of cacti. Have green enthusiasts understood?