Cactus flowers, care and reproduction of indoor plants

In almost every house you can see these unusual plants. Many people start them, believing that they are completely unpretentious and do not need care. It's a delusion. For cacti to develop well, they need to be cared for properly. Only in this case you will be able to see the flowers of the cactus, which at home appear infrequently.

Description of cacti

These are unusual thorny plants that have successfully adapted to life in hot deserts, on infertile plateaus of southern countries. They belong to a large family of cacti. In natural conditions, plants store moisture in the stalk during the rainy season, which they need in the dry season. As a rule, these flowers do not have leaves - their function is performed by a thick and dense green stem, which can have a variety of forms: columnar and cylindrical, trihedral and globular, etc.

These stinging flowers also differ in stems. They are ribbed and smooth, wrinkled and tuberculate, with recesses or papillae. Above them is covered with a hard cuticle with a wax coating.

The leaves of the cacti have mutated and turned into setae, hairs of different shapes, spines. Cactus needles can reach 12 cm in length, and they are painted differently. They grow out of felt-worn pads. Only Peiresk (leaf-bearing cactus) can boast of real leaves, which seem a little like leaves of citrus plants.

Bristles and thorns of this plant are necessary in natural conditions for protection from animals. But this is not their only function. Sharp needles - a kind of device that helps to transfer to animals prickly fruits of the plant, as well as reducing the evaporation of moisture.

A man from ancient times drew attention to the fact that in bizarre in form, and sometimes rather small plants, there are large, extraordinary beauty of cactus flowers, which differ in shape and color. They are funnel-shaped, tubular, bisexual. There are species in which flowers appear only at night. And in many varieties they produce a subtle exquisite aroma.

Cactus seeds and fruits

The fruits of this plant are tied at the beginning of summer and mature by the end of the warm season, after which they are easily separated from the stem. If the fruit is not ripe by autumn due to late pollination, the plant must be transferred to a greenhouse and provided with additional lighting, otherwise the seeds will not ripen. Cactus fruits have a spherical, oval or elongated shape and can be differently colored - in red, yellow, green, brown, purple.

In melocactuses and mammillaria, they ripen inside the stem and then are pushed out. Seeds of cacti often occupy the entire interior of the fruit and are attached to its walls by the seeds or are located there freely. Seeds in the same fruit in different types of cacti can be from a few pieces to one and a half thousand. They have different sizes and shapes. The smallest - in the Aztecs, strombokaktusov and parodies. There are irregularly spherical or elongated seeds, shiny or matte, brown or black, with microscopic tubercles on the surface.

In this article we will introduce you indoor plants. Photos and names of these cacti you can see below.

Varieties

In nature, in our time there are more than three thousand species of cacti. Today, experts share them in the way they grow - greenhouses, garden and indoor. In order for the cactus to receive proper care, it is necessary to know to which species this or that specimen belongs. Nature has not spiked nature with all the plants. There are rare species, completely devoid of sharp spines. For example, the cactus creeping crawberry, the leafy epiphyllums, the larvae of ripsalis shrubbery, and so on.

Desert, forest and tropical cacti are known, which are strikingly different in appearance.

Flowering cacti

In natural conditions, all the representatives of this family blossom. Flowers of domestic cacti can be seen on certain species, the content of which is as close as possible to the natural. Such plants include:

• Mamillary;
• Echinopsis;
• Astrophytum;
• Epiphyllums;
• Cereus;
• Hametzereusy;
• Rebuttsy;
• Wilkoxy;
• Frailei,
• Phylocactus.

These plants are much easier to create the necessary conditions. Flowers can have a variety of shades - from white to bright red. In addition, they are very small or rather large. Having provided proper care for this prickly plant, you can enjoy its flowering for a very long time.

Owners need to know that it takes a lot of energy to blossom a cactus, for this reason, this process occurs only once a year. The most popular of the blooming cacti in florists are cacti echinopsis, which many call sea urchins. With proper care and sufficient lighting, you can grow cacti with red flowers. Sometimes they are tender yellow or white.

Care for cacti

Today these flowers are very common and popular. Such houseplants, photos and names of which can be seen in almost all editions on floriculture, are attracted by the originality of the appearance.

First, let's determine where to put the cactus, so that it develops and grows most actively. Cactus requires a lot of light, so it is desirable to place it on the south and south-east windowsill. In late spring and summer, your plant can be taken to fresh air.

In the early days, when a tender stem gets used to direct sunlight, it needs a small shadow. For this, a thin cigarette or wrapping paper is suitable. After three weeks, it can be removed, but you must ensure that the flower does not settle with dust, it did not get rain. If your pet has a smooth stalk of a saturated green color, then most likely it will require partial shade throughout the summer. This plant is not recommended to expose to direct sunlight.

Temperature

One of the most common myths is the huge love of these plants for the heat. In reality, it depends on a certain type, as well as the time of the year. But in any case, the temperature above + 35 ° C can cause the plant to stop growing. Cactus - a flower, care for which requires compliance with certain rules.

It should be noted that this plant tolerates considerable temperature changes during daytime and night hours, but the comfortable temperature should not be below + 6 ° C.

Lighting

If there are no specific recommendations for a particular species, then in the winter it does not need additional lighting. However, most species need it. For this purpose, special lamps are used, which are necessary during the period from November to February.

Watering

There is an opinion that cacti should be watered no more often than once a month. This is a big mistake. Perhaps, with this watering schedule your plant will not die, but it will become a great stress for him. In the growing season, the soil should be moistened as needed. To find out how much watering is necessary, touch your finger to the ground. If it remained absolutely dry - the cactus needs watering.

An exception can only be periods of rest - in extreme heat, and also in winter. In summer, instead of watering, it is more expedient to sprinkle the plant from the sprayer once a day.

In winter, moisten the cactus carefully - you should not allow water to fall onto the stem. In summer rainy days the plant can not be sprayed - it will get the necessary moisture from the air. Water for irrigation should be constant, room temperature. Take care that it does not accumulate in the pan.

Priming

To see the magnificent flowers of a cactus, you need to take care of the soil. Usually cactuses are sold in an already prepared substrate, but if there is a need to transplant a flower, then a light breathable soil should be selected. It can be done on its own, mixing leafy earth, turf, river sand in equal proportions and adding a little gravel, brick crumb for drainage.

Popular species and names of cacti

Mammilia can be found in almost every connoisseur of these plants. A distinctive feature of it is a small white spider web between needles. The stem is most often cylindrical in shape, but sometimes also globular. Usually near the stalk appears a lot of cactus-children. The reason for the popularity of this plant is flowering even at a young age.

Cactus flowers are small, painted in red, white or rich pink. Flowering begins in late February or early March. After its termination, the original fruits mature, which decorate the plants.

Rebucia

This cactus is a mountain species. Its stem, which is spherical, is completely covered with spines. Rebutia blossoms usually once a year, at the very beginning of spring. Flowers large in different colors - orange, red, purple, pink. If this cactus winters in comfortable cool, sunny conditions, and in spring it is moved to a room that is regularly aired, then the rebeccy blooms profusely. It should be noted that this cactus does not tolerate over-dried soil.

Hametzereusy

The most popular kind is the hamlet of Sylvester. The flowers of this cactus are large, bright. Hameecereus prefers dry air and solar rooms, so in additional moisturization does not need. In winter, the owner can generally forget about this flower, since at that time it only takes one or two waterings, and from the spring, the hametzereuses should be fertilized with special fertilizers (for cacti) and watering to increase.

Prickly pear

The plant has a flat and succulent branch. The prickly pear cactus is a large plant. In natural conditions it grows to six meters in height. This kind of cactus is usually grown as an ornamental plant, but not everyone knows that it is edible. The flower does not contain toxic substances, so it is safe for humans. In cooking, all its parts are used - stems, flowers, fruits, juice.

Indians use the juice of this cactus instead of plaster casts. Its adhesive texture combined with feathers can perfectly fix a broken limb.

Beneficial features

The presence of vitamins and minerals in the composition determines the beneficial properties of the flower. Its berries contain vitamin C in quite a large amount. The tissues contain potassium and calcium. In the Mediterranean cactus, the prickly pear is known as an effective remedy for stomach pain and diarrhea. Flowers and branches of the plant are shown in the complex treatment of ulcers, hypertension, liver diseases, obesity. Opuntia restores blood sugar, reduces cholesterol.

Scientists who studied the composition and properties of the plant, concluded that this cactus can produce soap, deodorants, vitamins. In many tropical countries where this species is common, prickly pears are grown to make cosmetics and medicines.