How to grow prickly pear?

Cactus flowers are divided into two major categories in cultivation: terrestrial cacti and epiphytic cacti. These two types of cactus flowers have very different requirements for temperature, light, and moisture in their overwintering sites. But the author believes that their overwintering management should start in autumn. After mid-autumn, palm plants should receive as much light as possible. After entering late autumn, watering should be gradually controlled until it is stopped. If necessary, a small amount of potassium chloride solution can be applied to increase the concentration of plant body fluids and enhance cold resistance. From late autumn to early winter, do not rush to bring palm flowers into the house too early. Instead, try to keep the plants outdoors to receive full sunlight during the day and low-temperature exercise at night. If there is no cold wave, palm flowers can only enter the room when the lowest temperature drops to 4°C at night. Don't take a break in between. Palm flowers that have been treated in this way generally have enhanced tolerance to low temperatures, which is beneficial to overwintering.

Terrestrial cacti are native to arid areas, are extremely drought-tolerant, and often have dormant habits. After winter, watering should be absolutely prohibited and the pot soil should be kept dry to encourage it to enter a dormant state. If the temperature is not lower than 2℃-5℃, you can survive the winter safely. Because palm plants are most cold-tolerant during the dormant period. If improper watering in winter breaks their dormancy and restores their physiological activity, the plants' cold tolerance will be reduced and they will be susceptible to frost and rot. If the room temperature is too low during the winter, the plants can be covered with plastic to keep them warm. Even when necessary, the plants can be wrapped in cotton and straw, and the pots can be placed in wooden boxes and cabinets for storage. Even if the temperature is below 0℃, it can survive the winter safely. Sometimes when there are many flowers planted at home but the space is limited and the conditions are poor, after winter, when the pot soil is dry, the plants can be removed from the pot soil, and the bare roots can be wrapped with cotton straw and placed in a box or cabinet. Stored in, it not only saves space, but also keeps heat. When the temperature rises to 10°C, remove the wrapping material from the plant, repot it, and place it indoors and in a dry place to gradually adapt to sunlight. Spray and water the plant appropriately at noon to allow it to gradually resume growth. Although this will have some impact on the growth of the plants in the coming year, it is also a good way to survive the winter for families who lack space and have poor insulation facilities.

Epiphytic cacti are native to tropical rainforests with high air humidity, such as epiphyllum, arrow lotus, crab claw orchid, etc. They also need higher temperatures and air humidity in winter and have no dormant period, so overwintering management is more difficult than terrestrial cacti. An ideal overwintering environment needs to be created for them. The author installed a 5 cm thick glass box next to the south-facing window. The bottom of the box was laid with a layer of charcoal ash. A 100w light bulb was installed in the box for heating. The cactus was placed in the box, covered with plastic film, and the pot Buried in charcoal ash. When the weather is fine, lift the film appropriately for ventilation. If the weather is bad, cover it with plastic film. If necessary, cover it with a quilt or straw curtain, and light the bulb for heating. Even on sunny nights, the glass box should be covered with straw curtains or quilts to keep it warm. In this way, the temperature inside the box is generally maintained between 12°C and 13°C. You can water a small amount at ordinary times to keep the pot soil in a semi-dry state. Usually, it is necessary to sprinkle water on the glass box wall as appropriate to maintain a high air humidity in the glass box. This can meet the water needs of epiphytic cacti, allowing the plant to maintain a low level of growth, which is beneficial to the growth and flowering of the second year. Let me explain here that if there is no glass box, you can also use a double-layer plastic film to build an insulation shed for the same management, so that epiphytic cacti can survive the winter safely.

Because the succulent flowers of prickly pear have a unique shape, are easy to cultivate, and can purify indoor air, many people are very interested in growing prickly pear. So, how to raise cactus well? The author believes that there are the following aspects:

Temperature Prickly pear loves high temperature and dry environment. In winter, the room temperature should be kept above 20℃ during the day and the night temperature should not be lower than 10℃. Too low a temperature can easily cause root rot, but too high a temperature can easily cause scale insect damage.

Light cactus requires sufficient sunlight, but it cannot be exposed to strong light in summer and needs to be properly shaded. For indoor cultivation, you can use light to make it grow vigorously.

Soil Cactus is suitable for growing in sandy loam soil with good drainage. Artificial culture soil is often used for indoor cultivation. It is usually prepared by mixing half and half of peat soil and fine sand. You can also use crushed pine needles and add fine sand to the mixture. Planting in culture soil.

Watering cactus requires a dry environment and is afraid of water accumulation in the pot soil. Usually, the pot soil should be kept "dry and wet". It is best to use water that has been dried for watering.

When fertilizing cactus and changing the potting soil, add a small amount of base fertilizer, such as water chestnut slices, bean cakes or sesame paste residue, to the bottom of the pot. During the growth period, fermented organic liquid fertilizer should be irrigated once every half month (the concentration is preferably 20), and the fertilizer concentration should not be too high.

Pests and diseases control In an environment with high temperature and poor ventilation, pests and diseases are prone to occur. Diseases can be sprayed with carbendazim or thiophanate; insect pests can be killed by spraying dimethoate. No matter what kind of liquid is sprayed, it must be done outdoors.

Cactus can be propagated by grafting. Generally, the flat grafting method is used. The rootstock can be a three-edged arrow or a strong palm. The specific method is: first cut off the top of the rootstock, cross-cut the base of the scion, and combine the two. Butt together and then tie with string. After two weeks, remove the cord.

The aging of the cactus starts from the bottom. When the aging yellow color appears, use a brush to apply undiluted Yun Da 120 times to the sphere to make the yellow fade away and make the cactus rejuvenate. This is what I do experience. Yunda 120 is a plant growth regulator containing hormones, which is harmless to the plants at high concentrations. It has less side effects than other plant growth regulators.

This medicine can be bought in pesticide stores.

Cacti care

Cactus likes sunshine and is not afraid of drying out. Therefore, it should be watered once a month in spring and summer. In winter, it should be watered once every 2-3 months. Note , be sure to water thoroughly when watering; repotting should be carried out in spring. The newly repotted cactus should not be watered immediately, but should be watered after 1 week. Cultivation of cactus should be done in flat-bottomed tile pots, and the soil inside should be 1 part sand 1 part Mix 1 part soil to 1 part bone meal, and apply a thin fertilizer twice a year, so you can grow prickly pear well.

Prickly pear is native to Argentina and southern Brazil and is a perennial succulent succulent plant. The stems are spherical, solitary or clustered, and the old plants are cylindrical. Blooms in summer, and the flowers are borne on the sides of the sphere. The flowers of most varieties are trumpet-shaped, white, fragrant, and fleshy. The cactus likes light, but it should avoid long-term direct sunlight and shade in summer. It should not be kept indoors for a long time. Requires moderately fertile, well-drained, calcareous sandy loam soil. The propagation of cactus is mainly by cuttings from separate stems, and can also be grafted. During the growing season, peel off the pods from the mother ball and plant them. The pods can also be grafted onto the tops of other columnar or vine-shaped cacti to cultivate new landscapes. For potted cactus, you can use 3 parts each of leaf mold soil, garden soil and coarse sand, plus 1 part plant ash to prepare a culture soil. Potting and repotting are best done in early spring. The size of the basin should be enough to accommodate the sphere with a slight gap. When potting, place a layer of broken tiles or gravel about 3 cm thick on the bottom of the pot to facilitate drainage. The appropriate planting depth should be that the root neck of the sphere is level with the soil surface. Do not water newly planted cactus, just spray water 2 to 3 times a day. After half a month, you can water a small amount. After a month or so when new roots grow, you can gradually increase the amount of watering. When planting, you should pay attention to watering the cactus to keep the pot soil from being too dry. The lower the temperature, the more important it is to keep the pot soil dry. As the temperature rises, plant dormancy is gradually lifted, and the amount of watering should be gradually increased. However, in the hot summer, watering should be properly controlled and the potted flowers should be placed in a shaded place. After the hot summer days and the weather turns cooler, normal watering should be resumed. Apply thin liquid fertilizer or compound flower fertilizer every half month or so during the growing season, and stop fertilizing in winter and hot summer. In addition to shade in summer, you should also pay attention to good ventilation. Insufficient light, excessive shade, or too much fertilizer and water during cultivation can lead to failure to bloom. In northern areas, when the weather warms up in spring, potted flowers can be placed outdoors in a sunny place for maintenance. Before winter, they can be moved indoors and placed in a sunny place. If the room temperature is kept above 5℃, they can survive the winter safely.

Prickly pear cultivation and management are simple, the main thing is to master watering. Repot in early spring every year. When repotting, cut off part of the old roots and let them dry for 4-5 days before planting. The planting should not be too deep, and the root neck of the sphere should be level with the soil surface. Do not water newly planted cactus immediately. Just spray water mist 2-3 times a day.

After half a month, you can water a small amount. After one month, when new roots have emerged, you can gradually increase the amount of watering. During winter dormancy, watering should be controlled and the pot soil should be kept dry. Indoors with good heating conditions, normal watering can be done in the morning on sunny days. From spring to summer, as the temperature rises, the frequency and amount of watering can be gradually increased. It requires a high temperature and high humidity environment, but watering should be appropriately controlled during hot and rainy seasons and placed in a well-ventilated shaded area. After the dog days, normal watering resumes when the weather turns cooler. Apply decomposed thin cake fertilizer every 10 days or half a month during the growing season. There is no need to fertilize in winter.

After autumn, the temperature continues to drop, especially at night. When there is a cold wave, early frost sometimes occurs at night. At this time, the physiological activities of the cactus tend to slow down, and the water consumption of the sphere is also significantly reduced, so watering It must be controlled. If it is sunny and warm weather, watering is generally done twice a week. As the temperature turns cooler in autumn, watering is done once a week or once every two weeks. Water evaporates slowly in rainy days. Do not water, otherwise it will cause soil damage. If it is too wet, it will easily cause root rot and cause the death of the cactus sphere. After autumn, cactus should not be fertilized more. Generally, it is appropriate to fertilize liquid once a month. Fertilization should be stopped during the Cold Dew Festival. If fertilization is applied at this time, the cactus will continue to grow, and the growing part of the ball will be tender and its cold resistance will be reduced. In late autumn, there is a huge temperature difference between day and night, and the tender cactus spheres are prone to frost damage.

In early winter, when the weather turns cold, the cactus will be moved indoors to a place with common sunlight. If the temperature is lower than 5℃, the smaller spheres can be covered with cans. If the large balls cannot be filled in cans, they can be covered with cans. Cover the entire pot with a plastic bag; if there are many cactus, you can nail a wooden box (cardboard box is also acceptable) according to the number of balls, put the balls in the box, and then cover it with plastic film. Be careful that the box is sealed and not breathable. Fortunately, a 40-watt light bulb is installed in the box. When the weather forecast reaches zero degrees, turn on the lights at night to keep warm. Then use old cloth to make a cotton sleeve and put it on the outer layer of the ball box. This way, the triangle can be safely insulated for the winter. In sunny, warm and windless weather, you can often bask in the sun, thus forming a warm microclimate inside the cover, and the temperature inside the cover can generally be maintained above 5°C. In severe cold weather, be sure not to remove the plastic wrap to watch football, as the ball and triangle will suddenly be hit by the cold wind, causing the ball to shrink and the triangle to freeze.

After the cactus survives the harsh winter, you still have to pay attention to leaving the house in the spring. Spring is warm and cold, and the climate is changeable. Don't rush out of the house too early, and don't water in early spring. Otherwise, all your hard work over the winter will be ruined. You must wait until around Grain Rain, when the temperature has stabilized, before you can move outdoors. , carry out normal maintenance and management.