Piante grasse cactus spine

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Schlumbergera, the “Christmas cactus”: how to make it bloom in all its abundance

As every year, between the end of November and the first half of December, my Schlumbergera blooms. As always, the blossoms are very abundant, with inflorescences on every “article” of the plants. These are very common, thornless cacti that I consider a classic “houseplant”, but no less interesting, than other genera. Let’s start by saying that Schlumbergera are for all intents and purposes cacti (family Cactaceae). They are epiphytic succulent plants that in nature live leaning on other plants that simply act as a support (epiphytes are therefore not parasitic plants). This genus, also commercially known as “Christmas cactus” because they bloom at this time of year (actually they bloom from November), is very beloved even among non-succulent enthusiasts.

In this article, we’ll learn how to cultivate the “Christmas Cactus”, for obtaining its abundant blooms without any problems. (…)

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Growing cacti and succulents: seasonal care and what needs to be done during the year

I have discussed in various articles on this site of the basic factors for growing cacti and succulents, particularly those collected in the Cultivation category. This post intends to be a kind of summary “map” organized by seasons (seasonal care), indicating what you have to do at each time of year. In the following article, I review everything that needs to be done in terms of watering, fertilizing, repotting, exposure, etc. – season by season, to best grow cacti and succulent plants in general. This guide is thought to be a practical “vademecum” at a glance (but each topic can be explored in depth thanks to the appropriate internal links) of what is useful and recommended to do in spring, summer, fall and winter.

In short, a kind of handbook to keep in mind every time to organize work, whether you have a greenhouse or a terrace, a balcony or even only a windowsill. Let’s see everything in this article. (…)

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How to make cactus and succulent plants bloom: what you need to know and what tricks to use

How to get cactus to bloom is one of the most frequently asked questions among succulent plant enthusiasts. Here are the precautions to take to make our cacti flourish.

Colourful, flashy, ephemeral. Cactus blooms are sudden bursts of energy. Often the buds develop in a few days to open within few hours, amazing the newcomers to the cultivation of these plants and, above all, those who are not familiar with succulents. In these last few years, I have noticed that there is a lot of misinformation about cacti, in particular about their blooms. Those who do not cultivate these plants can even be surprised that they can bloom, no more or less than the specimens of all the other plant families, forgetting that the flower is the basis of the reproduction of almost all plants. Others are impressed to learn that even cacti can bloom in abundance and several times during the growing season, thinking perhaps that the flowering of a cactus is an exceptional event, almost unique. Nothing could be more wrong: all the cacti regularly bloom, and if there are relatively stingy species, that can produce few flowers for limited periods during the year, there are also really generous species, able to give blooms several times for entire months (for example Echinopsis, Astrophytum, Strombocactus, Gymnocalycium, Trichocereus).

In the following article we see in detail how to make cacti and succulent plants bloom abundantly. (…)

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Summer is coming: seasonal care for cacti and succulents, watering and aestivation

Summer is a relatively quiet season for those who grow cacti. Things to do, in fact, are not that many. Preventive treatments have already been done, and repotting, although repotting can be done at any time if necessary, should be suspended at this time, when the plants are in vegetation and in full bloom. Fertilizations should also be stopped at this time, confining them to spring and September. Overall, the bulk of the work in the weeks from mid-June through August focuses on watering, which will need to be calibrated according to the species being grown. In some cases, with certain plants, it will be appropriate to suspend them altogether to avoid stagnation and rot. Indeed, there are plants that vegetate well even in these months and plants that slow down their vegetation. Still others, in the warmer months, such as July and August, stop vegetation altogether to resume growth at the time of September, as soon as the maximum temperatures have dropped slightly. This phenomenon, the halting of vegetation coinciding with the hottest weeks, is called “summering,” and it is good to know its effects to avoid risks in cultivation.

In the following article we look in detail at what we have to do in the run-up to summer to best prepare cacti and succulents and avoid problems. (…)

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Diseases and pests of cactus and succulents: how to recognize them and how to prevent their attacks

As much care as we can give to our cacti and succulent plants, some drawbacks with parasites, pests, infections and fungi can always happen. Unfortunately, it must be considered, particularly if you have many plants. With proper cultivation, however, the problem can be significantly reduced and the number of losses caused by animal parasites and bacteria can be considerably reduced. It may seem obvious, but the first and most effective tool for the fight against pathogens and harmful insects is prevention. Prevention is done through a cultivation regime as natural as possible that respects the cycles and times of plants without forcing their growth. Just in this way cacti and succulents grow healthy and robust to the point of being able to cope with adversities on their own. In the last few years, thanks to natural cultivation and treatments based on pesticides reduced to a minimum, I have no longer observed any attack on my plants by animal parasites. Sometimes I may have some losses due to Fusarium, but they are single specimens, never large scale infestations.

In the following article, we will see in detail what consists of prevention; which are the pests and diseases that can affect cacti and succulents; such as the symptoms of their action on plants, and how to carry out treatment and care in case of problems. (…)

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