Piante grasse cactus spine

Tag: pumice

When to pricking out cactus seedlings, how to do it correctly, and what potting soil to use

Speaking of cactus sowings, a classic question, and one not infrequently asked with a fair amount of (unnecessary) apprehension, is: after how long should seedlings be repotted? In other words, when do the young seedlings need to be repotted and perhaps divided into individual pots? Again, as with many other “cactophilies matters”, the answer depends on various cultivation factors. Based on experience, however, it is possible to give general indications useful to those who experiment with sowing for the first time.

Let’s see in detail, in this article, everything we need to know about this fundamental step for the proper growth of plants from our sowing. (…)

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Six identical cacti in three different soils: a cultivation test with Mammillaria hahniana

Here is another test of mine. In the cultivation of cacti, a bit like with many other passions in life, there are two different approaches: a “static” approach, let’s say “contemplative” and “collecting”, and a “dynamic” one, experimental and inspired by an ever greater understanding of these plants. In this second approach (which is the one that has inspired my passion for years) the study of reliable texts, the comparison with other growers and, above all, the experimentation in the field, for example, working on potting media, exposure, cultivation techniques and more, are fundamental. Just growing plants – succulent or not – for years and years, in the same way, never changing the type of soil, exposure or method of cultivation is fine, mind you. Clearly, it’s perfect for those who only appreciate plants from an aesthetic or collecting point of view and have no particular demands. In short, it’s valid for those who are not interested in learning more and are not willing to take risks to improve and better understand the plants themselves.

Instead, the aim of “wild” cultivation is to obtain specimens as robust as possible, and with the same look to those that grow in the habitat (I write about this cultivation’s philosophy here). In addition to the documentation and possibly travel to observe the plants in nature, it is essential to engage in some experiments and be willing to question continuously, even if it could lose some specimens (not the valuable ones, of course). (…)

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Cactus without roots: how to save the plant and which soil to use to get it back to full health

Cacti can be capricious plants, expecially because of their roots. It can happen, in fact, that despite all the cares we dedicate to one of our succulent plants, it stops growing, stops producing thorns and flowers and, in the space of a few weeks (or months, in some cases), begins to deteriorate, deflating and turning yellow. At the origin of this phenomenon, not always a pathology exists, as a bacterial attack that can cause the rot. In the same way, the cause may not necessarily be due to a parasitic attack. If you look closely at the plant, for example, you might not find any traces of spider mite or mealybug, the two main pests of succulents. With experience I have learned that when a plant, even apparently healthy (i.e. not affected by parasites or bacteria) and grown in the best conditions (light, air, watering, soil, etc..) begins to deteriorate deflating and yellowing despite watering, it is always better to remove it from the pot and check the health of the root system. More often than we might think, the problem can hide just there, below the collar.

In this article we will see everything we can do to save a cactus or a succulent plant in evident difficulty or when, after having flared it, we realize that it has lost all or part of its roots. (…)

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Repotting cactus: the classic mix of pumice, lapillus and peat to speed up growth

I generally start repotting from mid-December onwards, to finish within the first few months of the new year. This year, considering the number of plants I sow that need repotting, I started well in advance. Despite the still high temperatures for the period, in fact, the plants are already in stasis and it is possible to proceed without problems. The repotting period is one of the most debated topics, together with the composition of the growing soils: there are those who repot only plants in vegetation, those only in spring, those during the winter and those who repot at any time of the year. Let’s say that there isn’t a fixed rule: over the years, I have repotted practically in all seasons, according to needs, and I have never encountered any problems. The important thing is to stick to that only really useful precaution which is to avoid watering immediately after repotting. It is necessary to give the damaged or cut roots time to heal in dry soil during repotting, so as to avoid the risk that they may trigger rot. The rest is a matter of choices. Personally I prefer to repot and change the soil to the plants during the winter season, or in any case when the cacti and succulents are in vegetative stasis, for example just before spring, so that several weeks elapse between repotting and the first watering. I’ve been following this “rule” for years and have never had a problem. Of course, it may happen that some plants find it difficult to restart after repotting, to the point of being stuck even for a whole year, but this can happen by repotting at any time. Let’s not forget that repotting is in any case a significant “stress” for plants. This is also why I prefer winter, when the cacti are at rest and the effects of repotting are less “traumatic”.

Let’s explore the topic of repotting and substrates for cacti, in particular the “standard” soil based on pumice, lapillus and peat in equal parts, in the following article. (…)

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Targeted repotting: sowing identical plants in different soils to test the substrate

It’s time for… testing. Between the end of December and the end of February, as soon as I have time, I dedicate myself to repotting the plants in the greenhouse. Obviously I only repot plants in stasis, with very dry soil, postponing the change of pot to spring for the plants that I keep in vegetation in winter, perhaps outdoors (but still in pots and not in the ground, of course). Today I flared and planted about fifty plants that I obtained by sowing in natural light and heat. Some of them were born in 2014, others in 2016 (but already large enough to be repotted). It was an opportunity to start a useful test on various types of soil to understand how this affects the growth of some specific species of cacti.

Let’s see in the following article what exactly this experiment on the substrate consists of and let’s see, thanks to the photographic update two years after repotting, how the plants have grown. (…)

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