Hatiora: simple care rules
Content:
Hatiora is a cactus. The homeland of this plant is Brazil. In the wild, it grows inside the cracks of trees and between boulders. In appearance, the hathiora is not very similar to a cactus; its appearance is more like underwater corals. If you have desires to have such a plant at home - read this article to the end.
Hatiora: briefly about the plant
Hatiora grows wild in the tropics. At the moment, about eight species of this plant are known, most of them are widely used as ornamental plants.
Experienced gardeners and summer residents talk about this plant as follows:
- The plant grows straight up.
- Hatiora has highly branched branches.
- The stems either have a slight downward slope or grow straight up.
- The plant has no foliage.
- The plant has the remains of white thorns, this is a rudiment.
- There are flowers on the top of the plant.
- Flowers bloom from March to May.
- Flowers have small petals.
- The petals are in rows in the bud.
- The fruit is elongated.
- The berries are half transparent.
The roots are fibrous. The roots convert the moisture in the air into the moisture needed by the plant and soil.
Hatiora is an absolutely unpretentious plant, so beginners also grow it, it is one of the most popular indoor plants. Even if you forget to let the plant into the room, fresh air is not a problem. It has a high level of heat resistance. Unfortunately, the hatiora has a low growth rate; in about five years, the stems can grow up to twenty to thirty centimeters.
The stems are very dense and often break and droop because of this, as they are very heavy. We advise you to make or purchase a peg to support the cactus.
Hatiora: the most famous plant species
In fact, there are relatively few indoor plants. Most of them can be compared to "Rozhdestvennik".
The most famous plant species are:
- "Hatiora Hermina".
The stems of the plant are gray in color, the shape resembles a cylinder. It does not have a large number of lateral processes. In the process of flowering, lush pink buds are formed. The buds cover almost the entire area of the stem.
- "Hatiora Solerosovaya".
Small shoots are green in color, the shape is similar to that of bottles. In early March, yellow buds are formed on the plant.
- "Hatior Gartner".
The most similar in appearance to the "Rozhdestvennik". It has small stems with short thorns. Large buds of pink color.
- "Hatiora Pink".
The stems are green or red in color, long, covered with light-colored hairs. Crimson buds, approximately four centimeters wide. The fruit is yellow in color.
- "Hatiora Gresseri".
A species bred by breeders. Stems are small in size with small spines. Large buds of pink color.
It is worth considering the fragility of the stems, you need to work with them very carefully and touch them only when necessary.
How to properly care for a plant?
As mentioned above, the plant does not require all your time and a huge amount of energy. Care rules are basic:
- Make sure that the air temperature does not exceed twenty - twenty two degrees. In the spring and summer, the houseplant is calmly moved to fresh air.
- Use a spray bottle for regular spraying.And on especially warm days, thoroughly moisten the soil.
- Purchase or make your own artificial light, since the plant is photophilous, the amount of sunlight or artificial light should be sufficient.
To increase the number of lush and bright buds in the next flowering process, you must carefully water it and place the plant in a room with a temperature of fifteen degrees maximum. At rest, the plant should not be disturbed.
In the process of flowering, the cactus needs fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers. You can buy ordinary cactus fertilizer at any garden-themed store. Watch out for low nitrogen levels. On high temperatures or days of abundant heating, try to moisten the soil more often. And with the onset of frost and winter - to reduce.
Transplant instructions and breeding methods
Cacti at the age of one to three years must be transplanted every year, since the root system is actively developing at this time and it does not have enough space in a pot or any other container. It is recommended to repot the plant after the flowering process. Place a drainage layer in the new pot that takes up half of the pot. The materials can be:
- stones.
- crushed bricks.
- expanded clay.
It is better to give preference to soils:
- turf.
- garden.
- peat.
- sandy.
- humus.
There are two ways to reproduce this plant:
- seed.
Experienced gardeners and summer residents most often use it. This method is good for breeding new varieties. The method is not easy, as the seed germination is very poor.
- vegetative.
The easiest way. Divide the crown into two or three parts. Leave in the fresh air for five days. Place in soil and cover with plastic wrap.
The seed method is used only by experienced growers in order to obtain new varieties and hybrids. It is quite difficult to collect planting material, moreover, it quickly deteriorates.