Description of the plant, features of care, advice on reproduction and transplantation, methods of pest control, species that are grown in apartments or offices. Pereskia belongs to the Cactaceae family of about 20 plant species. She belongs to the oldest and simplest cacti, which still has leaf plates. The present-day cacti also once had "normal" leaves, but under the influence of the hot and waterless conditions of the deserts, they gradually changed and became thorns, and the stem was taller to fulfill the duties of leaves. Today this genus is numbered in species that take shrubby deciduous forms, the type of a tree (which can grow up to 10 m in height) or a climbing plant. The native habitat is hot and tropical areas of both Americas.
It got its name in honor of the French botanist Nicola-Claude de Peyresque; it was first mentioned in the notes of Charles Plamier at the beginning of the 18th century. Pereskia can be found under the names "cactus-rose" for flowers that resemble a rose hip or a tea rose, or "leafy cactus" due to the fact that it has real leaves and the stems are covered with thorns.
The plant has a high growth rate and can increase by 20 cm during the year. The root system of the pereskia is distinguished by enviable power and is often used by experienced florists to plant other cacti. In all forms of pereskii, the branches have a slightly broken shape and thorns grow on them. The leaf plates are distinguished by very short petioles, or simply sit on the shoot. Areoles (pads that carry thorns) are located on the stem in the axils of the leaves and several elongated spines of a brown or black shade grow from them. If the plant is adult, then the number of such spines can reach 80 units per areola, and their length is measured 12 cm.
The leaf plates are arranged in a regular sequence on the branches, have a solid edge, their shape can vary from elongated oval and elongated ovoid to obovate. There are wrinkles on the surface of the leaves, and they almost resemble succulent leaves. In length, they can vary from 2 cm in small plants to 25 cm in the largest. The color of the leaves is rich emerald or purple, but with age, its color fades and during dormancy the foliage crumbles.
Pereskia flowers are also not similar to any other cactus flowers. The tubes, which many cactus flowers have, are practically absent here, the petals of the flower have a wide or wide-oval appearance, because of this, the peresky flower is very reminiscent of a rosehip flower. Buds very rarely bloom singly, more often in groups. Some types of pereskia are distinguished by racemose inflorescences, which are formed from groups of flowers and are located at the tops of the shoots. The color of the buds is quite varied, there are both creamy, yellowish and saffron tones, as well as pink, red and purple tones. The scent of plants is sometimes confused with the scent of citrus flowers. The flowering period takes place in the summer and autumn months. The flower in full dissolution can reach up to 7 cm in diameter.
After the flowering process, the pereski bears fruit with fleshy ball or pear-shaped fruits, which are filled with large shiny black seeds. Pereskia is often used to decorate rooms or to form a phyto-fence in the open air.
Recommendations for growing pereskii at home
Lighting
Pereskia is very fond of good and bright lighting, although the scorching midday sun rays are quite harmful to the plant. But the peresky also does not like the full shade, if the plant spends time in full shade, it may not survive this. To install a flower pot on a windowsill, you need to carefully consider the amount of light on the plant during the day. For this, windows of the south side are suitable, as well as the southeast or southwest direction. If you put the pereskia on window sills, where there will be insufficient lighting, then flowering will become very rare or may not occur. If the plant has stood in the shade for a long time or has just been bought, then it is gradually taught to bright light or to the sun's rays, so as not to expose the plant to sunburn. If there is not enough light for the plant, then the stems will become ugly stretched between the nodes. With a natural shortening of daylight hours, it is recommended to arrange additional lighting with special phytolamps for pereskii.
With the arrival of spring and throughout the summer, pereski can be exposed to fresh air for better health and hardening - a balcony, a terrace or installed in a garden. But it is necessary to find such a place so that the pot with the plant is covered from rainfall and shaded from the scorching dining rays of the sun. If it is not possible to take the pot out into the air, then it is often necessary to ventilate the room where the plant is located.
Flower maintenance temperature
Pereskia prefers room temperature, which is measured at 20-23 degrees Celsius. With the arrival of autumn, the indicators are reduced to 15 degrees and the pereskia is prepared for the period of winter dormancy. During the wintering period, the temperature drops even more, up to 12-16 degrees, but do not allow it to drop below 10 degrees Celsius, as this is detrimental to the pereski. But during this period it is necessary to arrange good lighting and a periodic supply of fresh air.
Air humidity
Pereskija does not require any special conditions with high air humidity; it calmly transfers the dry air of apartments. Still, the plant does better when periodically sprayed with softened water at room temperature. You can also regularly arrange shower procedures, while the water temperature should not be higher than 23 degrees Celsius, this will not only refresh the plant, but also remove dust accumulated on the leaves.
Watering pereski
When watering, it is necessary to carefully study the state of the soil in the pot, the peresky loves a little drying of the substrate. If in the summer the temperatures are insignificant (summer is cold) - watering is infrequent, but if the summer months are hot, then watering is more frequent. It is important to remember that pereski, like any cactus, does not tolerate being flooded with water and can immediately begin to rot. To water the plant, take soft water, for this it is defended for several days (at least two) or rain is used. You can also soften the water with vinegar, lemon juice or citric acid, add these solutions in such a proportion that the acid is not felt in the water.
Fertilizers
Only excluding the time of winter dormancy, it is recommended to fertilize pereskia with complex dressings twice a month. The dormant period is allocated so that the plant does not grow. It is better not to use organics, since the inclusion of nitrogen in such fertilizing can lead to the beginning of rotting of the plant roots. You can also use fertilizers for cacti, but the concentration of the liquid is halved. It is helpful to use dry mullein, which is sprinkled on top of the soil - this will promote healthier growth of the leaf blades.
Transplanting and soil selection
The change of the pot and soil of the young peresky settles annually, when the plant grows up, then this action is performed at a one-time frequency of 2-3 years, if the root system has completely mastered the land provided to it in the pot. Since the root system of the pereskii is distinguished by enviable power, the new pot must be chosen deeper and wider than the previous one. At the bottom of the pot, it is advisable to make holes for the outflow of unabsorbed water and provide high-quality drainage.
The soil for pereski is selected fertile, but you can take soil for cacti and supplement it with humus (humus). You can also use any universal soil, adding a baking powder (such as perlite or vermiculite) and humus to it. It should be sufficiently loose and water and air should easily pass through it. The acidity of the substrate should be neutral. The soil mixture is also compiled independently using the following options:
- 2 parts of leaf land, 2 parts of clay-sod, 2 parts of humus, 1 part of coarse sand;
- garden leafy soil, humus soil, coarse sand, crushed charcoal (all in equal proportions).
After transplanting, the pereskia begins to grow sharply. The plant must be pruned periodically to give a more beautiful bush in shape. The cut stems can be used to breed pereskii using cuttings.
Reproduction of pereskii at home
Reproduction occurs by cuttings that are ripe, but not yet lignified and seed material.
Cuttings for planting should have 1-2 nodes. They are planted in moist prepared soil and kept at a temperature of 25-28 degrees. The substrate is prepared on the basis of leafy soil, garden soil, coarse sand, humus, crushed charcoal (the proportions are kept the same). But it is quite acceptable to wait for the appearance of roots in cuttings that are placed in water. You can also use the following mixtures for rooting: peat-sand, just wet sand poured onto a layer of peat soil. After planting, the cuttings are covered with a plastic bag to create increased humidity, but frequent ventilation is necessary to avoid rotting fleshy stems. After the cuttings have produced a sufficient number of roots, they must be carefully transplanted into separate pots with soil that is suitable for adult specimens. After that, they need to be pinched.
Pests of overexposure and difficulties in home cultivation
After the flowers change color, they must be removed immediately. If the plant does not give normal growth, this means too little watering in the summer or flooding during the dormant period, as well as if the plant has not changed its pot and soil for a long time. Insufficient lighting leads to a loss of decorativeness of the pereskii, its shoots are ugly stretched out. If the top of the stem was deformed, and softened putrefactive spots appeared on the stem, then the reason was the overmoistening of the substrate, especially in the winter months. The leaves were covered with yellow and brown spots - there was a sunburn of the leaf plates of a plant that was not accustomed to the direct rays of the sun.
Most often, pereskia is affected by mealybugs, spider mites, whiteflies and scabies. When dealing with these pests, you can first try to remove them by wiping the leaf plates with soap, oil or alcohol solutions. If these measures do not lead to improvement, then it is necessary to spray with modern insecticidal agents.
Types of transfer
All species of this plant are divided into clades (branches), which are characterized by their place of origin. The native habitat of Pereskii, which belong to the northern branch (treasure A), is the wooded tropics of the plains that stretch from the western coastal Mexican territories to the Caribbean Islands (this treasure includes 8 representatives). The second area (treasure B), or, as they say, the southern branch, are areas characterized by a drier climate and mountainous territories (Brazilian southeastern staircases, Peruvian and Bolivian mountains, some Uruguayan, Paraguayan and north-Argentine regions).
- Pereskia grandiflora (Pereskia grandiflora). It has a tree-like shape and in natural conditions can grow up to 5 m in height, with a trunk 20 cm in diameter. The leaf plates are rough to the touch and the plant completely discards them when the temperature drops below 10 degrees. The stem is completely covered with thorns 2–3 cm long. The inflorescences are pink flowers. This species is found under the names of pereskii large-leaved, Rhodocactus grandifolius or Cactus grandifolius.
- Pereskia prickly (Pereskia aculeata). It grows in the tropical regions of America. It is often used to create phyto-hedges and grow edible fruits, often referred to as "Barbados gooseberries". The native habitat is the southeastern United States (Florida) to the steppe regions and forests of Brazil and Paraguay. It has a bushy or curly shape and can grow up to 10 m long. This pereskia is the simplest member of the cactus family. The fleshy stem branching well enough, has a one and a half centimeter diameter. The leaf plates have an elongated oval shape, deep green in color, with a length of 9 cm and a width of about 4 cm. Over time, the lower leaves begin to fall off and only brown areoles remain on the stem, from which hard spines grow from 1 to 3 units of brown shade. Shorter, curved spines are located at the bottom of the areoles, which are located under the base of the leaf. The flowering process takes the last summer month and stretches to the beginning of autumn. Flowers in dissolution are large creamy pink bowls with a diameter of up to 5 cm. Flowering is accompanied by a light aroma. Edible fruits are yellow in color and reach 2 cm.
- Pereskia godseffiana. This species is considered by many authors as a separate one, but it still belongs to the variety of pereskia prickly. The stems of this plant are only 1.8 m long. The leaves are 6 cm in length, the leaf surface is light green with a slight pink undertone. The reverse side of the leaf is deeply dark pink. Also, some representatives of this species are distinguished by variegated leaves. The stems of this type of cactus are spinous and covered with long black spines. White flowers are compared to wild rose buds.
- Pereskia orange (Pereskia bleo De Candolle). Its second name, Cactus bleo Kunth, is often found. Under natural conditions, it can stretch with a stem up to 5 m in height. The leaf plates are quite large in size, on which the pattern of the veins is clearly visible. Flowering occurs in the summer. The name is the color of the petals, which are painted in red-orange tones. In the dissolution, the diameter of the flower reaches 6 cm. It takes a rosy shape and buds bloom in the evening. Fruits in lemon-colored inedible cones with a pronounced pineapple aroma. If the plant is pruned as planned, then it can be given a more compact appearance.
- Pereskia weberiana. This species is extremely interesting for flower growers, as it is a short shrub, reaching from 1 to 3 m in height. Flowering begins in April and lasts until August. Small diameter flowers are white. The plant is used to grow bonsai.
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