Common signs and types of sagittarius cactus, plant cultivation, advice on watering and feeding, reproduction and transplantation of succulents, difficulties in cultivation. Cereus (Cereus) belongs to the diverse family of Cactaceae (Cactaceae). It is a succulent plant capable of storing water in its stems in order to survive periods of drought. The homeland of this cactus is considered to be the Mexican territories, regions of Central and South America, as well as the West Indies. About 46 species of the same "prickly beauties" are also listed here. The cactus has its name from the translation of the Latin word "cereus", which means wax or wax candle. Naturally, this reflects well the appearance of the plant. The number of representatives that are ranked in this genus is constantly changing and supplemented by botanical scientists. Back at the end of the 19th century, after careful systematization, up to 900 species were included in this genus, and today there are already only 34 cacti there. These succulents can grow in the form of pillars or rocky plants. If you take care of it properly, then the life expectancy of Cereus can reach three hundred years.
The plant has a tree-like form of growth, it can bush or branch, the crown of the cactus is well developed. The height can reach from one and a half to 20 meters at 40 cm in diameter. Cereus has a powerful root system. The ribs are usually 4 to 8 units, they are most often high, straight and pointed. The areoles of the cactus are large, they are covered with a grayish or whitish felt coating. The length of the radial spines reaches 0.5-3 cm, they grow from 3 to 20 pieces, they are stiff and strong enough. The spines, located in the center, look like an awl, with a length of 3–10 cm, there are 1–8 of them. The color of the thorns can be gray, brownish, red or black.
Flower buds bloom at night, shaded with white, pinkish-purple colors. Their shape is funnel-like, measuring 30 cm in length and 10–20 cm in diameter. They have a delicate aroma. The tube of the flower is distinguished by the presence of a small number of scales. The ovary of the cactus is bare.
After flowering, the fruit ripens of a yellow or reddish hue, naked, up to 10 cm in length. the fetus. Cereus berries are edible and have a delicate aroma.
Most often, it is customary to use cereus in home cultivation due to its high growth rate, as well as as the most persistent and hardy rootstock. They are used by room decorators, installing pots with a plant in showcases, winter gardens, to create phyto hills with planting a large number of representatives of cactus.
Recommendations for growing cereus, care
- Lighting and location. This plant is a sun worshiper, he simply loves to bask in the rays of the sun. For him, the southern, eastern or western windows of the room are suitable. In winter, it needs additional lighting.
- Content temperature for cereus, it must be kept in the winter time within the range of 8-12 degrees, and in the summer, the cereus can easily tolerate heat and fluctuations in heat indicators day and night. With the arrival of the middle of Vienna and until autumn, you can take the plant out into the air, arranging a pot on a balcony, in a garden or terrace.
- Rest period. In cereus, this time begins after the ripening of the fruit. The plant keeps at low temperatures and in a bright place.
- Air humidity. The plant is not very demanding on the indicators of moisture in the environment, therefore, spraying can be applied in the warm season with well-settled warm water.
- Fertilizer of cereus. Although in the natural environment plants have a high growth rate, although indoors it decreases, but it is still quite high. Therefore, after a period of dormancy, an activation of vegetative development begins (approximately from April to July). Special dressings for cacti are selected or a complex solution of trace elements is simply added to the water for irrigation. The main thing is that the fertilizers do not have a high nitrogen content, as this can provoke rotting of the stem.
- Watering the cactus. Moderation of moisture is required during the growth period (in the months of spring and summer), and from autumn the amount of watering decreases. If in winter Cereus is kept at cold temperatures, then watering is generally rare - the soil between them should dry out well and remain dry for several days. Water is taken soft and warm, otherwise failure to comply with this condition will lead to decay of the plant. Excessive watering is very harmful to the cactus.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate. When the cereus is still young, then the pot and substrate should be changed annually, and in the future this procedure is repeated every 2-3 years. The pot should not be too deep. A sufficient layer of drainage material (expanded clay of medium or fine fraction or pebbles) is laid on its bottom. Holes should be made in the bottom of the pot for water drainage. Moreover, the drainage layer should be laid on top of the soil, natural small pebbles or a decorative aquarium can act as it.
As a soil, you can use ready-made mixtures for succulents and cacti. The soil should be slightly acidic or neutral. You can prepare substrate options:
- sod soil, leafy soil, fine gravel (coarse-grained sand, fraction 2-3 mm), finely crushed brick, sifted from dust, 3-5 mm in diameter (all parts are equal);
- universal soil for plants ("Terra Vita" is possible), coarse sand with a fraction of 2-3 mm (fine gravel), brick chips with a fraction of 3-5 mm, carefully sifted from dust (in equal parts);
- soil "living earth", sod or leafy soil, crushed coal (or granular - sticks for cleaners, for example), brick chips (parts of the components are equal);
- turf or leafy soil (universal soil mixture), zeolite cat litter (for example, "Barsik" or "Pussy-cat").
If we take a ziolite filler, then it should not be soaked in water, it is sifted from dust and only those pieces are selected whose fraction is approximately 2–4 mm in thickness. It is also imperative to dilute the resulting earthen mixture with the addition of crushed wood (preferably birch) coal, in a ratio of 1:10 of the volume of the substrate.
Tips for breeding Cereus at home
You can get a new "wax candle" by planting a cuttings or seeds.
Sometimes some parts of the stems fall off from the cactus and over time they themselves germinate in the same pot - this is an analogue of propagation by cuttings. A healthy and fully formed stem is selected for cutting. A cut of the shoot is made at least 8-10 cm in length. Then you need to dry the cut parts for several days. This operation is performed in the spring months, but you can also choose the first half of the summer. The cuttings are planted in slightly damp sand or in a soil suitable for cacti. After 2–4 weeks, the stems will sprout and young cereus can be seated in separate containers and looked after as usual.
When using seeds, they should be planted in the second half of spring. Planting is carried out in moistened, and only river sand - the other, when water enters the soil, is compressed, and, as it were, cements the substrate. It is necessary to ensure that the soil is always moist. The container with seedlings must be wrapped in plastic wrap or covered with a piece of glass - this will create greenhouse conditions. Until shoots appear, the seedlings are kept in a shaded place, and when the seeds hatch, the container is moved to a window with soft diffused lighting. The temperature during cultivation is maintained within the range of 25-30 degrees.
In young cereus spines appear already at 3-4 weeks and you can start transplanting them in separate containers.
Difficulties in cereus agrotechnology
Cereus is a fairly resistant cactus to all sorts of diseases or pests, but there are some insects that can cause serious damage to it: spider mites, mealybugs, scale insects or false shield insects. If you find the following symptoms:
- the appearance of white spot with a fluffy surface;
- yellowing of leaves, the appearance of red dots on the surface of the leaves, the formation of a thin web;
- small brown visible beetles.
It is required to immediately apply pest control products, these can be:
- oil, soap or alcohol solutions;
- systemic insecticides.
There is a possibility of damage to cereus by rot caused by fungal diseases. It can manifest itself as a brown spot on the stems and sometimes it can have a depressed outline. This is a consequence of too frequent and abundant moisture. It is necessary to cut the affected parts to a healthy color of the stem, treat the wound with alcohol or fungicides. Equalize the soil moisture regime.
Also, sometimes root rot may appear, the reasons for the appearance of a frequent bay. If its symptoms are noticed (yellowing and blackening at the base of the cactus stems), then in this case, the earlier the disease is recognized, the better - it is possible to save the cereus. The plant is removed from the container, the roots are examined, the rot is washed off in the shower and the damaged parts of the root system are removed. Processing is carried out with a light solution of potassium permanganate. The place where the cactus grew, its pot and new substrate are disinfected (it is also better to take a new pot). A plant is being planted and watering is extremely rare until the signs of the disease pass.
As a preventive measure, cereus is periodically treated with pesticides.
Cereus species
- Cereus azure (Cereus azureus). The distribution area of this plant is the territory of Brazil. The cactus has a tree-like growth and stretches to a height of 3 meters, differs in shoots located on the sides up to 4 cm in diameter, they are covered with a silvery-blue bloom. Ribs in the amount of 6–7 units have a slightly wavy edge, their areoles are light brown in color, tomentose. Radially placed spines from 5 to 8 pieces of light color, centimeter long. Thorny outgrowths located in the center of 1–3 units are dark brown to black, straight and strong. The flowers are shaded in white, 20–25 cm long and 8 to 10 cm in diameter.
- Cereus forbesii. This type of cactus is preferred by areas of the Argentine lands such as Cordoba, Tunumana, Jujuy and Catamarca. The plant, which is distinguished by tree-like forms, with a height of 7 m. The shoots of the cactus are colored in a bluish-green light tone and measure 8–12 cm in diameter. Its ribs are large and wide in outline, they are usually 4–7 units, the areoles on them are white pubescence. The number of radial spines varies from 3 to 7 pieces, they are painted in dark gray and black shades, straight, hard, one to two centimeters long. The thorn in the center is single, black, there may be a reddish tint, powerful in shape and awl-like, up to 3-5 cm in length. The flowers bloom whitish 20-25 cm long with a diameter of up to a decimeter. The fruit is fleshy, red.
- Gray Cereus (Cereus glaucus). The range of this plant has not been precisely established. A cactus with a tree-like stem, reaching a height of 6–8 m, a stem in diameter can be measured 40 cm. The color of the side shoots ranges from bluish green to pale blue. Their size is about 10–20 cm in diameter and with the age of the plant it approaches 30 cm. The ribs, 6–8 units in number, are straight and highly placed, the areoles located on them are light gray. The spines reach 2–3 cm in length, have a brownish-grayish color, hardness, and their number is up to 20 units. Of these, 2-3 spines can be distinguished as central. It blooms with white-green buds, up to 30 cm long and 15 cm across. Fruits of a dark carmine tone in length grow to a decimeter.
- Cereus jamakaru. The cactus is most common in the lands of Brazil. It has a tree-like form of growth, while its bole reaches 35 cm in diameter. Differs in multiple light greenish shoots. The number of ribs can vary from 7 to 10 units. They are tall, but over time, tuberosity appears on them. Areoles can be yellowish to brown in color. Radial spines reaching a length of 3–8 cm, their number is 10–15 pieces. The color of all spines is grayish brown, they are distinguished by their straight shape and rigidity. The cactus blooms with white-green buds with a diameter of a decimeter, and about 25 cm in length. The color of the fruit can vary from carmine to red, and the flesh of the fruit is white.
- Cereus peruvian (Cereus peruvianus). The area of the plant is not known for certain. The stem can grow up to 3-5 meters long, with numerous shoots on the sides, which reach a decimeter in diameter. Differs in a bluish-green epidermis with high density. Ribs in the amount of 6-8 pieces are located straight, with sufficient height and sharply expressed. Areolas are sparsely located in a brown to gray tone. The spines in the form of needles, located radially centimeter-long, are cast in a light brown color, there are 4–6 units of them. The thorn in the center is single, it can be brown or with a reddish undertone, hard, up to 2 cm long. The smell of flowers is unpleasant. They are distinguished by a whitish color, 20 cm long with a decimeter diameter. The tone of the fruitlets varies from light yellow to orange colors, their shape is spherical at 6 cm in diameter. The seeds are large, black.
- Monstrosus form (form monstrosus). This plant has a very unusual bizarre shape, which causes its decorative effect. Its stems have a strong branching and are painted in a greenish-blue tone with ribs of different sizes, while with the help of shoots it forms rather intricate shapes. On the ribs and tuberosities, which are unevenly spaced, areoles with spines in the form of thorns or needles of brown color are located. The plant can even reach 5 meters in height. However, in indoor conditions it grows very slowly and its height parameters rarely exceed the meter or one and a half meter mark. The plant prefers a warm content during the winter months. Used for landscaping enclosed spaces or rooms.
- Strong Cereus (Cereus validus). The homeland of the cactus is considered to be the territory stretching from the eastern lands of Bolivia to Argentina. In height, the cactus reaches 2 m indicators, has the form of growth in the form of a bush. Branches into 5 or 8 lateral shoots, which are colored light green or bluish green. Ribs are soft, wide and low in height, their number ranges from 4 to 8 pieces. The number of radial spines is 3-5 units, the color is yellowish-gray, they are straight in shape, rigid, up to 2 cm in length. There can be from 1 to 3 central spines, they are dark gray in color, they are longer and coarser in mind, and some of them can reach 15 cm in length. The cactus blooms with buds, colored from white to red colors. Fruits are red in color with whitish pulp.
For more informative information about different types of cereus, see this video:
