What soil is suitable for cacti, how to make it yourself and how to choose purchased soil. Universal soil for cacti and planting “in the horizon” How to make soil for cacti

First, once again about the soil for cacti. It should be loose and allow water and air to pass through well. One of the main loosening components of any substrate is sand. But we often omit the postscript, taking it for granted that the sand should be river sand, well washed, and sifted from dust. If this is not done, the sand will add cementing properties to the entire soil rather than loosening. Look, there are two types of sand in the photo, one was taken from a sandbox near the house (it got there from a construction site), the second is river sand, washed and coarser (sifted), they even differ in color. After wetting, the first sticks together in lumps, the second, on the contrary, does not hold its shape - it crumbles, and, naturally, only this one is suitable for us.

Another component is zeolite granules from cat litter (“Barsik-standard” or any other, but always non-clumping litter). They are also added for loosening, but they are prepared for this: they are thoroughly washed and then sifted. A coarse fraction is added to the soil. The remaining components of the substrate are traditionally: garden soil or universal soil from the store and fine expanded clay. The soil can be replaced with coconut substrate, whose main advantage is its looseness, it does not stick together into a monolithic piece, allows the roots to breathe, and its acidity is close to neutral. When adding coconut substrate from briquettes, it must be taken into account that it swells when it first gets wet, increasing in volume three times. In order not to make a mistake with the quantity, and the cacti are not “kicked out” of the pot after the first watering, it is better coconut substrate wet in advance and dry again, and then mix into the soil.

Suitable ziolite (clay) fillers for cacti.

Drainage in a pot

For cacti, drainage is a must, especially if you don't know how to choose the right pot size, if you are planting in a pot with small holes in the bottom, or if you are planting an arrangement of several cacti in one pot. Even drainage holes will not prevent stagnation of water in the roots, because excess water remains in the pan, from where there is not always time to drain it. The dimensions of the drainage are relative - at least 1/6 of the volume of the pot, maximum - 1/3.

Expanded clay can be used as drainage, small pieces red broken bricks, small crushed stone, as well as pieces of foam plastic, or cut into small pieces wine cork. With cork it is easiest - it is easily cut into pieces of about 5 mm. But when replanting, the old drainage needs to be thrown away - it accumulates salts. To ensure good drainage from the roots, water the cactus thoroughly before replanting. But after you shake off the old soil, leave the succulent to lie in the shade with the root system open for two hours. It is also a good idea to add broken egg shells to the cactus drainage.

Preparing to transplant cacti

The best time to transplant cacti is the end of March, April, beginning of May, i.e. when plants are just starting to grow. But if necessary, you can replant cacti throughout the growing season. When transplanting healthy cacti with a noticeably grown root system, the new pot should be slightly larger than the old one. The old pot should fit freely into the new one. If rotten or dead roots are found during transplantation, they must be carefully removed. nail scissors. In this case, the pot is taken a little smaller than the old one, and more sand and pieces are added to the soil. charcoal. Slow growing cacti that have grown little root system from the last transplant, you can plant it in the same pot, just replace the soil with fresh one.

Before replanting, it is better to disinfect both the pots and the soil. The pots can be doused with boiling water, and the soil mixture can be kept in the oven for about half an hour. Before transplanting, cacti are not watered for 2-3 days, because part of the wet soil will inevitably remain on the roots, and if the roots are injured, cracked, or broken, moisture quickly leads to rotting. The soil mixture for planting should not be cold, dry, but may be slightly damp, but in no case soggy. Let me explain what slightly moist soil means - this is exactly the moisture content of soil purchased in a store when the package is opened. It does not dry into dust, but when clenched in a fist, it clumps slightly, but quickly disintegrates.

The stem of a cactus can be held with tweezers

If you don't have tweezers, use a strip of paper

A healthy cactus has such a powerful root system that it is not so easy to remove it from the pot.

How to plant a cactus

To remove a cactus from an old pot without hurting your hands on the thorns, it is very convenient to use plastic tweezers. But there is another way - the plant is wrapped in a strip of paper folded in several layers, then the pot with the plant is turned over, and lightly tapping on the bottom, it is removed. As the famous Zaletaeva I.A. wrote, a healthy cactus must have a very strong root system, and this is defined as follows: if you take the cactus by the trunk and lift it, then it must either rise with the pot, or be taken out of the pot with the entire earthen lump, entwined with roots. If the roots break off, some of them remain in the pot, and the rest remain with the plant - then this is a sign that your cactus was not feeling well or was sick. Most likely, some conditions of detention were violated, possibly waterlogging, which led to poor growth root system, or its decay and partial death.

If the cactus is “stuck” to the ground and the pot, you need to squeeze the sides of the plastic pot with your hands, or separate the soil with a knife along the wall of the pot.

If, on the contrary, the cactus easily fell out of the old pot, revealing fragments of roots, all rotten areas must be removed and the sections sprinkled with crushed charcoal. If the root system has been significantly damaged and many roots have been removed, then the new soil mixture should contain more sand, and the pot should be smaller than the previous one.

Proper planting of a cactus - small pot, top and bottom drainage

Incorrect planting of the cactus - poor drainage at the bottom, deepening of the root collar into the ground

Stem rot from constant contact with wet soil

Drainage is poured into the bottom of a new pot, then a little substrate mixed in a bowl, and then the plant is planted, carefully straightening the roots and evenly adding soil between them. There is no need to compact or press the soil hard; you can only knock on the wall of the pot so that the soil falls between the roots. When replanting a cactus, it is important that the stem (trunk, body) is not covered with soil; the soil is only filled up to the root collar. If the stem ends up in the ground, then when the cactus is watered, it will begin to rot, which will lead to the death of the plant, or when it comes into contact with wet soil, suberization begins on the cactus stem - the formation of a dry brown crust. Schematically correct transplant is shown in the figure above, which shows a cross-section of the pot (the dimensions and ratios of the pot-cactus are almost life-size). As we have already correctly mentioned, do not forget that the frequency of watering depends on the temperature.

Because root collar is narrow, and the stem further expands greatly, then the plant will sit quite unstable in the soil. Therefore, you need to strengthen the cactus in the pot by surrounding it with pebbles or decorative stones (from an aquarium store). This is called top drainage. The pebbles should not be too small, as they create too much dense layer, and the soil breathes less well and dries more slowly. Long large cacti It is very difficult to hold the pebbles, then they have to be tied to a support. The pot for large specimens of cacti should not be taken too large, otherwise the soil will turn sour. And so that the pot is stable and does not overturn the prickly giant, a large stone is placed at the bottom of the pot among the usual drainage.

When replanting, it is recommended to shake off the old soil from the roots of the cactus, doing this as carefully as possible. But if the roots have densely intertwined the earthen lump and formed a kind of root felt, then under no circumstances should you dig out the old soil. It is necessary to transship to a new bigger pot with the addition of fresh soil. But for cacti bought in a store, it is advisable to shake off all the soil, since they are planted in pure peat, which is in no way suitable for. From my own experience, I can say that in some cases it is easier to get rid of store-bought soil if it is dry (for large cacti), and sometimes you have to soak the root ball in warm (almost hot water), and then carefully remove the peat fibers from the roots.

After transplant healthy cacti do not water for at least 3 days; if the plant has many damaged roots, then it is not watered for 5-7 days. If the temperature indoors or outdoors is not lower than 20°C, then the cactus can be sprayed with a very fine spray, preventing droplets from forming and flowing to the ground. In addition, a newly transplanted cactus cannot be placed in direct sun; it is usually shaded for 4-6 days.

Young cacti, up to three to five years old, are replanted annually; older plants are replanted every other year. Epiphytic cacti are replanted annually after flowering. Also, after flowering, all cacti that bloom are replanted. in early spring or at the end of winter.

Root bath for cacti

A special treatment method (or root bath) for cacti with damaged root systems, used during replanting. I once read about this method in an old book about cacti, I used it myself and had positive results(the exceptions are epiphyllums and decembrists). It happens that a cactus is apparently healthy, but grows very poorly, and the roots turn out to be poorly developed and weak when transplanted. Then you can try the following procedure. The cactus, after being removed from the pot, shakes off old land, you can even wash the roots in warm water, but carefully so that there are no breaks. Then hot water is poured into a cup or glass, at a temperature of about 50-55 °C. For this you will need a thermometer.

A dense material is taken and fixed on a glass above the water. A hole is made in the middle and a cactus is placed there, while the roots up to the root collar should be in hot water, but neither the stem nor the root collar should touch the water. The cactus is kept in this hot water for up to 15 minutes. It is important that the water does not cool down, but is at the same temperature all the time; you can wrap the glass in a woolen shawl, or add hot water, monitoring the temperature with a thermometer, but under no circumstances cover the glass with the cactus. This procedure stimulates root formation in cacti. After this, the cactus roots must be dried for 12-24 hours, and then planted according to all the rules.

The natural habitat of succulents, which are cacti, is not very favorable. However, this does not mean that when growing these plants you do not need to pay attention to the choice of soil. It is important to choose correct composition soil, and also give it a structure optimal for the development of the root system. Succulents are very demanding regarding these parameters.

The soil for cacti should be loose and rough. The soil contains river vermiculite, etc., in a certain proportion. This makes the soil coarse-grained and loose. It will allow air and moisture to pass through. Every cactus grower should know the peculiarities of preparing such a mixture.

Selecting a container for transplantation

Before you know what kind of soil is suitable for a cactus, you need to choose the right container for replanting. In this matter, the plant is considered quite demanding. Even if the soil is selected correctly, if the cactus is transplanted into an unsuitable container, it will develop worse.

The pot can be made of any materials except metal. It is important to choose the right shape and size. Having taken the plant out of the old container, you should evaluate the size and structure of its root system. If it is more developed at the top, it is better to give preference to a shallow but wide container. If the roots are long and have a pronounced main stem, it is better to choose a deep but narrow pot.

The container size should not be large. It should be slightly larger than the cactus root system. You should also take into account that drainage will take up some space in the pot. If the plant is sick, it is better to transplant it completely small pot. When choosing a container, the type of cactus is also taken into account. For example, many babies appear on mammillaria. At the same time, many individual plants can grow in a pot.

Features of the pot

When deciding what kind of soil to plant a cactus in, you should also choose the right type of container. The material for the pot can be almost anything. Most often, cacti are grown in small plastic containers. Even yogurt cups are suitable for these purposes.

Also one of the best materials for the pot is clay or ceramics. They can be decorated different ways. Even ordinary ones are suitable for these purposes. coffee cups. Some cactus growers grow plants in coconut shells. There are many options. It is not recommended to use metal utensils for such purposes. It may rust. This negatively affects the growth of the cactus.

If there are a lot of plants, the containers can be placed on one tray close to each other. This makes it easier to carry the collection and increases the stability of each cup. IN plastic containers moisture lasts longer. Watering is done less frequently. The pot must have drainage holes.

Forbidden components

The soil for planting a cactus should not contain organic fertilizers. Such additives are rich in nitrogen. This component negatively affects the development of the plant. Cacti, consuming nitrogen, become loose. Their stem stretches out. The spines and hairs become weak, the skin will not have time to grow at the same speed as the stem. Wounds, cracks and scars will form on the surface. This is a life-threatening condition for the plant.

Resistance to diseases and others external influences in this case it becomes low. The cactus may be attacked by pests and fungal infections. With a high degree of probability the plant will die. Therefore, it is forbidden to add to the soil bird droppings, manure or horn shavings.

The soil should not contain pests and their larvae, undecomposed organic waste. It is important that it remains loose throughout the entire period of growth of the cactus.

Soil Features

When studying which soil to transplant a cactus into, you should consider several possible options. You can prepare the mixture yourself. Universal primers are also on sale. However, when purchasing them, it is important to pay attention to what types of cactus they are intended for.

The main requirement for the soil is its high granularity. Cacti do not tolerate digging up the soil. Therefore, the soil must be loose due to its special composition.

Also, the soil must be nutritious. To do this, it is necessary to enrich the soil with certain components. Experienced flower growers They claim that it is best for these purposes to use clay-turf soil or leaf humus, which contains coarse river sand and crushed stone.

How to prepare the mixture yourself?

The soil for cactus at home is prepared according to one of several methods. The first approach involves mixing leaf soil, turf, peat and coarse sand in equal proportions.

If the cactus is of the plain type (for example, Echinopsis), the soil for it should be more nutritious and porous. In this case, mix 2 parts of turf soil with 1 part of leaf humus, peat, and coarse sand.

Representatives of the Cereus family need very nutritious soil. These cacti are known for their rapid growth And large sizes. For such plants, the mixture is prepared from 1 part of leaf, turf soil, peat, and ¼ part of humus.

From the finished soil mixture you can create soil with improved characteristics. They are suitable for unpretentious species cacti. For them, take 2 parts of the prepared soil mixture. Add 2 parts and 1 part gravel to it.

Advice from experienced specialists will help you understand what kind of soil is needed for cacti. When choosing the correct mixture composition, you should also ensure high quality all components. Leaf humus, which is involved in preparing the soil, should not contain twigs, twigs or other debris.

Any gardener should know what kind of soil is needed for cacti to ensure full growth of plants and their uniform development throughout the year. Properly selected soil for cacti and succulents will prevent the root system from rotting and improve the absorption of nutrients. The article talks about what soil for cacti should consist of and what should be missing from it. The information provided will allow you to right choice or pick up all the ingredients and mix the nutritional mixture with your own hands. By the way, prepared soil for cactus at home must be calcined for 3 hours in an oven at a temperature of at least 200 degrees Celsius.

Land for cacti and succulents at home

You can find many different recipes in the literature soil mixtures for cacti. However, this circumstance should not lead the cactus lover into confusion. Cacti grow beautifully in a wide variety of soil substrates, as long as a few basic conditions are met.

So the soil for cacti should be loose and well-permeable to water and air. The soil for succulents should not be prone to compaction or clogging. Further, the soil for cacti and succulents should not contain components that are easily rotten, that is, it should not contain, for example, fresh compost. According to its chemical reaction, it should be slightly acidic (for specialists: pH value about 5.5). In addition, it is necessary that the soil for the cactus at home retains sufficient moisture and nutrients and slowly releases them to the plants.

Cactus growers who have a large collection prepare their own soil mixtures for plants and always have in stock a sufficient amount of the necessary components. Plant lovers who have only a few cacti or a medium-sized collection can buy special cactus potting mix packaged in small packages. True, it is quite expensive and is not always suitable for individual cacti. It is often more profitable to buy regular flower soil, which retains its structure for a long time, has the addition of crushed clay and is unlikely to contain pests or weed seeds.

Composition of soil for cacti

To prepare a soil composition for cacti, the soil is mixed in a 1:1 ratio with a loosening material, for example, coarse sand, fine crushed stone, crushed lava slag (basalt), crushed pumice or perlite. This additive is necessary to increase the water and breathability of the substrate; At the same time, its coarse-grained and durable structure is very important. Therefore, coarse sand can be used as a loosening material, but fine sand, and even with an admixture of clay, on the contrary, is not very suitable for preparing a substrate for cacti.

For cacti that prefer humus soil, you can mix 60% soil mixture with 40% leavening additive; for species that are susceptible to waterlogging and need a small amount of water, use a mixture consisting of only 40% soil and 60% mineral leavening agent. Only for particularly rare cacti, originating from areas with extreme climatic conditions, which are cultivated by specialists, it is necessary to prepare a special and, most often, completely devoid of humus mineral substrate.

The exception is epiphytically growing forest cacti. These include “Christmas” and “Easter” cacti, different kinds rhipsalis and selenicereus (also a real “queen of the night”), as well as many phyllocacti. They prefer a substrate rich in humus and at the same time loose and acidic. For these cacti, flower soil is mixed with crushed sphagnum moss, a small amount peat, as well as perlite or foam flakes.

For a novice gardener, it is important to clearly understand what soil to plant the cactus in. Often such understanding comes after a series of trials and failures. You should not believe rumors that the most suitable mixture is the one that is similar to the composition of the soil in the homeland of cacti.

Some people plant the plant in completely unsuitable soil. At the same time, the cacti feel great. However, this does not mean that you can give up on the composition of the soil for the cactus. Special attention should not be given to it, but to the structure of the mixture, acidity, ratio and amount of nutrients.

Soil composition for cactus

To properly prepare a soil mixture for a cactus, you need to know some factors. For example, the plant variety, its age. The recipes offered by flower growers differ only in the combination of ingredients. But they always remain the same.

Before you search required composition soil for a cactus, you should know that it must meet two parameters:

• the mixture is chosen to be loose, easily permeable to water and air;
• low soil acidity.

To understand what kind of soil a cactus needs, its age is first determined. For young and mature plants, a loose, nutritious mixture is more suitable. Therefore, most of the composition is made up of leaf soil. Adult and old cacti need dense soil. It will become greenhouse and clay-turf soil.

Plants growing in steppes and forests are usually planted in soil with a slightly acidic reaction. But mountain and desert prefer soil with a neutral reaction. The main ingredients of soil mixtures are leafy, old greenhouse soil, rotted manure, baked clay, and charcoal.

What kind of soil a cactus likes depends on its type. For example, plants that have virtually no thorns prefer mixtures without calcium content. But if the cactus is all decorated with spines, then even eggshells are added to the soil.

The optimal time for preparing the mixture is a month before planting. It is recommended to store it in a slightly wet. It is very difficult to guess how a plant will react to a particular type of mixture. To identify the disadvantages and advantages, it is better not to change it for a long time.

Changes in the soil mixture can be detected during replanting by examining the root system. If she is developed and healthy, then the mixture is suitable. When the roots are rotten and have not developed enough, it is better to replace the mixture, since it does not bring any benefit.

Thus, optimal composition soil for a cactus is determined by selection during its cultivation.

Cacti are quite demanding on the container in which they will grow. The size of the pot should match the root system of the cactus. To choose the right pot, you need to remove the cactus from the old container, carefully straighten the roots and inspect the root system. In some cacti, the roots are better developed in the upper part and are not very long, then the pot should be wide enough, but not deep. In other cacti, the roots grow in length, especially if the root system has a main taproot, then the pot should be deep, but not wide. In any case, the volume of a pot or other container for planting should not greatly exceed the volume of the root system in a straightened form, but it must be taken into account that some space in the pot will be taken up by drainage.

An incorrectly selected pot - it is too large, the cactus will grow in it too slowly, all you have to do is admire the decorative stones.

Properly selected pot, commensurate with the root system. In addition, in a properly selected pot, the cactus is less likely to suffer from excess moisture.

If the cactus is sick or damaged in some way, then the dishes should be slightly smaller in size than the volume of the root system. Also, when choosing a container, you should take into account the growth pattern of cacti. For example, mammillaria form many children, and in one pot there are many plants, so they need wider pots, but not deep ones. But for Ariocarpus, for example, the container should be deeper than wide.

What material the container for growing a cactus will be made of is a matter of taste. Usually cacti are grown in plastic pots, but they can also be grown in clay pots and in plastic yogurt cups, and in ceramic cups, and in shells coconut, etc. It is not advisable to grow cacti only in metal utensils, which can rust, and this will adversely affect the plant. If there are a lot of cacti and the collection is growing, then it is quite convenient to plant the cacti in square or rectangular containers, which are then placed easily and tightly together on a common tray; this makes it easier to carry the cacti; the tightly arranged pots occupy a stable position. Only the frequency of watering depends on what material the container is made of. In plastic dishes, the earth retains moisture longer than in clay ones.

Another condition for containers for cacti is drainage holes. You could say that this is required condition, since cacti really don’t like stagnant water in a pot (especially epiphytes). Water that remains in the roots can lead to rotting and death of the plant.

Soil for cacti

Preparing soil for replanting cacti is a complex and controversial issue, in the sense that the composition of the soil depends on many factors, for example, the type of cactus, its age, etc. IN various literature provide various recipes and methods for preparing soil for cacti. Despite the fact that they sometimes differ, each author who advises one or another soil recipe, as a rule, relies on his own experience, having good results. The ingredients included in traditional cactus soils are varied, but always the same, these are:

Before choosing a particular soil mixture, you need to know that in any case, it must meet the following requirements:

• the soil for any cacti should be loose and easily allow water and air to pass through;
• Soil acidity for almost all cacti should be slightly acidic, better than pH = 4.5 - 6.

You need to know that leaf soil is looser than clay-turf and greenhouse soil. Brick chips and river sand give the soil looseness. And to give the soil the necessary acidity, add either peat (to increase acidity) or lime (gives an alkaline reaction and reduces acidity). It should be borne in mind that young cacti and prickly seedlings need looser and more nutritious soil, so leaf soil makes up a significant proportion of the soil mixture for them. Adult and old cacti need denser soil, so they take more greenhouse and clay-turf soil. For fast-growing cacti, humus is added to the soil mixture. What else will the composition of the soil mixture depend on? Depending on the species characteristics of the plant, for example, cacti that have absolutely no spines need less calcium in the soil than cacti richly decorated with spines, which benefit from adding crushed eggshells to the soil.

By the way

Often several cacti, sometimes very different ones, are planted in one container, creating a composition. In this case, the growth rate and future size of each cactus should be taken into account so that the plants do not interfere with or suppress each other. In addition, cacti growing in the same container should require similar conditions of maintenance, watering, light, and temperature.

Soil mixture recipes

For planting and germination of seeds. Sheet soil is poured onto the drainage layer, and coarse river sand, washed to remove dust, is placed on top in an even layer. General proportions: 2 parts leaf soil, 1 part sand.

For picking seedlings a soil mixture is made up of 1 part leaf soil, 1 part coarse river sand(or zeolite granules). Then, per glass of soil, add 1 teaspoon without top of red brick crushed into powder and the same amount of crushed charcoal.

For mature plants A soil mixture is made up of 1 part turf soil, 1 part leaf soil (or 1 part greenhouse soil), 2 parts coarse river sand (fine gravel or zeolite). Then for a glass of soil add 1 teaspoon with the top of crushed red brick into powder and 1 teaspoon without the top of crushed charcoal.

For old plants(from 4 years and older) a soil mixture is made up of 2 parts clay-turf soil, 1 part leaf soil, 1 part river sand (or zeolite) and 1 part vermiculite.

Store-bought soil mixtures

When choosing a purchased soil mixture for cacti, you need to pay attention to the fact that it is loose and easily absorbs moisture.

Unfortunately, most commercially available soil mixtures for cacti contain peat instead of leaf soil; sometimes it has a structure that is not at all suitable for growing cacti - such a mixture is poorly wetted with water, as a result, the water stagnates in the pot, which harms the plant .

Therefore, if you bought a cactus mixture, before planting the plant in it, pour a little soil into the pot and water it.

If the soil is not immediately wetted and water remains for a long time on the surface - such soil is not suitable for growing cacti, despite the fact that it can be very loose and contain pieces of coal and broken bricks.

If for some reason you cannot prepare the soil mixture yourself, then you can purchase regular greenhouse soil or soil mixture for others at the store. indoor plants, provided that it is loose and allows water to pass through well.

Then add red brick chips, pieces of charcoal, and for old plants a little dry crushed clay to this soil. Mix the mixture well before planting.

By the way

In all literature, lime or old plaster. I deliberately do not include it in soil mixtures, as I have learned from my own experience that it must be handled very carefully.

In the sense that excess lime is very harmful to cacti, first of all, suberization of the root part of the stem is observed, even in cases where lime was not added to the soil, its excess occurs due to high content in water.

Thus, it makes sense to add lime to the soil of those cacti that are watered with very soft water.

By the way

A cactus grower, like no one else, needs to have a lot of things that he cannot do without and will need them someday.

These are: thermometer, alcohol, paint brush, sharp knife(you can use a scalpel), potassium permanganate, fungicide and insecticide preparations, sulfur, crushed charcoal and pieces of charcoal, pieces of red brick and crushed red brick, expanded clay, sprayer, watering can with a narrow neck.