The use of indoor plants in the interior of the premises has become a fashionable and modern design. With the splendor of a piece of wildlife, you can ennoble and make cozy any corner of rooms, offices, lobbies and halls. An interior solution can be large green spaces, or low flowering plantings, and sometimes just a separate fragment of a colorfully designed composition is enough and the room will sparkle with new colors. Cactus families are among such plants that can emphasize the individuality of the interior.
Guest from another continent
Until now, the history of the appearance of this peculiar plant is considered mysterious. Scientists suggest that the homeland of cacti are arid regions of South America. The family of succulents has been adapting for thousands of years in the climatic environment, accompanied by soil dehydration, and has formed its organic properties. In the world of plants, there are still no such specimens that can use internal fluid reserves for quite a long time.
Today cactus families grow in many countries. Quite often they are found both in South and North America, the Mediterranean countries, Europe, and, of course, in Russia. Under natural conditions, succulents have adapted well in the south of our country; in a home or office environment, they can be found almost throughout our vast country.
Cacti in the interior
Succulents differ from other plants in that they have a variety of shapes and appearance configurations: round, oval, branched. This makes it possible to decorate cacti both in independent compositions and create, in combination with other plantations, unique decorative elements. Blooming succulents look very impressive, their use in the interior will soften even the most strict style. A great helper when decorating a discreet cactus will be an original flower pot or planter, all kinds of paraphernalia elements can emphasize its individuality: rhinestones, bows, beads, butterflies. In a word, despite their unsightly appearance and pricklyness, cacti can give the interior of the premises a peculiar look.
Types of cacti
Plants of the cactus family are divided into four types:
- Subfamily pereskiev - are shrubs with round stems and flat leaves on them. The spines are located in the axils of the leaf, the flowers are most often solitary on the pedicel, or combined into a common inflorescence. Grow innatural conditions.
- The prickly pear subfamily is a very common species, has a variety of shapes and types, there are up to 300 varieties. This type of cactus is characterized by flat leaves with spines, resembling "ears" on the stem. Grown for indoor decoration.
- Subfamily mauhienivs - in appearance resembles the previous family, it is distinguished by the absence of thorns, resistance to frosty air. They grow mainly in the southern latitudes of the American continent.
- Cactus subfamily - representatives of this species are actively bred at home. Unlike previous families, they are spherical, cone-shaped or cylindrical, the leaves are completely absent.
Since this type of succulents is widespread in our country, we will consider it in more detail.
Some varieties of indoor cactus families
Aporocactus whip-shaped - has the appearance of hanging stems about 1cm thick. It grows insignificantly during the year, flowers appear in spring. Ideal for hanging pots
- Astrophytum capricornus - at the initial stage of growth it has the shape of a ribbed ball, with age it takes the size of a cylinder. Adult plants reach a height of up to 35 cm, flowers are formed in the summer, most often yellow in the form of chamomile. Depending on the variety, it may have curved or straight spines.
- Prickly pear - has small spikes of a hooked shape of a white or reddish hue, in heightgrows up to 30 cm. It has various shapes and sizes, so it is widely used in interiors.
- Rebutia tiny - the shape of a ball with a diameter of about 5 cm and a height of not more than 10 cm. It blooms annually, the inflorescence is a tubular size of a bright orange hue. Below is a photo of the cactus family of this species.
- Trichocereus whitening - plant sizes reach up to 1.5 m in height with the expansion of the upper part of the leaf.
- Mammillaria Bokasskaya is a cactus of a round or oval shape with a silvery hue. In spring, it is covered with small flowers encircling the stem.
- Cleistocactus Strauss - this species is common when decorating rooms. It grows up to 1 m high and has white spikes, densely covering the surface of the stem, which looks very impressive in general.
Echinopsis is a very hardy specimen, can go without watering for a long time, so it is often grown at home on balconies or verandas
There are about 200 species of names in the cactus family today. Each variety has its own characteristics that differ from other species in shape, color, size and shade of the flower, type of thorn.
Select location
Beginner flower growers mistakenly believe that the care of these unpretentious plants is minimal - it is enough to occasionally water and all worries are over. However, this version is wrong. Cacti require special attention and care, only then they can get a fulldevelopment and please the owner with exotic flowering.
Caring for a plant starts with choosing a location. Here it is worth remembering that cacti have a negative attitude towards direct drafts and do not like permutations from one place to another. All of the above plants are among the desert cacti, so they will feel comfortable on the south or southeast windows. The so-called forest succulents will feel more comfortable in the northern or western part of the room. The type of such a family of cactus photos and the name - Schlumbergera Buckley, or simply "Decembrist" and his fellows: epiphyllum, Gartner's ripsalidopsis.
Containment temperature
The most optimal temperature for plants - daytime should not exceed 30 degrees, night - not lower than 10. In the spring and summer, succulents will be happy with bright sunlight, because it is at this time that the plant actively grows, develops and blooms. In the winter season, cacti should be removed from the windowsill, create a cool environment and prevent hypothermia and drafts.
Irrigation
In winter, almost all plants are at rest, and cactus families are no exception. The need for moisture at this time of the year is minimal, so watering for adult specimens should be carried out no more than once a month, for young ones - once every two to three weeks. With the onset of warm days, the plant needs to increase watering, as an active period of growth begins. Moisturizecacti stands more often - once every 7-14 days, depending on the month. In summer, there is a rapid development and flowering of succulents, watering should be increased at intervals of once every two to three days.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to summarize all of the above. To date, there are a huge variety of species and subspecies of cactus families. Each variety has its own, characterizing this particular group of succulents, signs and differences. Despite the unsightly appearance and pricklyness, these plants, due to their various shapes, sizes and shades, occupy a worthy place in our everyday life.
