In the cold season, more than ever, we lack bright colors that can awaken a spark of life, new impressions and just a good mood. Flowers are the best way to achieve this. Namely, the Decembrists, or as they are also called in another way - Christmas.
The Decembrist is a forest cactus, but unlike his fellow cacti, he does not like the fiery sun, it is difficult to do without water and is completely harmless in terms of the fact that it does not have thorns. The name "Decembrist" speaks for itself. After all, it's time for their main flowering, it falls in December-January.
In order for a forest cactus to be able to delight on New Year's holidays with its own colorful buds, you need to know the basic rules of care for this wonderful flower. Especially in autumn and winter. In order for the bush to cheer you up with its flowering in the cool season, it needs care all year round. And, observing all the preferences of this cactus, you can get a bonus in the form of a second and even third flowering. Noticing fallen leaves and wilting of a flower, one can understand that these are signals of damage to the root system. Infection of which occurs by penetration of parasites into the soil or weak parts of the plant. In this case, such unpleasant diseases as late blight, fusarosis or phytium arise. Lumps on a white plant indicate a mealybug. In this case, in addition to drugs, you should remember about watering and not flood the plant.
To restore a sick Decembrist, fungicides and other similar preparations are usually used. It should also be remembered that the cactus pot should not be too spacious.
Do not overdo it with watering, as well as too sunny side of the world. The best side is the east.
It is necessary to cut off the buds that have already pleased you and have faded.
Caring for a Christmas tree in winter and autumn is a change in temperature, watering, and feeding methods. The mistake of many amateur gardeners is the irresistible desire to “feed” the Decembrist as much as possible before flowering. In no case should this be done! Feeding the flower must be done in summer and spring with a mixture of potassium, fluorine and nitrogen dissolved in water, but not in winter.
There comes a period when a month remains before the appearance of buds, which means that it is necessary to stop feeding. In the autumn period, when the Christmas bush is gaining strength before flowering (September-November), the temperature regime should be +12 - +16 degrees. The autumn-winter period is very important for this plant. This is a dormant period. At this time, you should not only change the habitat of the flower in the room, but even rotate it in different directions. This is especially important in the period before the formation of the first buds, since the flower in unfavorable conditions is forced to drop them. Now you know the basic nuances of caring for the Decembrists. Put them into practice, and in gratitude for the care and diligence, the Christmas tree will thank you with wonderful bright colors of its flowers.
