Of the many types of ornamental plants, probably the cactus is one kind of plant with the most likes. The form is cute and charming deemed certainly can beautify your home, either when placed in the room and when placed in the park. Not to mention, how to cactus care classified as very easy. For gardening enthusiasts who are new, this cactus plant can certainly be a very attractive option for your home decoration.
Cactus plants there are various types. However, in general, how to treat them more or less the same. In my following article, but before I discuss how to plant and cactus care the proper should you get to know the classification and cactus morfology first. Here is the classification and morphology of cactus plants.
Classification and Characteristic Cactus Plant Morphology
Cactus is a plant of the Cactaceae family members who came from the American continent. Though renowned as a plant in the desert area, the fact that only a quarter of the total species of cactus that live in the area. The rest live in semi-deserts, grasslands and molt forests. These plants can live in tropical or sub-tropical. Known as the cactus plant desert plants because of how unique adaptation to drought, such as the roots are long, the water storage in the trunk space, and thorns as well as a layer of wax to reduce evaporation.
Cactus Plant Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Spermatophyta
Sub Division: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Order: Cactales
Family: Cactaceae
Sub Family: Pereskiae, Rebutia, Notocactus, Mammilaria
Species: Mammillaria xanthine, Opuntia ficus indica and Achinocactsu grusonii
Cactus Plant Morphology
Root
Riding cactus plant roots, branching, and also have fiber, but there are some roots of this plant have properties attached from one plant to the other so-called epiphytes. Rooting has a length of 6-10 meters and absorb even more widely so that plants can absorb water that is around or below ground.
Rod
Cactus plant stem contains a lot of water or so-called succulent, other than that the water stored in the stem has the form of mucus and also does not evaporate. Greenish stems of this plant young to old, gray and also waxed. This cactus plant stem form spherical, cylindrical and also has a very varied sizes reaching 20 meters or more.
Leaf
This cactus plant leaves have short stalks and also has a large size, but it leaves this role to make the process of photosynthesis. However, from some of the findings and also based on a sub-family of this plant has no leaves, so the process of photosynthesis performed on the stalks.
Flower
This plant also has a funnel-shaped flowers, the size and shape vary according to the variety. This flower has a red crown color, yellow, and orange. This cactus flowers bloom at night and during the day which will issue its distinctive odor.
Fruits and seeds
Fruit on this cactus plant looming round or oval shape and also have thick flesh. In addition, the fruit section of the base end of the rod clusters covered thorn - sharp thorns. Fruit that emerges from these plants reach 100-200 fruits per plant cactus. While the beans are produced in this fruit-shaped small, thin-skinned and too hard. In addition, these seeds have a shiny surface brownish to black.
Once we know the classification and morphology of cactus plants, then we've got an idea of how to take care of him, but still confused type of cactus where you want to plant.? Here are some types of cacti are beautiful and unique, and may be attracted to you planted as an ornament home or your garden.
Cactus Types
Astrophytum Cactus
This type of ornamental cactus stems shaped like starfruit. For this type of cactus Astrophytum itself estimated that there are 100 species in the world. This decorative cactus is a type of cactus that is flowering. Astrophytum also very beautiful flowers be red, pink, yellow and so on.
In the cultivation of ornamental cactus Astrophytum does have one drawback is the shortage of stem growth is very slow. So if you are interested in taking care of these types of cacti at home, try to buy already has a diameter of 5 cm stored at high temperature. In order for a maximum growth of this kind do not expose cactus in direct sunlight.
Ariocarpus Cactus
Ornamental cactus next is cactus Ariocarpus tipe. Cactus species this one is one of the most unique among other cactus. Ariocarpus cactus has leaf shapes that form a prism, the leaves also have a distinctive shape. No Ariocarpus leaf shape is tapered, curved and blunt. This cactus species have beautiful leaves with various colors. Flowers Ariocarpus has a variety of colors such as white, red, purple, pink and yellow. Another uniqueness of Ariocarpus ie it does not have thorns on the stem.
Echinofossulocactus Cactus
It's a little difficult to mention what kind of cactus this one. Cactus species has dark green stems with sharp thorns which surrounds it. This cactus is very slow growth is similar to a type of cactus Astrophytum. This cactus growth is slow, but after the age of 2.5-3 years is already flowering cactus. This type of cactus flower has a beautiful yellow and white.
Golden Barrel Cactus
Golden barrel cactus has a shape like a big barrel in the country of origin America. In Mexico and Texas cacti of this type can have very large form. Although this type of cactus in the country could reach a very large form different in Indonesia, golden barrel cactus form can only be equaled foot balls. However, this type of cactus has fans were fantastic and willing to buy a cactus with a high price.
Ferocactus Cactus
Cactus species has different characteristics than other ornamental cactus. This cactus forms up to 50 cm with sharp thorns and sturdiness enveloped. If others use a type of cactus flowers as their appeal, in contrast to the use of cactus ferocactus sharp thorns as its appeal.
Ferocactus has sharp spines and pink. This cactus stem form spherical curved dent. In order for this cactus can reach a maximum great try this cactus is always given extra care in order to have a perfect shape.
How already have an idea to plant a cactus in your home or garden.? After making sure would like to plant varieties of cactus that is where we talk about tips on caring for cactus plants, but we peeled advance how to plant cactus is good and right, at least when we buy the seeds cactus already large, this way we can use the time to reproduce the plant cactus existing one, here's how to plant cactus.
Cactus Nurseries
Cactus seedlings can be obtained by buying at a flower shop, take away from the parent stem, or cactus flowers that we take the seeds to be used as cactus seeds. Choose a good seed without any physical defects with the characteristics of a healthy cactus, thorns perfect and nothing is broken, the stem is not bruised, and perpendicular to the direction of growth and balanced with a minimum age of 3 months, Some reproduce by seeds. Although a little tricky, this way still do. First of cactus seeds must be dried, after the dried seeds are soaked in warm water new media plated on seedlings usually sandy soil and compost soil. After the cactus a year old and has a length of 4-5 cm, cacti can already moved into the planting medium, if the seeds we buy from the store then we just need to take care of him alone, for tips on caring for cactus plants.
Preparation and Planting
Make the planting medium from husk charcoal (biochar), sandy soil, and organic fertilizer with a ratio of 1: 1: 1. Prepare a pot that corresponds to the type of cactus, cactus-shaped rounded if then choose pots of 5-10 cm, while for high cactus then provide high pot with 1/2 of the height of the cactus. Make sure the pot using a good drainage system so that the plants do not rot, the conditions at the bottom of the pot there is a hole as the drainage of water after planting medium prepared seedlings in the nursery can be transferred to the planting medium.
Once we know how to plant cactus and cactus nursery good way to reproduce a cactus plant, we continue how the cactus care tips appropriate and correct, the following tips on caring for cactus accurate and true:
Cactus Care
- First, cactus loves the sun so the natural habitat in the hot desert and have good air circulation. Cactus not like the state of places that are too humid for the cactus flesh thick. If you are given plenty of water will quickly rot and die.
- Second, when will grow cactus there are two things that must be considered well, namely seeds and how to plant. Cactus seedlings can be by seed or seedling itself. You can find it in stores ornamental plants. As for how to plant, this plant can be grown in pots or in the ground directly.
- A third is the place. If we put it in the room, about a week once a cactus should be aerated so as not humid and not die.
- The fourth is the need sunlight on a cactus. Do not put them and allow direct sunlight. Because if left too long, the end of the cactus will change color due to fire.
- Next is a container or pot for cacti. Containers used can be large or small. Customize it with the size of his cactus.
- The sixth is watering. Watering cactus not the same as other ordinary plants. A sprayed water it only by using a special spray bottle so that a cactus is not too moist. If the media has been completely dry, watering can be implemented. Try not to delay watering for cactus also need water to make ends meet, sometimes way that does not fit the rules watering can cause disease. Eg stem rot disease. This disease occurs due to lack of moisture uncontrolled environment. Therefore, use a sprayer with a small splash and spray water only in the medium.
- How to care for cacti most good is to give fertilizer regularly. Cactus should also be given fertilizer so that the plants develop well as other plants. However, the fertilizer is not the same as other ordinary plants. Fertilizer for cacti must use organic fertilizers (NPK) which you can get at the store houseplants. This fertilizer is given to cropping media.
After reading the above description, we can see that how to care for cactus easier than caring for other ornamental plants. Several types of cactus can grow on its own without the need for special care. So if you love gardening, it never hurts to try treating ornamental cactus in your home, if you are confused to find the seed, you can choose the seed you want to plant cactus (cactus plants for sale) on www.alibaba.com.
So I can tell about easy tips ornamental cactus plant and care for the good and the right, hopefully this article useful for readers.