Cacti on the windowsill, on the balcony and on the street, and they also like the sun or shadow, do they need light, what temperature can they withstand and where can I put it in the apartment?

The homeland of cacti is America, but they are distributed unevenly across the continent, the most diverse are cacti in Argentina, Mexico, and Bolivia. The peculiarities of caring for these popular plants are associated with their natural habitats, in which periods of drought and the rainy season are pronounced, and temperature drops during the day and night. Cacti live in desert and semi-desert regions, foothills and even in the highlands of the Andes, at an altitude of up to 4000 meters, in the tropical forests of the Amazon.

Photophilous plant or not?

Lighting has a great impact on almost all plant life processes. Do cacti love the sun, do they need light, or do they prefer shade?

Most cacti are photophilous and are not afraid of bright sunlight (on the contrary, they really need it), but people from tropical forests are more comfortable with dimming than their desert counterparts. An ideal place for cacti would be southeastern or eastern windows, for forest - north or west.

Is it possible to put pots with prickly plants in the sun? Most of these prickly plant species calmly tolerate bright sunlight.but rainforest residents such as ripsalis and the like may even die from direct sunlight.

During hibernation, which occurs in the winter, a reduction in illumination is permissible; lighting is needed only for desert representatives and those plants that are located on northern darkened windows.

In spring, when daylight increases and the sun's rays become brighter, especially on balconies or on the street, cacti are gradually accustomed to the sun and light, for this you can cover them with loose paper or a curtain.

For, to achieve flowering of cacti, you should not move them without special need, turn, if such a need arose, it is better to make marks on the pots so as not to change the location of the plant relative to the light source (how to choose a pot for a cactus?).

Desert views

All fluffy, with pronounced thorns, having a wax layer of cacti are desert varieties, therefore they are more photophilous and hardy in bright sunlight than their forest brothers.

The most popular representatives of desert cacti:

Echinopsis;
Echinocereus;
Echinocactus;
Cereus Peruvian;
Chametereus Sylvester;
Aporocactus wattled;
Espola woolly;
Notocactus;
Astrophytum Capricorn;
Prickly pear;
Parody;
Dwarf Rebucia.

Shade tolerant species

The most famous forest cactus is zygocactusotherwise, the Decembrist, who in the natural environment has adapted to survive on the trees of tropical forests, into which light enters through the foliage, so diffused lighting is more acceptable for him. Shade-hardy varieties also include ripsalidopsis, epiphilium.

Best Placements

Windowsill

During the colder months, the windowsill will be the most suitable habitat for cacti, but remember that cacti suffer from drafts and hot air from heating appliances.

Cactus growers advise placing plants closer to cool glass and block them from radiators, for example a sheet of plexiglass.

In case of severe frosts, additional window insulation should be taken care of, but the heating barrier should not be removed until the appliances are turned off.

Balcony

In the summer, the balcony will be an ideal place for cacti to live, but you should gradually accustom yourself to life on the street, covering it from the scorching rays of the sun, from dust and rain with a canopy from a greenhouse film or other material that transmits light.

Street

If it is possible in the summer to place cacti on the street, then the rules are the same as when located on the balcony.

Now more and more cactus slides began to appear. In order for such a slide to please the owners for more than one year, certain rules should be followed. The slide should be located in a place protected from drafts, it is desirable that the light incident on it be diffused. To create a slide, use small gravel, broken brick, sand, rolled lawn. Fertile soil must be changed at least once a year. About the soil, which is suitable for growing cacti, we wrote in a separate article.

Cacti are planted in the soil, depending on weather conditions, most often in the second half of spring, and at first they should be under film shelter. For planting in the open, they are advised on rebuts, echinopsis, some types of parodies, prickly pears. In autumn, cacti should also be covered with a film to protect against the first frosts. For the winter, cacti are dug up, placed in special cartridges from cardboard boxes, in which the roots and stems of plants are not damaged. The place for wintering, as well as indoor cacti, should be bright and cool.

Content temperature

What temperature can plants withstand in an apartment? Cacti, due to the natural conditions of their natural habitat, are quite resistant to temperature extremes. Some species can withstand up to +45^aboutbut a comfortable summer temperature for them will be 18-25^about.

Cacti located on the balcony or on the street, it is advisable to gradually accustom to the differences in day and night temperatures., which helps to strengthen the skin of the stem, prepare the plant for cold wintering. Cacti located in the warmer months in the fresh air are distinguished by brilliant, well-developed thorns, better flowering, and disease resistance.

Rest period

In the colder months, the vital rhythms of the plant gradually slow down and the cactus falls into a state similar to suspended animation. The most suitable winter temperature for them would be 5-10^about heat, although some need higher temperatures for a comfortable wintering, so, 18-20^about a very suitable temperature for wintering melocactus and discocatus.

There are separate varieties that can endure our frosts, such frost-resistant species include oryocerius, trichocerius, tefrocactus, representatives of the genus Opuntia. The main condition for their survival is a gradual decrease not only in temperature, but also in humidity, and a reduction in the number of irrigations.

Some cacti shrink during hibernation, sometimes halving in size. The fluid in the cells becomes more mucous, with a high content of minerals, so it does not freeze at sub-zero temperatures. Compliance with the temperature regime, reduction of humidity during the dormancy period of cacti is the main condition for abundant flowering of the plant in the future.

The consequences of an illiterate choice of place

If the lighting does not fit

Cacti are considered very unpretentious in care, but for them certain conditions for life are important (read more about caring for cacti here).

So, in low light, even the most persistent of desert cacti stretch out, the top becomes thinner, powerful spines thinner, become thin.
If you place a forest zygocactus on a brightly lit southern window, then its leaf plates may turn pale and the periodicity of the flowering, growth and dormancy phases of the plant will be disrupted.
It is also worthwhile to be careful about direct sunlight on cacti, especially young plants. Such a mistake is fraught with a burn, which will lead to the appearance of red spots on the stem, and some species may even die.

Incorrect temperature

Due to the too warm temperature in the rooms where the cacti are in the winter months, the plants cannot fall into a state of rest. As a result, their biological rhythm is disrupted. The consequence of this may be the deformation of plants, the lack of flowering.
Too low a temperature with high humidity will cause the liquid to freeze inside the cactus stem and freeze the plant.

Cacti tolerate high temperatures well, but still it is better that the temperature of the content does not exceed 25⁰.

In this way, when choosing a place for growing, it is worth considering which variety a green pet belongs towhether he is a representative of forest or desert cacti. It is also important to pay attention to the time of year and the phase in the life of the plant. Then it will be possible to choose the optimum temperature and level of illumination necessary not only for life and growth, but also for the abundant flowering of a cactus, which will be a well-deserved reward to the owner for his care for a prickly friend.