How to easily and correctly grow a cactus from a small shoot without roots

The cactus is an original and beautiful plant that is grown by many. Due to its particular unpretentiousness, flower growers want not only to have such beauty at home, but also, if possible, to breed it. Therefore, it is especially important for such people to know how to plant a cactus correctly.

If we talk about breeding, the easiest way to do this is with the help of shoots. The reason for this is that after planting, the children take root quite quickly. Although, of course, first you should separate this very process. The procedure must be performed with extreme caution so that no “mother material” remains on the shoot, and no baby parts remain on the main cactus. Many, when seating children, do not pay due attention to this, but it is completely in vain, since the remaining parts can lead to rotting.

The procedure can be performed at any time, but “experienced gardeners” advise breeding in the spring and summer, because that is when roots grow best from the shoot.

It is worth remembering that after separation the baby cannot be immediately planted in the ground, because it will probably rot; you should wait until the cut dries well. Until this time, it is better to place the shoot in a dark and cool room. After this, you can plant the baby in a small container, pre-filled with a substrate with the addition of a large amount of sand.

It should be noted that the sand is added wet, and watering is not necessary. Planting material is laid out on the prepared soil, but not deepened. When the appearance of roots is noticed, then you can start fully planting the still very young cactus.

Having figured out how to plant a cactus that was obtained using shoots, you can move on to which substrate to give preference to and why.

Important! Sometimes you can notice aerial roots on the shoot, which are easily separated from the mother plant. Such planting material can be planted in the ground within a day.

Selecting soil and container for planting

The cactus should be rooted in the ground. Some inexperienced gardeners suggest using water for these purposes, but this should never be done. We are talking directly about planting, which follows the appearance of roots. All processes should not be confused, because in this case both the shoot and the plant can be ruined.

For planting, select soil consisting of:

1. Garden soil (one part).
2. Chopped dry leaves (two parts).
3. Sand (one part).

To make the soil softer and looser, charcoal or foam balls are added to it.

If the gardener does not have experience in preparing the substrate, then in this case you can purchase ready-made soil, which is sold in the store. True, you need to pay attention to the fact that it is low in nutrition.

Before planting a cactus, you should know some rules for correctly filling a flowerpot. So, drainage must be placed at the bottom of the pot, which can be expanded clay or pebbles. This material will be able to remove excess moisture accumulated in the pan. This is an important point, since not all gardeners know how to correctly follow the recommendations regarding watering, and in the end it turns out that the root system begins to rot.

The substrate that is placed in the pot must be compacted well. When planting, the roots are carefully deepened into the soil so as not to damage them. Upon completion of the manipulation, the soil is not watered for several days.

As for the soil mixture, everything is clear. However, it is necessary to pay special attention to what pots are needed for planting young animals. Considering that the root of the plant is quite small, it only needs minimal space, there is no point in buying large flowerpots. Many gardeners who have been growing cacti for a long time generally advise paying attention to the smallest containers in which the plants will be quite comfortable. If it is noticed that the flower has stopped growing, then you can transplant the cactus into a larger pot, which will be a couple of centimeters in volume larger than the previous one.

How to protect yourself from thorns when transplanting

Many varieties of cacti are generously endowed with sharp thorns, which serve as protection for plants (although stubborn mice can prick, but there are :). This prickly circumstance makes replanting cacti a difficult and sometimes dangerous task. One of the best ways to safely repot a cactus is to use metal kitchen tongs or lightly wrap the cactus with masking tape or foam. You can also use a pair of leather gloves or, for smaller plants, just grab oven mitts. Avoid cloth gardening gloves, as cactus spines can easily pierce most fabrics.

Construction foam will protect your hands from thorns

How to plant a baby cactus

The grower should plant the baby cactus in a separate pot with a prepared substrate. There is no need to dig the shoot to a depth of several centimeters; it can only be lightly stuck into a small hole.

In order to preserve the root collar, you should sprinkle it with pebbles. After this procedure, it is best to move the pot with the plant to a cool and dark place so that the cactus begins to get used to the new conditions. After a few days, maximum a week, the young plant will need to be watered. This involves caring for a newly planted flower at home. Watering is carried out with clean water. Some gardeners advise pouring liquid into a tray, others - directly into the pot. There is no right option in this case; everyone can do as they see fit.

Important! When watering, you should use no more than one spoon of water so that the cactus does not rot.

At first, the plant is watered once every 2 weeks. After a few months, when the cactus has grown enough, the procedure is carried out once a week. At this stage, the flower can be moved to an ordinary room with good daylight.

Reproduction methods

There are two ways to propagate a cactus:

• seeds;
• by children (using a lateral shoot of an adult plant).

Growing a cactus from seeds is quite difficult. Therefore, this method of propagation is used only to obtain new varieties of flowers. It is also suitable if the thorn has not yet formed a shoot in the form of a baby.

Planting cactus seeds with a step-by-step description:

1. Before planting cactus seeds, soak them in a dark solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes.
2. Prepare a bowl for seedlings and fill it with soil. As a substrate, you can use the same composition as for adult plants. The thickness of the soil in the bowl should be only 1-1.5 cm.
3. Moisten the substrate and place the seeds on its surface.
4. Press them down with your palm, but don’t bury them.
5. Cover the bowl with glass or film and place it in a warm and well-lit place.
6. Ventilate the mini-greenhouse daily and periodically moisten the soil. Condensation from the film must be removed.
7. When the first shoots appear, remove the cover. This may take from several days to several weeks.
8. When the first spines appear, the cacti will need to be planted in separate small pots.

The easiest and fastest way to reproduce is to use children. This is very easy to do if they have roots. Then you just need to carefully separate the shoot from the mother plant and transplant it into your own pot. If the baby has no roots, then you will have to work a little.

Instructions for rooting cactus babies step by step:

1. Carefully separate the children from the adult plant.
2. Prepare a bowl with a light and loose substrate. A mixture of equal parts of high-moor peat and washed river sand is suitable for this.
3. Moisten the soil and stick the children into it so that their lower part is immersed in it by only a few mm.
4. Cover the bowl with film or glass and place it in a well-lit place. The warmer it is there, the faster rooting will occur.
5. Do not allow the substrate to dry out. Therefore, moisturize it periodically. Remove the cover every day for 10-15 minutes and remove moisture from it.

It will be possible to place the children in separate containers when they are well rooted. And the formation of the root system may take 3-5 weeks.

How to grow a cactus from seeds

Of course, growing a young cactus using cuttings is not difficult if you do everything correctly. Another thing is the seed method. However, nothing is impossible for amateur gardeners. Therefore, it would not be a bad idea to try growing the plant in this way. True, you should know that in this case, firstly, there will be more fuss than with children, and secondly, you will have to take some precautions.

First you need to take care of your “working tools”. We are talking about a container in which the seeds will be placed. It must be well treated with manganese solution or steam. The substrate, which is kept in the oven for about forty minutes before use, is not left without attention. After this, you can begin the process itself.

It comes down to these points:

• The soil should be thoroughly wetted and leveled.
• After this, make tiny holes, at a distance of a couple of centimeters from each other.
• If the planting material is large, then it is lightly sprinkled with substrate on top, if it is small, then everything remains that way.
• The container with seeds is covered with glass or tightly closed with film. After this, the container will need to be taken to a dark place, but with mandatory access to air.

Usually seeds germinate in 2-4 weeks. From this moment you can start removing the film or moving the glass away. It would not be a bad idea to take the container with the young animals into a bright room, but under no circumstances place it in direct sunlight. You can remove the film only after spines appear on the plant.

It must be said that young plants should not be forgotten to water, because they will dry out instantly. At the same time, you should ensure that the soil is not wet, otherwise all the seedlings will rot. It will be possible to plant the cactus when it is already more or less stronger. More details about this are written below.

Requirements for soil and container

You can prepare the soil for planting yourself. To do this you will need leaf soil, river sand, a small amount of peat and crushed charcoal. All components must be disinfected, the sand must be washed and calcined in the oven for 90 minutes at high temperature.

However, for favorable seed germination, it is better to stock up on ready-made soil for cacti and succulents. It contains all the necessary nutrients and microelements for the seedling. Store soil also needs pre-treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate. You can bake it in the oven on a baking sheet for no more than 10 minutes at a temperature of +110° C.

Picking cacti or replanting them

Cacti cannot stay in one pot for a long time. Despite the fact that they grow quite slowly, after the young growth has reached a diameter of 5 mm, it must be picked (replanted), otherwise the plants will become crowded and they will stop growing.

The procedure is performed almost the same way as when planting shoots. The only difference is that you should protect your hands from needles and needles from your hands.

Important! Under no circumstances should you damage a young cactus, because it can get sick and die.

Therefore, during transplantation, it is necessary to use either tweezers and use them to pull out young cacti, or wrap the plants with something. The disadvantage of the first method is that there is a risk of breaking the cactus during extraction. That's why everyone uses the second method - wrapping. For these purposes, you can use a towel, soft sponges, or simply wear rubber gloves.

In the first year, picking is performed quite often, because during the procedure the roots of the plant break off a little, at the same time lateral shoots are formed, and due to this, the young growth begins to grow well.

During transplantation, it is important to ensure that the substrate in the pot from which the cactus is removed is dry. This will make it easier to remove the plant from the pot.

Despite the fact that the process is quite labor-intensive, it is often resorted to, this is due to the fact that the quality of such cacti (grown from seeds and then picked) is much higher than those grown from shoots. By the way, they are also easier to care for. Some gardeners note that such plants have better resistance to diseases and pests.

During planting, it is important to pay attention to ensure that the cactus is not buried too deep into the soil mixture. At the same time, it should not rise above the ground so that the plant can be seen from afar.

Some gardeners, in order to highlight the cactus, if they really want to, use a flowerpot in which they place their flower. During the flowering period it actually looks incredibly beautiful.

When is a transplant needed?

Cacti can be replanted at any time of the year, but the most convenient period is the beginning of winter, because it is at this time that succulents are at rest and begin to lay buds. November and December are ideal times for planting.

Caring for the plant will differ depending on what season it was planted.

If the cactus was planted in winter, then it is not watered until spring. The plant will definitely not dry out, so there is no need to worry about this. If you water the succulent after replanting, the flower will rot and die.

How to plant a cactus without roots

Beginning flower growers, having learned that it is somehow possible to plant a cactus that has no roots in one pot, begin to actively browse this topic. In fact, not a single flower, and a cactus is no exception, can grow without a root system. In this case, we mean cuttings, the essence of which is to place the young shoot on specially prepared soil and allow it to take root. This scheme was described above.

Having learned how to plant a cactus in a pot and propagate it, you can create an entire flower garden at home, consisting only of cacti.

General description of cacti

The body of cacti in their natural environment can reach tens of meters. The tallest is a northern Mexican specimen called Pringle's Pachycereus. Its maximum height was almost 20 meters. And the smallest is called Blossfeldia, whose diameter is about 10 mm.

The difference between cacti and other succulents lies in the modified axillary growth buds.

I call the apical bud an axilla, and the lateral buds the areoles. Cacti can stop growth from the axilla at any time and direct all their forces to the development of shoots from the areoles. This is how the body of the cactus becomes overgrown with mammillaria - babies.

Another difference is the absence of inflorescences. Flowers in cacti are formed one at a time, do not have peduncles and perform male and female functions. The lower part of the flower is a continuation of the stem and has an areola and spines. The sizes and colors of flowers can be varied and unexpected.

Soil for planting

So what do you need to know about this? One of the most important points in answering the question of how to plant cacti is the correct choice of soil. Ordinary garden soil is not suitable for these purposes. You can buy substrate for succulents at a flower shop. It includes humus from turf and leaves, river sand, peat and other necessary nutrients. If you can’t purchase the mixture, you can try making the soil yourself. For this, garden soil, coarse sand and peat are taken. These components are combined in a ratio of 1:1:0.5. You can also add some foam balls and dry leaves to the soil.

How to properly take a shoot with roots, what to pay attention to?

Before planting a shoot, you need to select and prepare it. “Children” are formed on the cactus itself in the process of its life . They can be located either on the top of the plant or at the bottom, at the very roots, it all depends on the type of succulent. Separating them from the mother plant is not difficult, because they are minimally connected to the stem. While still on an adult cactus, the shoots of most types of succulents begin to produce roots. In addition, over time, the shoots can fall off and, falling to the ground, begin to develop their root system, so reproduction occurs without problems.

When choosing a shoot for transplantation, it is important to pay attention to its size (a large one is stronger and more viable), its location (it is believed that high-quality shoots grow closer to the top of the plant).

also propagate cactus with “babies” that do not have roots - this will not cause any particular difficulties. In any case, the shoot is placed on a clean, dry sheet of paper and placed for 3 days or 1 week in a dark and cool place to slightly dry the cut site (this is done to prevent rotting of the shoot). Read more about all the ways to plant a cactus without roots in this article.

What time of year is best to propagate?

Planting a cactus shoot can be done throughout the year , but still the best time is spring and summer.
The fact is that the birthplace of succulents are countries with hot climates. The temperature regime and daylight hours during spring and summer are close to the “native” weather conditions of this flower. In addition, any plant in warm weather experiences a phase of active vegetative development, which will greatly facilitate the process of rooting the succulent. In late autumn and winter, you can also try to plant a baby adult cactus, but you must remember that the young plant will need additional care: providing enough light, observing the temperature regime.

Pros and cons of the method

Propagation of cactus by shoots has a number of advantages. This method is quite simple and economical. There are no special costs required for its implementation. However, there is always a risk that an exotic plant simply will not take root in its new environment. This is directly related to the fact that the shoot does not have its own roots.

Why doesn't the cactus take root?

Sometimes it happens that a plant dies after transplantation. Beginning gardeners often encounter this problem. This is usually due to errors in preparing the shoot or planting it. If the young crop is not dried well before planting in the ground, it will rot. You may have chosen a plant that is too young for replanting. In this case, it will most likely simply dry out and not sprout roots. It is also important to observe optimal growing conditions: the succulent should not be filled with water or placed in a cold and dark place.

Instructions

It is advisable to familiarize yourself with this aspect first. So, how to divide a cactus when transplanting? Many novice gardeners are afraid to carry out this procedure on their own, although there is nothing complicated about it. Let's take a closer look at how to transplant cactus shoots without roots.

To separate the babies from the mother plant, it is better to use tweezers or a knife. It is especially important to consider this recommendation if you are going to plant a cactus with needles. Although the “babies” are not very firmly attached to the mother plant, the shoots should be separated with extreme caution. If the slightest particle remains in the cactus, it can lead to rot. As a result, the sprout will not take root.

It is better to prepare everything necessary for planting in advance. This is a container, soil, drainage, a spatula and the sprouts themselves. First, you should lay a drainage layer on the bottom of the container. The remaining space is filled with moistened soil. Make a small depression in the middle of the pot. The “baby” is placed in it without dropping it, cut side down. If there are roots, it is better to straighten them. Lightly press down the soil with your hands to secure the young plant. Under no circumstances bury the shoot deep into the ground. To prevent moisture from evaporating too intensely from the surface of the soil, you can place sea pebbles and stones on top of it.