How to water the Decembrist at home correctly: how often do you need to do this in the winter, when the Christmas tree blooms and at other times of the year, and also what should be fertilized?

Decembrist (Christmas tree, Schlumbergera, zygocactus) - a plant that can be found in many houses. It is distinguished by lush flowering in the winter season.

Despite the fact that the Schlumbergera is quite unpretentious, certain conditions must be observed in the process of its cultivation.

The most sensitive part of the Christmas tree is the root system, so proper watering is extremely important for the health of the flower. We will tell you how to properly water a Decembrist flower: after how many days it should be done during the flowering period and how often - the rest of the time.

Overview of moisture requirements of Schlumbergera

Decembrist belongs to the Cactus family. This fact should be taken into account in its content.

The Decembrist has the ability to accumulate moisture in his tissues, which he can use in conditions of drought. Therefore, the lack of water in the soil of Schlumberger tolerates easier than the excess.

Besides, when the soil dries, zigocactus can form additional aerial roots and with their help absorb moisture from the air. Do not water the Decembrist at certain intervals.

The need for moisture is recommended to be determined by the state of the soil. The drying rate of the soil depends on the temperature and humidity. The signal for watering is drying in a pot of the top layer of the substrate for three to four centimeters.

Excessively moist soil does not allow air to pass through well (about what should be in the composition of the soil for Decembrist and how to prepare it yourself, read here). Christmas should be watered sparingly so as not to provoke rotting of the root neck and death of the plant. Settled water at room temperature is suitable for moistening the soil..

How often do I need to water at home?

In winter and early spring, during flowering

Schlumbergera blooms in winter and early spring. During this period, zigocactus requires a lot of moisture, so the soil in the pot dries much more often than usual. You need to continue to water the Christmas tree after drying the top layer of the earth. It is important to monitor the air temperature. A favorable temperature is + 22 ° C.

If the indicators are high enough, you should not limit watering: in such conditions, water is not only consumed by the plant, but also actively evaporates. At low temperatures, it is not possible to moisten the soil very much to avoid bogging and rotting of the root system of the plant.

Under conditions of moderate air temperature, the Schlumberger must be watered about once every three to five days. Do not water the plant at night. During flowering, it is recommended to stop spraying. This will not allow the buds to fade in the sun.

During rest

After flowering, the Decembrist needs less water. Watering needs to be slightly reduced in volume and carried out less often. It is recommended to spray the plant, previously covering the soil surface with a film to protect the roots from water.

In the summer heat, watering is more often, but in small portions. If the air in the room is very dry, the lack of moisture can be compensated by daily spraying of the Christmas tree with settled water, or by installing a container with the plant on a pallet with moistened expanded clay, moss or peat.

Autumn for Decembrist is a time of rest. From mid-September, watering should be gradually reduced to a minimum. It is permissible to do with only spraying.

Completely remove the top dressing. Contain Schlumbergera at air temperature from +10 to + 12 ° C. The state of rest lasts until mid-November. Closer to December, the Schlumberger must be rearranged in a warm room. Too hot or cold air prevents the formation of buds. The optimum temperature during this period: during the day no higher than + 21 ° C, at night - from +7 to + 15 ° C. It is required to gradually make watering more frequent and resume feeding.

What to add to the water so that the Christmas tree blooms well?

In order for the Christmas tree to regularly please with long lush flowering, it is important to provide the plant with nutrients. From May to September, it is necessary to organize feeding of the Decembrist, combining the application of fertilizers with watering. Such events should be held once a month. You can use organic fertilizers or ready-made mixtures for flowers "Kemira", "Bud" and others.

Special fertilizers for cacti are best suited. Such formulations contain little nitrogen. Excess of this substance negatively affects the roots of the Decembrist. To prepare the solution, you need to take half the portion recommended on the package of the drug. In summer, the frequency of top dressing must be increased to two times a month, and from the beginning of August - gradually reduced. In the fall, fertilizer is not necessary.

Decembrists need a lot of nutrients during flowering. So that the buds do not fall, you should feed the plant. For this purpose, the following are used:

fertilizers for flowering cacti;
phosphorus and potassium top dressing.

Phosphorus fertilizers stimulate the formation of a large number of healthy buds. Potassium - strengthens the plant. The nourished Decembrist will not begin to wither after the end of the flowering stage and will successfully continue its growth.

The main thing is not to use fertilizers containing nitrogen. This component causes the appearance of new shoots and leaves, inhibiting the formation of buds.

What threatens improper watering?

The root system of the Decembrist is very susceptible to the external environment and, if not properly maintained, begins to rot. The following care errors result in improper watering.:

watering with cold water;
abundant soil moisture at low temperatures;
application of a solution with a high concentration of fertilizers.

Read more about the rules for caring for Decembrist at home here, and from this article you will learn about whether the Schlumberger can be cut and how to do it.

In these cases, the leaves of the plant become sluggish, Schlumbergera loses green segments and buds and can die. It is urgent to transplant a flower into fresh soil and into a disinfected old or new pot:

Remove the Decembrist from the flowerpot.
Free the roots from the old soil.
Rinse them under a stream of warm water.
Inspect the root system, remove the affected areas.
Process slices with powdered charcoal.
Place the plant in a new substrate.

You can find out how to properly transplant Decembrist at home here.

In the first weeks after the procedure, the Christmas tree should not be watered. It is necessary to carry out spraying every day and maintain the air temperature at a level of +20 to + 24 ° C. Shriveled leaves speak not only about waterlogging of the soil, but also about excessive drying. Prolonged drought adversely affects the state of the Decembrist.

It is required to adjust the irrigation regime, and the leaves will quickly become healthy.

Schlumbergera is extremely difficult to tolerate waterlogging of the substrate. If emergency rescue measures are not taken, the plant may die. Therefore, it is better not to make mistakes when watering and feeding. In favorable conditions, the Decembrist will radiate health and timely delight with abundant flowering.