Decembrist flower: home care conditions and reasons for not flowering

The plant, which is popularly known by everyone under the name Decembrist or Christmas tree, in science is called epiphyllum, zygocactus and schlumberger. It represents the Cactus family. I fell in love with the flower, first of all, because the peak of its flowering falls on the New Year holidays.

Many are surprised when they find out that the Decembrist refers to cacti. People used to mean by this word something prickly, afraid of waterlogging and loving good lighting.

Decembrist belongs to the Cactus family

But this plant destroys the prevailing stereotypes and conquers with its beauty.

Varieties of the Decembrist

There are not only varieties of the Decembrist familiar to everyone, but also hybrid forms. Breeders did not stand aside and carried out painstaking work on the development of interesting varieties that amaze with a riot of colors and a variety of shades.

Decembrist white

White inflorescences against a background of dark green foliage look simply amazing. Such a flower will decorate any room. There are several varieties of the Decembrist with a white color of flowers. These include:

• White Christmas;
• Bridgeport;
• Angel Dance;
• White Bell;
• Aspen.

White Decembrist looks very elegant, thanks to the contrast of dark green leaves and snow-white inflorescences

The white hybrid Malissa deserves special attention. It has rather short stems, but very large flowers. The flowering period lasts up to 3-4 months. The middle is painted in lavender color. The inflorescence is capable of changing its color depending on the temperature at which it will be kept. A slight pink tint appears in cool conditions.

Decembrist pink

Decembrist with pink flowers is the most common type. It is this plant that is most often found on the windowsills of amateur flower growers. Popular varieties with pink flowers are:

• Gertner;
• Russeliana;
• Bucklei;
• Truncata;
• Mix;
• Orsiciana;
• Opuntioides;
• Lavender Doll;
• Lavender Fantasy;
• Christmas flame;
• Cambridge;
• Dark Eve or dark;
• Madame Butterfly, etc.

Decembrist pink varieties are the most common

Every year, new hybrids appear on the market that can delight even those who are skeptical about this plant.

Yellow Decembrist

The yellow color of the Decembrist flowers is uncharacteristic for this plant in natural conditions. The breeders worked on its creation for a very long time and painstakingly. Only after 15 years of work did they manage to get a Christmas tree with yellow flowers. They are characterized by wide and long stem segments of a dark green color, from which erect shoots are formed. Some of the most popular varieties include:

• Golden Cream;
• Gold Sharm;
• Christmas Flame or Gold Fantasy;
• Cambridge;
• Golden Orpheus.

The yellow Decembrist was obtained artificially, thanks to the many years of work of breeders

Decembrist red

The red color of flowers is quite common among the Decembrist, although flower growers prefer pink shades. Connoisseurs of rich and bright colors managed to fall in love with these varieties:

• Gertner;
• Kautsky;
• Christmas fantasy;
• Pasadena;
• Kris Kringle.

Red Decembrist looks very beautiful, although in popularity it is inferior to pink varieties

Other

In addition to the listed varieties of the Decembrist, plants with a purple or orange color of flowers are actively grown on the windowsills of flower growers. Sometimes they can be combined with white in various combinations. During the flowering period, such a Decembrinka takes on an elegant unusual appearance. Not everyone even immediately recognizes it in such an unusual form. TO the most popular varieties relate:

• Peach Parfait;
• Bridgeport;
• Twilight Tangerine;
• Christmas Cheer;
• Santa Cruz;
• Microsphaerica;
• Truncata.

Orange Decembrist is not so often seen on the windowsills of flower growers

Rare varieties and hybrids are found mainly in the collections of true connoisseurs of the Decembrist. They are constantly on the hunt for interesting novelties that breeders bring to their attention. Each variety is of great value for both amateurs and professional florists.

Decembrist with purple flowers is a real exclusive

Home care

The Decembrist is an unpretentious flower, it does not require special care and increased attention. Zygocactus adorns the home and at the same time does not cause unnecessary trouble for the owner. However, some rules must be adhered to in order to achieve lush flowering. How to properly care for a Decembrist?

Soil and transplant

Despite its unpretentiousness, the young zygocactus needs annual transplants.

Work is planned for the time when the flower ends the flowering period (namely, at the beginning of spring). In this case, the plant will have time to take root in a new place and by December to form buds for a new full bloom.

An adult flower does not need frequent transplants.

The Decembrist proper care for which will provide abundant and long flowering is planted in a shallow, but wide enough pot. Its diameter should be larger than the previous one by a couple of centimeters. To avoid rotting of the root system, small holes are made in the bottom to drain excess liquid.

The soil for planting a flower can be purchased ready-made in the store or you can prepare it yourself. In any case, it should be light, breathable, fertile and loose. If you decide to prepare the soil mixture yourself, then you need to take:

• turf;
• river sand;
• leafy ground;
• crushed brick;
• crushed coal.

The proportions, respectively, are 1: 2: 0.5: 0.5. For the purpose of disinfection, a small amount of wood ash is added to this mixture.

In the first month after the Decembrist was planted, he does not need feeding. Also, you should not fertilize during the dormant period.

Temperature and humidity

Decembrist home care, which will not be difficult even for beginners, is surprisingly unpretentious to the temperature regime and firmly tolerates its fluctuations. The plant survives both a heat of 35 ° C and a cold snap to + 2 ° C.

Decembrist can withstand temperature changes and withstand temperatures up to + 2 ° С

To achieve abundant flowering of the Decembrist, experts recommend moving it closer to October to a room with a temperature of + 16 ° C. Approximately at the beginning of December, the plant is transferred to a warm room so that it forms healthy and beautiful buds.

Interestingly, the zygocactus is not afraid of drafts, so for the summer it can be safely transported to the dacha or taken out to the balcony. In this case, care must be taken to protect from direct sunlight. Before the onset of cold weather, the plant should be brought back into the house.

The indoor Decembrist also differs from other types of cacti in that it loves high humidity. Periodically it is sprayed from a spray bottle.In the summer heat, it is advisable to carry out such a procedure several times a week, in winter it is enough 1-2 times a month.

Lighting

To grow a Decembrist, you will need bright enough, but at the same time, diffused lighting.

It is not recommended to put the plant on the southern windowsill.

It is not recommended to place the flower on the south side. In this case, you will have to organize the obligatory shading, otherwise it will become sluggish, it will gradually wither away. In no case should you move or unfold the pot with the Decembrist during the period of bud formation or active flowering. Otherwise, it will start to get rid of the flowers. With the onset of the dormant period, the plant simply needs to be periodically turned so that the green mass grows evenly.

Blooming Decembrist

The flowering period of the Decembrist coincides with the New Year holidays. An unpretentious flower, covered with beautiful inflorescences, often becomes a welcome gift for celebrations. However, when growing a zygocactus, even experienced flower growers make mistakes, because of which it may never please the eye with its magical beauty.

Reasons why it does not bloom

Sometimes flower growers, especially beginners, wonder why the Decembrist does not bloom? Among the most common reasons that clusters of attractive inflorescences have not appeared on it, there are the following:

• the soil does not meet the declared requirements;
• insufficient air humidity;
• excessive shading;
• deficiency of nutrients in the soil.

The lack of flowering can be triggered by a number of factors.

It so happens that the Decembrist does not bloom for a long time. What if initially the true cause of this is unknown? To get to the factor that led to this behavior of the flower, it will be necessary to analyze them and gradually eliminate the unsuitable ones. You can make the Schlumberger bloom at home if you first perform a number of actions:

• choose a pot for planting in such a way that the plant is a little cramped in it;
• do not place the Decembrist in a too warm room, the most optimal temperature for him will be + 16 ° C;
• prevent sudden temperature fluctuations;
• try to change the location of the zygocactus as little as possible so that the formed buds do not fall off;
• pruning or pinching should be done in advance, in October or November, the flower should not be touched at all, otherwise flowering may never come;
• in the autumn-winter period, provide additional supplementary illumination, using phytolamps for this;
• stop using fertilizers and dressings in September, because otherwise the stems of the Decembrist will actively grow, and not buds will form;
• reduce the number of watering in October and November (when the buds form), with the beginning of flowering, again increase the water norms, but do this as carefully as possible.

Diseases and pests can cause the Decembrist refuses to bloom

Also, the lack of flowering can lead to any disease or the presence of pests. In this case, each leaf is carefully examined and, if necessary, treatment with fungicides or insecticides is carried out.

Decembrist is an amazing flower home care for which is very simple. Subject to basic requirements, it will not only please with abundant flowering, but will also fully develop and look healthy.

Reproduction

The Christmas tree has such a magical beauty that there is a desire to arrange pots with him throughout the house, as well as to give such a flower to relatives and friends. To do this, you should know how this plant reproduces correctly. Some growers combine this procedure with pruning.

Cuttings

It is cuttings that are a simple and reliable way to propagate the Decembrist. In order for the work done to be crowned with success, a certain sequence of actions should be followed:

• making circular movements, separate from the plant part of the stem with three segments;
• leave the cooked cuttings in natural light and room temperature for three days to dry;
• pour soil mixture for cacti and succulents into small cups;
• deepen the cuttings into cups with soil mixture;
• cover the dish with a glass jar or a plastic bag to create greenhouse conditions;
• put the seedlings in a shaded room with a temperature of about + 20 ° C for 1 month, water the soil every day and organize the airing of the greenhouse.

Cutting is the easiest and most reliable way to reproduce the Decembrist

Graft

Not everyone knows that there is another way to get a new Decembrist on their windowsill - vaccination. It is used extremely rarely, since this technique differs not only in laboriousness, but also in various nuances. If there is a desire to experiment, then you can propagate the flower by replanting the shoot to the prickly pear.

The Decembrist rarely reproduces by vaccination.

The prickly pear stem is carefully split, then a pointed shoot is inserted into the cleft. The junction is fixed with a needle, then it is additionally wrapped with tape or electrical tape. After a couple of weeks, the Decembrist should grow together with the mother plant.

The Decembrist has been grown as a houseplant for a long time, but it has become especially popular in recent years. Florists attribute this to the fact that new interesting varieties have begun to be bred. Taking care of the plant is not difficult, even beginners can easily cope with this task. The tradition of giving a blooming Decembrist for the New Year holidays is being revived. If necessary, the flower can be easily propagated independently and share the beauty with friends and acquaintances.