I take care of the Decembrist correctly: I tell you how. And the plant thanks me with regular and profuse flowering
Fiery fireworks, fellow flower growers!
Today, predictably, the Decembrist (or, scientifically, Schlumberger) is on the agenda. The houseplant, known to our grandmothers, has become one of the most "Russian" plants. We fell in love with the bloom in winter, when most of the other house flowers are sleeping. The Decembrist, so that he grows quickly, looks beautiful and pleases the eyes of citizens with a bright flowering, has a special allowance.
Pot and land for the Decembrist: what does the flower like
If you, comrade, have transplanted a Decembrist at least once, then you estimated the size of the root system: in Schlumberger it is very small and fragile. In a large pot, the roots begin to rot: the plant grows decrepit before our eyes, and the buds fall off. Be sure to keep this in mind when choosing dishes for planting. I take a pot, 2-3 cm larger. Not the previous one, but the size of the roots!
Planting a Decembrist in the soil for cacti is a big mistake. The Decembrist is an epiphyte, therefore, according to cultivation preferences, it is closer to Phalaenopisis, and he never grew in the desert. I always plant it in all-purpose soil, adding some coconut chips and orchid bark.
Top dressing of the Decembrist: when and what are needed
The approximate life schedule of our ward looks like this (it may differ in different species):
- November-December - flowering;
- January - early February - rest, ending with the possible growth of new buds;
- February-March - re-flowering.
- March-August - abundant growth of shoots and active development;
- September-October is another short dormant period, which again ends with bud formation.
I repeat that, depending on the type and lighting (and this is a key condition for changing the phases of Schlumberger's development), the dates are shifted. But their order is always repeated.
Based on this schedule, it is easy to guess how to feed the Decembrist. During the dormant period, the Decembrist is not fed, but from March to August, they are treated with complex mineral fertilizer for flowering and organic matter.
To stimulate flowering, spraying with solutions of potassium monophosphate or boric acid is useful. But it makes sense to make them only in October and February, when the length of daylight hours (8 hours) is conducive to flowering.
Bush formation
The splendor of flowering depends not only on the quality of care. But also on the number of shoots. To increase their number by 2-3 times in 1 season, I must pinch each branch in March. It is enough to carefully unscrew 2 segments each, and the Decembrist will soon overgrow with new ones. And the removed parts of the shoots are easily rooted in a peat tablet.
Watering the Decembrist: this is very important
The Decembrist is afraid of the gulf like fire. I water the Decembrist when the top layer of soil in the pot is completely dry. In summer - after 5-7 days, in winter - once every 10 days.
No, the flower will not suffer. Indeed, in the bowels of the pot, a sufficiently large supply of moisture is constantly stored.
Where to put the Decembrist?
Comrade: Decembrist bloom depends only on the health of the flower and lighting. In the summer, I remove the pot from the sunny window, because there is too much light on it and this is indicated by a color change from green to crimson. In winter, it is important to give the Schlumberger enough sun again. A plant without normal lighting will bloom in single buds.
Excellent stimulation of flowering - stress with low or high temperatures. You can take the pot out to the insulated loggia, cover it with snow or pour it over with a hot shower. Love the Decembrist and was the article helpful? Please put "Thumbs up" in response, comrade!